Système d'humidité
Benefits of the Piano Life Saver for Piano Tuning, Keys & Keyboards, Piano Care and Maintenance
The system provides a consistent climate, keeping the humidity level constant year round in any climate or environment. The Piano Life Saver is installed out of sight, inside the piano. Models are available for Grand Pianos, Baby Grands, and Upright pianos.
The Piano Life Saver System...
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How the Piano Life Saver System works
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The Piano Life Saver System is made up of basic components which work together to control internal piano humidity levels, maintaining the recommended relative humidity and climate no matter what the external conditions are. Through a cycling action, the Humidistat is calibrated to create a separate environment within the piano, producing a narrow range of average humidity. When the Humidistat, located less than an inch from the soundboard, senses that the wood is dry, it turns the piano Humidifier on. Then, when the Humidifier has provided enough moisture to the soundboard, the Humidistat turns off the Humidifier and turns on the Dehumidifier. The piano Dehumidifier carries away moisture from the soundboard on air currents until the Humidistat senses that the soundboard is dry. The System again switches to the humidifying function. The cycle continues day after day, year after year, protecting your piano from external conditions. |
Buying a piano?
If you are buying a new piano, keep your piano “like new” by installing the Piano Life Saver System now. Protect the piano’s investment value by preventing cracks and splits from fluctuating humidity. In addition, with the System, usually the piano will not need a time-consuming pitch correction before the tuner begins the fine tuning. Therefore, your piano can be tuned faster and that saves you money with every tuning. In this way, the System quickly pays for itself.
If you are buying a used piano, optimize keyboard responsiveness and enhance pitch stability with the Piano Life Saver System. As mentioned above, when the pitch is stabilized, usually the tuner will only need to do a fine tuning of the piano and will not need to do a time-consuming pitch correction before he can begin the fine tuning. For this reason the System saves you money with each tuning.
Selling a piano?
If you are selling a piano, you’ll get a much better price by advertising that there is a Piano Life Saver System already installed in the piano. Installing the System proves the piano is greatly valued and has been well-maintained during its life. It’s the same as buying a used car that has been well-maintained with frequent oil changes. When you install a System in your piano, the buyer will choose your piano instead of a similar piano advertised without a System.
The Grand Piano Humidity Control System
The Piano Life Saver System is silent and installed out-of-sight inside your piano. Each Piano Life Saver System carries a 5-Year Guarantee which can only be activated by having the System installed by a piano technician.
Grand Piano Installation
SYSTEM COMPONENTS:
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Dehumidifier: when humidity levels rise, it distributes moisture away from your piano using warm air currents. Humidifier: moisturizes the dry wood of your piano when the humidity drops; a low water warning light indicates when the Humidifier needs additional water; refilling the Humidifier is simple and easy. Watering Tube: allows you to provide water to the Humidifier when the yellow light on the 3-Light LED Panel indicates a need for water. Humidistat: this is the brain of the System which senses whether the wooden parts of your piano are too moist or too dry and automatically switches the System to function as a Dehumidifier or Humidifier to protect your piano from damage caused by changes in humidity. 3-Light LED Panel: features a green light marked POWER to indicate the System has electrical power and a yellow light marked WATER which blinks when the Humidifier needs water. If the System includes the optional Smart Bracket on the Humidifier tank, the red light marked PADS will blink when the pads are no longer wicking water, indicating they should be replaced. |
The Piano Life Saver System as seen from beneath a Grand Piano |
The Upright Piano Humidity Control System
The Piano Life Saver System is silent and installed out-of-sight inside your piano. Each Piano Life Saver System carries a 5-Year Guarantee which can only be activated by having the System installed by a piano technician.
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Vertical / Upright Piano InstallationSYSTEM COMPONENTS: Dehumidifier: when humidity levels rise, it distributes moisture away from your piano using warm air currents. Humidifier: moisturizes the dry wood of your piano when the humidity drops; a low water warning light indicates when the Humidifier needs additional water; refilling the Humidifier is simple and easy. Watering Tube: allows you to provide water to the Humidifier when the yellow light on the 3-Light LED Panel indicates a need for water. Humidistat: this is the brain of the System which senses whether the wooden parts of your piano are too moist or too dry and automatically switches the System to function as a Dehumidifier or Humidifier to protect your piano from damage caused by changes in humidity. 3-Light LED Panel: features a green light marked POWER to indicate the System has electrical power and a yellow light marked WATER which blinks when the Humidifier needs water. If the System includes the optional Smart Bracket on the Humidifier tank, the red light marked PADS will blink when the pads are no longer wicking water indicating they should be replaced. |
Benefits of a Piano Humidifier for Piano Care & Tuning Stability
Stop Rattling Keys and Noisy Action in Low HumidityJust as doors and drawers become loose in dry air, the keys of your piano may seem to rattle or exhibit clacking, noisy action when played
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Prevent Costly Bridge and Soundboard DamageThe soundboard is the single largest piece of wood in your piano. It actually vibrates to amplify the sound produced by the strings. The bridges of your piano are joined to the soundboard and support the strings. When the soundboard shrinks and flattens, the tension of strings over the bridge becomes inadequate. The pitch of the mid-range and treble section is now flat. |
Moist Conditions
Dry Conditions
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Over time, constant changes in humidity levels, with the corresponding shrinking and swelling of the soundboard, will damage the integrity of the soundboard. You will see this damage in the form of a crack in the soundboard. |
Cracked Soundboard
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Prevent Pinblock DamageIn dry periods, the wood shrinks away from the pin, loosening it and causing the string to sag. When this cycle is repeated time after time, the wood fibers surrounding the pin are destroyed and lose their resilience. |
Moist Conditions
Dry Conditions
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In this picture, the pinblock (without pins) was removed from a piano during restoration. With continuous swelling and shrinking, the wood could no longer provide the snug fit required to hold pins in place. |
Pinblock Damage
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This chart demonstrates how drastically pitch can change when your piano is exposed to fluctuations in the humidity during seasonal weather changes.
Benefits of a Piano Dehumidifier for Piano Care & Tuning Stability
Apart from the strings, your piano is almost entirely made of wood. Like the living trees that were the source of your piano, wood responds to climate and environment - it breathes, stretches and flexes. All wood instrument musicians are familiar with the effects of humidity levels. Guitar players must frequently adjust their bridge heights and fingerboard action. Violinists must pay close attention to maintaining constant, ideal humidity levels - or else they may find their violin rather dramatically springing apart during a performance!
Just as with other wood-based instruments, your piano needs a constant level of ideal humidity - between 40% - 50% - to maintain its pitch and tone, quality of action, and to prevent permanent damage.
Prevent Sticking KeysJust as doors and drawers become tight and difficult to move, the keys of your piano may stick down when struck in times of high humidity. |
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Prevent Sluggish, Unresponsive Keyboard ActionAs you play your piano, you will notice how responsive the keys are to your touch. The way the keys cause the hammers to strike the piano strings is part of thousands of interconnected wooden parts called the piano action. With high moisture levels in the piano action, the action is sluggish, and the keys seem non-responsive to your touch. |
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Prevent Costly, Permanent Bridge and Soundboard DamageThe soundboard is the single largest piece of wood in your piano. It actually vibrates to amplify the sound produced by the strings. The bridges of your piano are joined to the soundboard and support the strings. |
Moist Conditions
Dry Conditions
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As the soundboard absorbs moisture from the air surrounding the piano, it swells, producing an upward bulge. Through the bridge, this puts additional tension on the strings. Now, the pitch is too high in the lower mid-range and treble section. |
Cracked Soundboard
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Prevent Pinblock DamageThe strings of your piano are held tight by the pins in the pinblock. As the pinblock absorbs moisture in periods of high humidity, it swells, crushing the wood fibers against the pin. |
Moist Conditions
Dry Conditions
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In this picture, the pinblock (without pins) was removed from a piano during restoration. With continuous swelling and shrinking, the wood could no longer provide the snug fit required to hold pins in place. |
Pinblock Damage
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Prevent Serious Rust Damage to Strings and PinsThe strings of your piano are responsible for producing the musical sounds. With exposure to high humidity levels over long periods, strings become rusted and corroded.
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At the junction where rusted strings wrap around rusted pins, rust corrosion forms a hardened bond between the two. Then, during a tuning, when your piano technician turns the pins to stretch the strings, the inflexible, rusted string snaps at this joint. |
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This chart demonstrates how drastically pitch can change when your piano is exposed to fluctuations in the humidity during seasonal weather changes.
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Piano Humidity Control Compared to Room Humidifiers and DehumidifiersThe Piano Life Saver System not only saves you money, time and hassle, it performs better and achieves results superior to a room humidifier/dehumidifier:
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