Where to put the piano: Warm air heated house
Magnus McGee
Dear All,
a relative wants to pass on their upright piano to me. I've just moved
house and we have enough room for the piano and have found the "best"
place to put it.
The only inside wall in the house that we can put the piano against has
a warm air vent beside it. For anyone not familiar with warm air
central heating, hot air is blown out of vents placed at several
locations in the house. (Substitute radiator for vents if you like).
Here's the plan
D O O R ---||======W A L L ====================++
------------------------- <---VENT, about 45cm (18in) wide
| P I A N O | <---on ground, blows hot air
---------+-+------------- ||
||
Length of wall 180cm (6 feet 11 in)
This would leave a gap of between 1 to 2 feet between piano and vent.
1) Is this bad for the piano?
2) As a general point, are warm air and central heating systems
bad for pianos?
3) Have you ever had this problem yourself?
4) Do you know if of a flap that I could put over the vent to
re-direct the air?
Any helpful ideas to keep the piano in good condition are greatfully
received.
Magnus McGee
MRC Biostatistics Unit
Institute of Public Health
Cambridge
Shirley
Magnus McGee <magnus...@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk> wrote:
>Dear All,
>a relative wants to pass on their upright piano to me. I've just moved
>house and we have enough room for the piano and have found the "best"
>place to put it.
>The only inside wall in the house that we can put the piano against has
>a warm air vent beside it.
(snip)
>This would leave a gap of between 1 to 2 feet between piano and vent.
>1) Is this bad for the piano?
If the hot air is blowing directly onto the piano, then yes. It will
eventually dry out the sounding board, and the sounding board may crack
from it. Once the sounding board cracks, there is no fixing it. Also, the
furniture: the finish on the side of the piano may crack and buckle.
If the vent is 2' away, though, it sounds to me that, as long as the hot
air is not blowing directly onto the piano, it should be OK. Have you
stood, with heat on full blast, at the closest point where the piano will
be to the vent? Can you feel the heat from there? If so, then the piano
will "feel" the heat too.
>2) As a general point, are warm air and central heating systems
> bad for pianos?
Any environment that is too dry or too moist is not good for a piano.
>3) Have you ever had this problem yourself?
Nope.
>4) Do you know if of a flap that I could put over the vent to
> re-direct the air?
There probably is. If not, perhaps you could make one?
>Any helpful ideas to keep the piano in good condition are greatfully
>received.
There is a humidifier-type thing on the market that is made specifically
for pianos. The name of it escapes me at the moment, but I would suggest
getting one of those and plug it in. Be sure to monitor the humidity,
though. Too much moisture isn't good either.
Good luck, Magnus.
--Shirley
Les Smith
: a relative wants to pass on their upright piano to me. I've just moved
: house and we have enough room for the piano and have found the "best"
: place to put it.
: The only inside wall in the house that we can put the piano against has
: a warm air vent beside it. For anyone not familiar with warm air
: central heating, hot air is blown out of vents placed at several
: locations in the house. (Substitute radiator for vents if you like).
: Here's the plan
: D O O R ---||======W A L L ====================++
: ------------------------- <---VENT, about 45cm (18in) wide
: | P I A N O | <---on ground, blows hot air
: ---------+-+------------- ||
: ||
: Length of wall 180cm (6 feet 11 in)
: This would leave a gap of between 1 to 2 feet between piano and vent.
: 1) Is this bad for the piano?
: 2) As a general point, are warm air and central heating systems
: bad for pianos?
: 3) Have you ever had this problem yourself?
: 4) Do you know if of a flap that I could put over the vent to
: re-direct the air?
: Any helpful ideas to keep the piano in good condition are greatfully
: received.
: Magnus McGee
: MRC Biostatistics Unit
: Institute of Public Health
: Cambridge
Magnus, DON'T DO IT! If you place your piano as indicated, you'll find
that the trble section is forever going to be going out of tune much more
quickly than the bass, and such a placement can eventually lead to all
sorts problems such as loose tuning pins, a cracked soundboard and crack-
ed bridges, to name only a few! You can try shutting off the vent entirely
or using a deflector shield, but your best bet is to try to find another
location for the piano. The advice against placing a piano against an out-
side wall dates from the days when little or no insulation was used in
the construction of homes and before the advent of thermopane windows.
Assumimg that your home is of relatively recent construction, placing
it against an outside wall, even in Cambridge, will have less of a
negative impact on the piano than placing it directly in the heat flow
of a hot air vent. However, watch those heating ducts! It is commonplace
to place them right under windows, so if you put your piano directly
under a window, you'll undoubtedly encounter the same problem. Keep
it as far away from the heating ducts as possible, keep it out of
direct sunlight and away from outside doors if possible. Enjoy your
new piano!
Les Smith
less...@buffnet.net