Piano Life Savers
Calgary’s very dry climate can cause major problems in pianos, especially newer pianos or instruments in “industrial” situations such as churches, schools and concert venues. Even with whole home or noisy and inconvenient room humidifiers, a consistent RH level can be very difficult to maintain.
Pianos go out of tune with changes in temperature and humidity more than anything else. A change of as little as 10% can cause a piano to rise and fall in pitch depending on the direction of the change. When the humidity is high, the natural arch of the soundboard is greater as the soundboard swells and the pitch rises as the strings are stretched. When the humidity is low the soundboard’s arch becomes smaller, which relaxes the tension of the strings and the pitch falls. At the same time, the wood, leather and felt components of the piano’s “action” will change their adjustment as the parts swell and shrink, changing the piano’s “touch”.
Using a digital psychrometer, a highly accurate scientific instrument for measuring relative humidity, I have seen indoor RH (relative humidity) levels as low as 5% in the winter to above 60% in the summer. Most manufacturers prefer humidity levels in the 40-60 percent range, which can be nearly impossible to maintain in a Calgary winter without frosting windows and ruining woodwork. In extreme cases it’s not unheard of for manufacturers to deny warranty claims as levels below 20% may violate the terms of the warranty.
In order to protect your instrument from fluctuating or drastically low (or high) humidity levels, the installation of the “Piano Life Saver” system by the Dampp-Chaser company is highly recommended. A properly installed and maintained Piano Life Saver, particularly in conjunction with a bottom cover for grands or a back cover for uprights, will maintain the interior of the piano at a fairly constant RH level regardless of the conditions in a particular room. This helps preserve the tuning, which can swing wildly under our climate, and helps conserve the piano.
The Piano Life Saver operates silently and is easily filled when a light on the display panel tells you the water level is low. It uses very little electricity and contains a safety shut-off in case it runs dry to protect the piano from over-drying.
Our prices include installation, five year warranty, pad treatment and a year’s supply of replacement pads. GST will be added. A follow-up tuning within two months is highly recommended to ensure your piano will be stable.
Upright Piano Life Saver System: $900.00
Small grand piano Piano Life Saver System: $1050
Large grand piano dual-tank Life Saver system: $1200
Upright Back Cover: $100
Grand Undercover: $179 (custom fitted)
Replacement pads: $12.95 (two full size pads for a year’s supply)
Large bottle of Pad Treatment: $24.95
IMPORTANT!: Only Pad Treatment by Piano Life Saver should be used with these systems. Use of other types of humidifier treatments can seriously damage the system, the piano and its surroundings.
Due to Calgary’s hard water, the Dampp-Chaser corporation suggests changing the pads every three or four months. Those using distilled water or Reverse Osmosis filters can often change them yearly with the addition of Pad Treatment.
Musselwhite Piano Services highly recommends the installation of the Piano Life Saver in all new or newer pianos to help protect your instrument from the damage caused by drastic humidity changes. Please see the Piano Life Saver web site for more information.
NOTE: Piano Life Saver Systems are not recommended for Yamaha Disklavier<tm> and other electronic player piano systems.
Due to supply chain issues and shipping costs, prices for PLS systems may change without notice.