Ah, spring is finally here! The flowers are blooming, the temperatures are rising, and the world is coming back to life after a long winter’s slumber. For most people, spring means opening the windows, doing some deep cleaning, and enjoying the great outdoors again. But for those of us in the specialty piano moving industry, the transition to warmer weather means it’s time to re-evaluate our processes and implement seasonal protocols to protect these delicate instruments.
At Modern Piano Moving, we’re experts at safely relocating pianos year-round. However, the spring and summer seasons present their own unique challenges that we have to proactively plan and adjust for. Things like increased heat and humidity can have major impacts on the materials that pianos are constructed from – primarily woods, felts, and intricate metal components. Even just a few hours of exposure to extreme conditions can potentially cause expensive damage.
That’s why our team goes into high gear once the mercury starts rising each year, with extra preventative steps and precautions to mitigate any risk to your cherished piano during a move. Want to know what it takes to keep these high-value instruments protected when we’re springing into action? Here’s an inside look at our seasonal piano moving processes.
Climate-Controlled Trucks & Storage Facilities
The centerpiece of our warm weather plan is our specialized climate-controlled trucks and terminal facilities. While all of our vehicles are equipped with advanced environmental control systems, once temperatures rise above 75°F, we implement stringent monitoring and adjustment protocols to create optimal micro-climates for pianos in transit and storage.
Our goal is to maintain a consistent interior environment of 68-72°F with a relative humidity between 42-52%, even on the hottest spring and summer days. To achieve this, our trucks utilize a combination of refrigerated cooling, dehumidifying equipment, hygrometer monitoring tools, and flexible air vent insulation to continuously regulate the conditions. We make any necessary adjustments in real time based on exterior factors like heat, sun exposure, and humidity levels along the planned routes.
At our terminal facilities where pianos are stored before, during, or after transit, we have enormous climate-controlled warehouses with the same meticulous monitoring and environmental controls. This ensures your piano is shielded from the effects of warm weather during every leg of its journey and relocation process with us.
Optimized Spring/Summer Loading and Transit Procedures
While having the right equipment is crucial, our operations and logistics processes also get a thorough review and adjustment each spring to prepare for the unique challenges of moving pianos in warm weather conditions. Even when the trucks and facilities are perfectly climate-controlled, there’s still potential for damage from rapid temperature and humidity changes every time a piano gets loaded or unloaded.
To combat this risk, Modern Piano Movers implements strict procedures for minimizing any outside exposure during the spring/summer transit process. This includes:
•Waiting until first or last light to load/unload during the hottest periods to avoid direct sunlight.
•Never staging or leaving pianos outdoors for more than a few minutes to prevent material expansion and contraction.
•Allowing adequate time in the climate-controlled trucks or facilities for pianos to acclimatize slowly if there is a significant temperature change between origin and destination.
•Using commercial-grade desiccants and humidity control bags when wrapping pianos to absorb moisture during transit.
Our logistics coordinators are trained to plan out each step of every individual relocation during spring and summer, staggering schedules and adjusting routes to mitigate heat/humidity exposure as much as possible on moving days. We budget up to twice as much time as off-peak seasons if necessary to ensure the piano transitions through different environments gradually and safely.
Specially Trained Seasonal Moving Teams
Of course, the best processes and protocols are meaningless if you don’t have a team of movers properly trained and educated on executing them. That’s why each spring, we re-train ALL of our piano moving crews on hot weather handling and safety procedures through comprehensive seminars and workshops.
This cyclical training covers the unique characteristics of moving and shipping pianos in warm temperatures, including important fundamentals like:
•How heat and humidity impacts different piano materials like woods, felts, and composites.
•Identifying and preventing the early signs of damage during spring/summer moves.
•Proper wrapping, handling, and loading/unloading techniques to control climate exposure.
•Understanding desiccant humidity control methods.
•Reviewing all warm weather operations procedures in-depth.
Each crew member must demonstrate full understanding and mastery of these specialized skills before being approved to handle piano moves while our warm weather protocols are implemented across the company. We go so far as to do hands-on testing in worst-case hot/humid environments to ensure our movers are ready for any situation.
In addition to intensive classroom training, we have dedicated supervisors and quality control teams that ride along on all spring/summer piano moving jobs. This extra layer of oversight guarantees our crew’s adherence to proper techniques and processes every step of the way to prevent incidents and damage.
Overall, Modern Piano Movers takes a comprehensive, multi-layered approach when transitioning to our warm weather operations each year. From specialized equipment and facilities to exhaustively trained professionals and micromanaged processes, we leave no stone unturned in protecting your piano. It’s this level of commitment to detail and doing things the right way that has made us an award-winning leader in our industry.
Why Piano Owners Need to Prioritize Spring/Summer Moving Safety
We understand that for many homeowners and piano owners, some of the preventative steps and processes we implement may seem a bit excessive. However, we’ve learned through decades of experience that you simply can’t cut corners or ignore proper climate-controlled protocols when moving a high-value instrument like a piano during warm weather.
Here’s the reality – pianos are fundamentally made from organic materials like woods and felts that are extremely vulnerable to changes in heat and humidity levels. Exposure to just a short period of high temperatures and moisture can potentially cause:
•Cracking and deformation of wooden soundboards
•Separation of wood veneers, bridges, and structural components
•Swelling or warping of action parts like keys and hammers
•Distortion and loss of string tension from humidity changes
•Sticking or sluggish mechanical performance of the piano action
Essentially, any contraction or expansion of these delicate materials – even as small as 1/8 of an inch – will throw the entire instrument out of tune, and regulation, and potentially cause inoperable or unrepairable damage depending on the severity of the exposure.
Again, we understand this may sound like an overreaction. Many folks don’t consider how extreme the seasonal temperature and humidity variations can be based on where they’re moving from and to. Let me give you a real-world example:
A homeowner moving from Phoenix, AZ to Minneapolis, MN in late May will potentially be subjecting their piano to a difference of 80°F and 40% relative humidity over the course of the transit. For context, that’s well beyond the annual optimal tuning range for keeping a piano in regulation once temps/humidity reach extremes.
If that drastic environmental change hits the piano in an uncontrolled fashion, with the instrument going through hot loading docks, sweltering truck trailers, and drastic AC blasts, then yes – you’re absolutely putting it at risk of cracking, warping, and falling apart.
That’s why at Modern Piano Moving, we go so far beyond the basics when it comes to managing proper climates and conditions for each move we handle during warm weather. No matter where you’re shipping from or to, our processes ensure your piano only experiences smooth, gradual environmental changes to mitigate any potential material expansion or damages.
At the end of the day, we know just how much these instruments mean to their owners – both in monetary value as well as sentimental attachment that often spans generations. It would be a catastrophic and heartbreaking mistake to subject a high-quality piano to uncontrolled heat and humidity during transit. We simply won’t take that risk with our clients’ prized possessions.
Trust the Safety Experts for Your Spring/Summer Move
So as you plan for any upcoming warm weather piano moves, we hope this inside look helps illustrate just how dedicated the Modern Piano Moving team is to protecting your invaluable instrument every step of the way, no matter how high the temperatures may rise.
We invest heavily in the specialized equipment, facilities, training, and processes required to mitigate the unique risks that excessive heat and moisture can present during spring and summer relocation. Our movers follow rigorous, climate-controlled protocols at all times to control exposure.
In the end, having that peace of mind that your piano won’t be damaged by uncontrolled temperature or humidity fluctuations during a move is truly priceless. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm weather, knowing your treasured instrument is safe in the careful hands of the most qualified team of piano moving professionals.
