10 Things to know about The Piano Life Saver System

Introduction to Piano Life Saver

Caring for a grand piano is similar to caring for a historical painting, both require a consistent climate.

Without proper attention to the internal piano humidity levels, the tuning of the piano can become altered by regular humidity fluctuations and temperature.

Many piano owners invest in a Piano Life Saver System to help protect upright pianos and grand pianos from a fluctuating humidity level. Closely monitoring humidity is much more important than monitoring temperature.

If you're curious about installing this system, ask your piano tuner to discuss options. This system comes with installation instructions for the piano technician/tuner. It may be eligible for free shipping as an added bonus!

The Dampp-Chaser system is the only piano humidity control system available, made specifically for piano use. Grand pianos and upright pianos can have a system installed to support the stability of the piano.

Let's take a look at the Piano Life Saver System and see why piano makers and piano tuners believe it's one of the best ways to care for your piano!

How does the Piano Life Saver System Work?

Piano LifeSaver in a vertical piano

“Pads,” which are essentially a high-quality papertowel-like material; Wicks water from the humidifier tank over a heater bar. The heat from the humidifier rod heats the Pads and disperses humidity within the cabinet of the piano to maintain a 45% humidistat reading within the piano.

The Piano Life Saver System frequently switches from humidification to dehumidification even under ideal conditions, which is why it tends to use lots of water for most of the year. The system includes a piano dehumidifier bar and humidifier bar to remove excess moisture or dryness from your instrument.

The de-humidifying function operates by warming the air with separate heater bars to lower the nearby relative humidity levels.

The combined effect of the system keeps the soundboard, bridge, and pin block in a stable condition. It prevents the wooden components from swelling and thus changing the tension placed on the strings by these three components.

The Piano Life Saver System (previously known as "Dampp-Chaser") is a mini climate control system because it is both a humidifier and dehumidifier. It introduces moisture and dryness inside of the piano's cabinet and disperses over the soundboard. It affects the local relative humidity in the environment to maximize pitch stability.

The unit comes with several components (piano dehumidifier bar, water humidifier tank) which work together to keep your piano's humidity at an optimal level.

The humidistat senses the relative humidity level near the soundboard and automatically switches from humidify to dehumidify to maintain 45% relative humidity. This speaks volumes about the strict sensitivity levels of the Piano Life Saver System.

A 45% humidity level helps prevent cracks, ridges, swelling, and shrinking in the wood; caused by large changes in humidity levels within the cabinet. These fluctuations contribute to an increased need for regular piano maintenance from a piano technician.

What do the Light panel indicators mean on Dampp-Chaser?

3-light LED panel:

• Green - power

• Yellow - water

• Red - pads

Green light

Obviously, the green light tells you whether or not the system has power. If the lights are not ON then perhaps someone disobeyed the golden rule of The Piano Life Saver System, which is to leave it plugged in!

Yellow light

The yellow light blinks to indicate low water in the water tank, and must be replenished with more water.

The tank of water roughly holds 3/4 gallons of water.

A capful of Dampp-Chaser Pad Treatment should be included when adding additional water to help the pads wick up water & keep the tank clean.

Red light

The humidifier Pads (which perform the humidifying function) last 1 year long. The Pads will accumulate mineral deposits over time and will eventually stop wicking enough moisture.

If the mineral build up hasn’t been addressed in many years, it may be a good idea for the piano technician to replace the piano humidifier bar with clean sleeves!

Ever are questioning whether the pads need to be changed?

Ask a professional piano technician and they will give you the answer.

*Or, learn how to replace them yourself: How-To Instructions for Dampp-Chaser Pads Replacement

What are Piano Life Saver System supplies?

Below is the original 12 oz bottle of Pad Treatment for The Piano Life Saver System that you can buy on Amazon from The Dampp-Chaser Corporation.

Pad Treatment

Pads are also available below from the Dampp-Chaser humidifier pads here.

Dampp-Chaser Pads

Combo packs including other Dampp-Chaser supplies like Pads, Pad Treatment, and new sleeves for overly filthy heater bars.

Combo Pack

Watering Cans are not cheap, though they are perfectly sized for the watering tube. Here they can be found with the link below.

Watering Can

Does the Piano Life Saver System need maintenance?

Once you have a Certified Piano Life Saver Installer install your system, then there are only a few things needed to maintain the system...

As long as the watering tube is in an acceptable position, there are only a few things that will need attention.

Maintenance:

• "Obey the lights"

• Do not unplug

• Water refills with Pad Treatment

• Change the pads once a year or until the red "Pads" light starts blinking

As far as maintenance goes, this system is easy to maintain; all you need do is replace the pads about once a year and check water levels regularly.

The Dampp-Chaser Corporation

This company produces The Piano Life Saver System for pianos and have proven their product since the early 1970’s. They have a proven track record of innovation on their products given the H-5 system smart bracket upgrades etc.

Interestingly, there aren’t any well-known direct competitors for these piano related humidification systems.

The Dampp Chaser Corporation also offers a separate product line calledThe Dampp Defender which are humidifiers/dehumidifiers unrelated to pianos. It provides humidity solutions to potentially humid areas like closets and places that are susceptible to mildew, rust, and musty odors in closet spaces.

Why get a Piano LifeSaver System?

A properly humidified piano not only sounds better for longer, but maintains its condition longer than an improperly humidified instrument. It’s protected from external environment conditions; conditions which increase the need for maintenance.

By maintaining consistent levels of humidity inside your instrument, you're better able to prevent damage that causes soundboard pressure ridges or cracks. Also, changes in pitch due to expansion or contraction of the soundboard, bridge, movement of tuning pins, and pin block due to fluctuating environmental conditions.

*Additionally, one of the most beneficial results is to reduce the frequency tunings. (How Often You Should Need To Tune Your Piano)

Lastly, it has proven to be effective by piano tuners over many decades of first had experience. It’s accurate in maintaining ideal levels of humidity for pianos.

Is a Piano LifeSaver worth the Price/Investment?

The cost of The Piano Life Saver System varies depending on size and model but typically ranges from $700-800 USD for the installation and purchase of The Piano Life Saver System.

A Piano Life Saver System is a good idea for anyone who owns a piano, which is a large investment. It helps preserve its condition over time by keeping moisture levels under control regardless of outside temperature/humidity fluctuations.

By using this system, you are protecting your musical investment against detrimental effects due to humidity, ensuring that it stays in tune, as well as preventing costly damage; such as cracked soundboards or bridges due to dryness or extreme humidity levels.

Invest now to save you money down the line when it comes to frequency of tunings, loss of value due to soundboard cracks, and sticky keys which can be an inconvenient, but necessary repair.

Cost & Benefit Analysis

Compared to the piano’s investment value, a D.C. installation is hardly a fraction of the cost of the piano, so comparatively speaking, it’s a no-brained, so long as it is properly maintained.

Why is it recommended to have a Dampp-Chaser system?

Your piano is more than just an instrument; it’s an investment.

As such, it’s important to protect that investment by making sure it remains in good condition for as long as possible.

A Dampp Chaser Piano Humidifier helps maintain the proper level of humidity within the cabinet of your piano.

Pianos are sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature and can quickly fall out of tune if the environment isn’t kept stable.

This device helps prevent this from happening by automatically adjusting the humidity level within your piano to match industry-recommended standards, ensuring that your piano stays perfectly tuned for longer periods of time.

How do you control your home humidity for your piano?

External conditions surrounding the piano are extremely important to monitor.

If the ambient relative humidity of the piano room which surrounds the piano becomes grossly neglected, then the Dampp-Chaser's effectiveness is negligible.

Keeping 35%-50% relative humidity of the piano room as a whole is the best way for this system to be maximally effective.

Reduce Humidity tactic:

One way to quickly reduce humidity in the air is to turn on your air conditioner/air conditioning which will knock down the relative humidity.

Increase Humidity tactic:

One easy way to increase your humidity by firing up a large humidifier with a tank of over 5 gallons. Mopping the floor or blow drying your hair after a shower also helps.

Retain humidity tactics:

Close doors and windows. Anything that allows moisture to escape should be closed up as much as possible. This makes it possible to retain a sufficient amount of humidity.

Fine tuning preservation tip:

To cover ambient humidity levels in the entire home, be sure to have both a large humidifier and a large dehumidifier to keep the room within perfect range of 35%-50% relative humidity.

The goal ofcourse, is to keep a narrow range of average humidity as much as possible. This will all preserve the piano’s investment value for as long as possible.

What's the best humidifier for Piano? (Winter)

Review: Best Humidifier for Piano Room: Low Maintenance/Heavy Duty

What's the best dehumidifier for piano? (Summer)

Read: Piano Dehumidifier: Why Control High Humidity?

*In order to protect against extreme changes in humidity, it's best to maintain the humidity of the room with devices that have tanks larger than a few gallons before purchasing a Piano Life Saver System.*

Dampp-Chaser Facts

• Internal piano relative humidity levels are constantly maintained at 45%.

• Constant year round humidity levels between 35-50% can be extremely or out-of-reach for most people to maintain without a Dampp-Chaser.

• If there are minerals in the source water, at some point, it will show up on the pads. Though, it’s not harmful to the piano nor piano players.

Humidity Control Information for Piano

Best Humidifier for Piano Room: Low Maintenance/Heavy Duty

Best Humidifiers for Musical Instruments on Amazon [Top 3]

Accurate Hygrometer to Monitor Relative Humidity/Temp for Pianos

Piano Dehumidifier: Why Control High Humidity?

How to Replace Dampp Chaser Pads: Installation Instructions

Piano Dampp-Chaser Humidity System: Pros and Cons

10 Things To Know About the Piano Life Saver System