Is it humidity… or does my piano need repairs?
I get calls from people regarding their piano when the keys have started to stick, or not respond properly. Quite often this can happen after a spike in humidity, such as raining for 3 days. In many instances, once the humidity drops, the keys will start responding correctly.
"My piano was fine yesterday…"
It's one of the most common things we hear. In a climate like Sydney's, timber-and-felt instruments react to moisture in the air — and a few days of rain can be enough to change how a piano plays. The good news: a lot of it fixes itself.
What are you noticing?
Pick the symptom that fits — we'll show you when it's usually just the weather, and when it's worth booking a technician.
Sticky or sluggish keys
- More than one key is affected
- It started after rain or a humid spell
- It eases again on dry days
- The piano sits near a window or external wall
- Always the same single key
- It's slowly getting worse over weeks
- A key stays down after you press it
- There's a clicking or knocking noise
Weather-related? Keep the room stable and give it a few dry days. Still off, or getting worse? Book a technician.
Book a serviceWhy humidity changes a piano
No engineering degree required — it comes down to wood and moisture.
Weather, or a repair?
| You notice | Often weather | Usually repair |
|---|---|---|
| Whole piano slightly flat | Often weather | |
| One note won't play at all | Usually a repair | |
| Several sticky keys at once | Often weather | |
| Just one sticky key | Usually a repair | |
| Buzz on a single note | Usually a repair | |
| Touch heavier than usual | Often weather | |
| Pedal squeaks | Usually a repair |
Recently Sydney sat above 80% humidity for five days straight. That's more than enough to make many upright pianos feel heavier and leave a few keys sluggish — with no repair required. Once the weather dried out, they freed up on their own.
In cases like this, a damp chaser can be installed. Before fitting one, it helps to know the typical humidity inside the home — we never just jump to “you need a damp chaser.” Understanding the environment the piano lives in lets us give proper, professional advice.
See your room's climate
The easiest way to settle the question is to keep an eye on the numbers. INTOPIANO is a simple logbook for recording your room's temperature and humidity over time. You can download your history as a PDF and email it straight to your technician — and knowing the conditions your piano lives in makes it far easier to give tailored, expert advice.
Small habits that help
- Keep the piano away from windows and external walls
- Keep it away from wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms and laundries
- Don't place it beside heaters or air-con vents
- Avoid rapid temperature swings in the room
- Keep windows closed during long wet spells
- Maintain a yearly tuning so drift stays small
If it's only one note, getting worse, or clearly mechanical, it's worth a technician. Matthew services pianos across Sydney, Wollongong, the Illawarra, the Southern Highlands, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.
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