Moving With A Piano? Be Sure To Plan Where It's Going
Moving a piano can seem like a Herculean task – that's why most people rely on professionals. In addition to being heavy, pianos are bulky and oddly balanced, and banging a piano around while moving it is a lot worse than banging around a couch.
But if you're moving, your work isn't done when the piano arrives at your new place. It's important that you plan out just where you want your piano to go before you move it in. Since pianos are sensitive to humidity and changes in temperature, placement is very important to keep them in tune. And if you know where you need it to go, you can have the professionals put it there; if you're still changing your mind about the placement, you may end up having to move it around your new place yourself.
Keep It Away From Vents
You don't want air from your heater or air conditioner to be blowing on your piano; this is a recipe for tuning problems or even structural damage. Try to place your piano so that it's not standing in front of a vent or register. If you use a fireplace for heat, the same thing applies – don't put your piano next to the fireplace where it will be subjected to that heat.
Insulated Walls Are Okay
You may have heard that it's a bad idea to put your piano near an exterior wall. Realistically, however, this isn't necessarily a bad idea – it depends on how well-insulated the wall is.
The reason people have avoided putting pianos near exterior walls is that the piano may be subjected to greater temperature shifts there. However, insulation today is generally better than it was fifty years ago. If your exterior walls have good insulation, and you don't lose much heat through them, it should be perfectly fine to put your piano near an outside wall.
Avoid Windows
Like wall insulation, window insulation has come a long way. However, there are a few reasons why putting a piano in front of even a well-insulated window isn't a good idea. First of all, the sunlight that comes in through a window can fade or damage the finish on a piano, so you would be committed to keeping the curtains drawn on the window all the time.
Second, it's very easy to open a window when the weather is nice and forget to close it – or be out of the house – when it starts to rain. You absolutely don't want to be soaking your piano in rainwater, so it's better to be safe and place your piano away from windows.