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My neighbor's house was bisected by a large tree yesterday during a storm, which has me thinking . . .

What steps should a piano owner take for an extended period of having a tarp over a hole in the roof during summer or winter with compromised heating/cooling/humidity control? This is assuming the piano wasn't initially damaged, of course.

It is unfortunate that this happened to your neighbor, and you ask a good question.

I work in the field of HVACR and have some engineering background in heat transfer and indoor air quality. Most houses/apartments have some outdoor air infiltration (air leaks through small cracks and crevasses in walls, windows, doors, ceilings, floors, roofs, etc...) where air can get in and out of the structure/envelope. Newer homes, which have to meet minimum air leakage standards, can be so air tight they have to have mechanical ventilation (bringing in minimum outside air for air quality/ventilation purposes).

Air leakage in homes is tested by a procedure called a "blower door test' where the house is sealed/closed up as much as possible and then pressurized with a blower door fan; the pressure difference between the indoor and outdoor pressure is measured in Pascals with a sensitive instrument for measuring small pressure differences. There are minimum air-leakage standards set by the International building codes in conjunction with the US department of energy.

Now, back to your question...

A lot of outside air can creep in through a small area due to pressure changes between the inside and outside. A big hole in the roof with a temporary tarp could allow lots of outside air inside the house, depending on whether the ceiling cavity was penetrated/damaged.

As long as the roof tarp is temporary and not in place for an extended amount of time, there should not be a big problem maintaining a proper environment for the piano. If it is for an extended period of time, and the breach affects the whole house environment, one may need a dehumidifier for the room where the piano is located.

The battery operated, digital hygrometer/thermometers are not expensive and I have one in each room where my pianos are located. If the %RH gets too far out of parameters, one can take appropriate action.

However, a big hole in the roof covered by a tarp should not remain that way for long periods of time...

Hope this helps.

Rick

In NoVa, I presume …

Neighbor has a vertical gash centered in the back wall of his house, roof to foundation, with--I suspect--severe structural damage beyond the roof structure, since the deck to one side collapsed toward the house (tree bowed the wall inward detaching deck from the wall). I feel for him.

That happened to a friend of mine this year, not long after he had remodeled their house.

When I am asked about this type of event involving a piano, I suggest removing the piano for the time of construction and exposure. It is a safe recommendation that is not terribly expensive.

We really need pictures of this!

View of neighbor over my hedge. Trunk was very near back of house, and entire roof has a gash. Previous owner to this one did have an upright piano. Tree has been cut up and removed over two days (bucket truck and Bobcat), and a very large tarp is over the roof, back wall of house.

This is very unfortunate and I feel for the owners of the house.

In regards to the premise of this thread, I'd say the house was now more akin to a barn than a house (at least until it is all repaired).

Rick

I think Rich G. is right about moving a piano out of such an environment. But even getting a grand piano out of the house, in this case, would be difficult (tree fell centered on front door, about seven steps up).

Rickster, I have seen "mere" holes poked in relatively intact houses which, one tarped, would have a controllable environment.

As far as the hierarchy of needs goes, lives and the house are far above a piano--unless it's one of those $100,000 ones!

Very true, but at what cost? Home environmental systems (HVAC) are the most expensive utility of all.

Of course, I'm not being contrary, just stating my opinion.

According to some sources, the most energy wasted in the USA is through poorly insulated homes as well as sloppy, lose, poorly installed and maintained HVAC systems in homes and other buildings.

Just my .02

Rick

I meant controllable by temporary room dehumidification for a pianoforte. 😀

Point well taken...

Of course, I've seen some people leave the blue tarp on the hole in the roof permanently, or at least for long periods of time.

Rick

In our (at one time since we have now joined the California drought) moist climate houses that have joined the "Blue Tarp Club" start to get some serious mold issues. YUK!!!

Could the piano be moved to a different room, one that can be better controlled?

This is a hypothetical topic, as far as pianos go--my neighbor has a very real tree thru his house, but no piano.

Had he piano, this would probably get into an insurance replacement situation, like the recent thread on the smoke damaged piano. The house is literally sliced in two.



My neighbor has "mitigated damages" with a tarp. No other action yet, which is puzzling. Before long his mitigation will need remitigating.

The moral of the story is, whether you have a piano or not, trees can be dangerous. If you have any within striking distance of your house, get 'em checked by an arborist.