Hi everyone,

I have just started my search for a new grand piano and I am looking for the best place to put it. I would really like to put it in our living room, but we have a wood stove that runs approximately 4 hours a day for 5-6 months of the year. We live on the West Coast in a wet climate. I have been monitoring the humidity in the living room and it is currently running between 38-45% in the winter with the woodstove running. I have the option of putting the piano in an alcove by a window, or in a corner of the room projecting out into the room. The piano would be about 12 feet away from the wood stove.

My question is if it will be possible to have a piano in this room with a wood stove, if I install a Dampp Chaser or something similar.

My other option would be an upstairs room, which is smaller with lower ceilings heated with electric baseboard. My preference is for the living room, but I don't want to kill a beautiful new piano!

Thanks for your help
Rosie

I see no problem with this, as long as the piano is not too close to the heater and adequate moisture is added to the air in the room. There will be more dust than usual that will need to be cleaned/dusted (one of the disadvantage of burning wood).

Of course, this is just my own opinion and not based on any scientific evidence.

Rick

I agree with Rickster but would add this;

install a dampchaser heater controlled by their humidistat to keep the piano dry during the wet part of late spring and summer. Wood takes on humidity about 5 times as fast as it dries out.

Get a string cover to rest over the plate to keep the inside clean. Keep the piano lid closed except when you are using the piano. Monitor the humidity near the piano especially when you have the wood stove fired up. Put a pan of water on the hot stove to evaporate if the humidity near the piano drops below 40%. Make sure the wood you burn is fully dried.

Thanks for the advice Rick & Ed!

Much appreciated

Rosie