Hi:

I currently have my upright piano (Petrof 125) against an inside wall. However, the piano is approximately 3.5 feet away from an outside wall which has a base board heating running across it. Currently, the humidity fluctuates between 20% and 35%. I wanted to know if the proximity of the piano the the base board heating and the low humidity levels should be cause for concern. Thanks in advance.

Felix.

Hi Felix,most manufacturers reccomend a humidity level of 40-50%.As long as the outside wall does'nt have a window with drafts or direct sunlight shining on the piano,there should not be any problems.Some would reccomend a Damp-chaser climate control system for the piano,as this would be a wise choice if the environment has wide swings in relative humidity.Hope this helps!

If you look at Dampp Chasers booklet, 42% is the average relative humidity. 15% to 40% is still in the danger zone where the humidity is affecting the soundboard. For the small amount of money you should get a Dampp Chaser with smart heater bar installed by a qualified technician.
The Damp Chaser will add and remove moisture as needed and basically maintain its own atmosphere in the piano as opposed to what is going on
outside. The lights on the Damp Chaser tell you the power status , when water needs to be added and when to service the absorbant pads that
provide moist air. I live and work as a technician
on the South Carolina coast. The pianos without
Damp Chasers are dying from rust on the strings,
bridge pins and hitch pins. My piano has a
Dampp Chaser which worked very effectively
up North where we had baseboard heat. ABout every
2 weeks we had to water the piano....