Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Place a piano in Sun Room using solar shades to protect?

Hi all, I'm new here.

I'm looking to buy my first acoustic piano, likely a grand in the 6' range, and against all odds I would like to place it in my Sun Room.

The room is independently heated and cooled from the rest of the house via a heat pump, and I have accurate hygrometers enabling me to keep a close eye on the temperature and humidity. (Which I will keep at 72F and 45%, respectfully)

With all this in mind, I do worry some about direct sunlight exposure. For reference here are some pictures of the room and where I plan to place the piano, please excuse the current furnishings.







In the summertime I don't get a lot of mid-day direct sunlight due to trees. Typically I will get some morning sun through window A, and later in the afternoon some sun through windows B and C.

The triple pane sliding glass doors/windows aren't exactly new, so I don't know if they inherently block any UV.

Because I cannot always be home to close the vertical blinds when the sun comes out (and don't want to leave them permanently shut), I am considering a piano cover or perhaps solar shades.

Examples of the solar shade styles I am considering can be seen at these links:
http://ldecordecoratingstudio.com/?p=101
http://glenwooddraperies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kitchen-solar.jpg

Supposedly these block out 90%+ of UV light, and also the considerable part of the solar heat as well.

Opinions, please?

They also make UV films for direct placement on the glass so you don't have to open and close drapes. Just a thought.

I'd be as worried about the wood stove if you use it. It's pointing right at the piano and appears to under 3 metres from it.

Nothing that you propose to use will stop the effect of relative humidity change due to the change in temperature. A room like this is not a good environment for a piano. But if you are going to do it, the best position would be the northernmost corner of the room.

Chris: I've heard about the UV films, but I've hears as many bad things as good. (Ruining window seals)

prout: No, the fireplace won't be used.

BDB: I'm using equipment that can control humidity and temperature very good in this room. Unless you mean the change in temperature on the surfaces the sunlight hits.. which shouldn't be a major concern if there are screens/blinds diffusing the sunlight?

Thanks

This is a valid concern but it is a matter of extents. You can use this website

http://www.dpcalc.org

to put in your room equilibrium T and RH, and solve for dew point. Next, solving for RH, increase the temperature as a result of radiant energy hitting the surface (piano) and see how the RH on the surface of that object goes down.

There are indicators of the 'safe zone' on that site --while seeming reasonable enough, I have not vetted them.

It sounds to me that if you pay attention to what your are doing ( appropriate screening with enough light attenuation and good air circulation from your HVAC equipment and humidifier and account for the contingencies such as power outages, you could be OK.

Also, if you have reduced the UV to 10%, any photodegradation will take around 10 times longer assuming the same temperature, so it is better to reduce it as much as possible.

best wishes-

I agree with BDB. If you can locate the piano on the north side of the room not only will the effects of sunlight be greatly reduced but judging from the direction of the ceiling slope the sound will be better.

My vote is to place the piano in another room. To start with, the tile floor will cause the piano to grate on your ears. The piano will not stay in tune for as long as you might like due to the radiant energy heating up the room in the day and then going much cooler at night. Even though you have a/c, in non-use months the room will heat up more during the day. I've seen finishes fade even with the UV film on the windows, the film does not block the heat producing radiant energy.

Thank you for the responses!

I will consider placing the piano on the Northeast side of the room, but that is where the doorway from the house is. So it will have to be on the "east" side wall. If the sun dips low enough in the evening, depending on the time of year, I will still get some stray sunlight against this east wall although I think the effect will be minimal.

I have given much thought to another room for this piano, but as I share this house with another person, certain rooms are out of the question. (Living, Dining) There is a spare bedroom, but it is only 13x13 with one window. Even if the movers could maneuver through the hallway bends to get in (Which they probably cant), a small square room with carpet would probably sound..less than ideal. And this room is so dark I can't imagine myself enjoying it.

As stated, the temperature in the sun room will be stable. There will be no "non-use" months, I am not going to set up a schedule for energy saving on the T'stat at night, etc.

This is a new extremely energy efficient unit that will be set for one temperature and left there. It always stays running at some speed, so there are no wide temperature swings during on/off cycles.

Regarding solar heat: I have begun experimenting with the level of temperature difference from sunlight in this room. The other day around 3 p.m., I took multiple thermometers and placed some in areas of shade and the others in direct sunlight. The highest result between sun/shade was 15F difference. Quite a lot, to be sure.

When I receive the solar shade samples, I'm going to measure the difference the shade will make.

I don't know of a way to test UV so easily, so I will likely have to go by whatever the manufacturers are claiming for their products.