Humidity

1. What should the humidity be in my house?

The humidity in your home should be held constant to protect the piano. I recommend between 35%-40% if possible.

2. What type of humidifier works best?

In our climate, I recommend some sort of whole house humidifier that works independently of the furnace. There are steam type and there are cold water wicking types. Either one will work well as long as it is sized properly for your house. The reason for the independent function is because the number of mild days we have in the winter when the heater isn't on, will allow the humidifier to kick on when the humidity level drops below the setting on the humidistat.

Containers of water placed on the inside of pianos doesn’t work because the container is too small and the water evaporates mostly into the air and not into the wood of the piano. Containers of water on wood stoves is slightly better, but only work when the stove is very hot, but still won’t put out enough humidity for the square footage of a house.

3. Can my HVAC Technician install a humidifier for me?

Some of the steam humidifiers require special installations, so only HVAC Technicians with experience with that particular humidifier should install it.