The Heater and/or Dampp Chaser piano life saver is a great device that provides tuning stability and protection to an upright or a grand piano soundboard. However, because of its size it is truly limited in protecting the whole piano effectively if the piano is exposed to adverse conditions.
In other words, if the inside of your house undergoes huge and rapid humidity and temperature swings from time to time, theHeater and/or Dampp Chaser will not take care of this completely.
From the years of experience working with pianos in this type of hot and humid environment, it’s very important to control the whole room. Keep your room as stable as possible within the relative humidity of 42-65% and stay within 10% range and your piano will be fine. Keeping your piano in an environment where the relative humidity is below 30% and/or above 70% with a Heater and/or Dampp Chaser will not do any good. This is because your piano does not only consists of the soundboard.
Many piano dealers, technicians or ex-owners have suggested the Heater and/or Dampp Chaser can protect the area surrounding the piano. However, considering the fact that this is a low-wattage system, this sounds impossible. How would a 15 – 25 watt rod be able to dehumidify a space much larger than the soundboard? And, how would it be possible to reduce the extreme relative humidity around the piano with just a low powered heating rod? It just won’t work.
To dehumidify a space with extremely high humidity, you need a high-capacity device that can handle large moisture loads. If the earlier claims were true, the whole-house AC units would only consume a few hundred watts (W) instead of a few kilowatts (kW).
You can go with the Heater and/or Dampp Chaser, but make sure you avoid extreme conditions by using an AC unit and/or adehumidifier coupled with a humidifier when necessary. Use a hygrometer to accurately displays the relative humidity because humidity levels vary from house to house and/or even between rooms in a same house.
Different dehumidifiers come with various features. Make sure you check with the local dehumidifier shops for recommendation. With the right device and measurement, it will help make your indoor environment as healthy and comfortable not only the piano but also to you and your family.
NO PIANO MANUFACTURER CAN COMPLETELY MAKE A PIANO AGAINST HUMIDITY FLUCTUATIONS OR EXTREMES IT MAY ENCOUNTER.