Pianos in the Deep Freeze

[Farrell]

I think if you put a new piano in that churce, as others have pointed out, it will become firewood in very short order.

I think you need to commission someone (me, for instance!) to build you a custom fiberglass case piano with a carbon-fiber soundboard, etc. We can retrofit a Kawai ABS action to it and get a set of keys made out of some appropriate man-made material.

No sweat! Oh boy, I was looking for a new fun project!!!

What size? What color? When do we start?

Terry Farrell
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Will Truitt 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 7:52 PM
  Subject: Pianos in the Deep Freeze


  I would appreciate the advice of those of you on the list pertaining to this topic:  One of my customers is the pianist for a 200 year old congregational church here in New Hampshire.  Because of the very high cost of heating oil this winter, the church has decided to turn the heat off completely between Sundays.  It's a big, airy church with no insulation in the walls and single pane windows.  So, a day or so after services, the interior temperatures will nearly match whatever they are outdoors.  

   

  Presently, the pianist is using an old upright that has one foot in the grave.  The church music committee has just given her $15.000 to buy a new grand piano.  But she is concerned that the lack of heat between services in the wintertime will damage the piano, and wonders if the new piano would be an appropriate investment given the conditions it will be kept.  She has asked my advice.  

   

  Some background about our winter climate in New Hampshire.  Our winters can be long and cold.  We can have protracted cold spells where the overnight lows can be  - 10 or - 20.  Common overnight lows will be in the single numbers and teens.

   

  I have seen pianos that were stored in an unheated truck for a couple of days brought inside to a heated space.  Within an hour or so, you will see condensation forming on the exterior of the piano.  Because the piano is so cold, I have seen frost form!

   

  I think the issues that this piano would face are these:  The condensation that is the byproduct of the freeze - thaw cycles will damage the finish of the soundboard and the case, which may lead to crazing.  Sluggish and sticking keys will be a common complaint. Strings and other steel parts will rust because of the condensation.   Given that the temperature will jack from very low to 60 or 65 degrees in a few hours, I would be concerned about the soundboard cracking due to expansion caused by the rise in temperature.

   

  What are your thoughts?  Thanks in advance for your offering.  

   

  Will Truitt

   
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