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Hi,

I'm thinking of purchasing a cheap digital piano (~£400) and storing this in a new conservatory that's being built.

The roof is going to have a 60% filter in the glass, which supposedly helps regulate the temperature in there, and there is going to be constant circulation via the window vents.

I was wondering if anybody has experience of storing digital pianos in conservatories? Is this going to be an issue for me?

As a side note: I'm currently looking on gear4music at their DP-6 or DP-7 pianos, as these are the cheapest i can find. Does anyone have other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

I'm seeing an emphasis on low price for a piano, and storage of the piano.

I'm not seeing anything about how the piano is to be used. If this is for conservatory use shouldn't we expect a better quality piano?

And why does storage seem to be sole purpose of the piano? Low-cost pianos tend to be lightweight. They can be stored easily under a bed. Or stood on end and placed in a closet. For what reason will it be stored in a conservatory?

I don't understand your goal or purpose.

Which of these are we talking about?


(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatory)

Is the piano just going to be stored there or does it need to a playable "proper" digital piano?

(Not that I know how bad Gear4Music pianos actually are.)

Humidity could be a problem for electronics and wood parts.

South (?) facing Conservatory in the uk even with a roof filter is going to get hot in summer, damp or humid in winter. Might be ok as a cheaper instrument is mostly plastic, metal, sand. I would not store or keep a better quality instrument with wooden keys in there. Gear4music own brand is chinese or possibly Medeli. Not the best IMHO and Casio brand might well be better, CDP series.

Capacitors are filled with a liquid/gel. They don't like to be heat cycled between very hot/cold. Most other components will be fine. Of course in general heat cycling plastics will cause it to embrittle.

Low humidity, constant temperature.

Thanks for the replies. It is a north-east facing conservatory (i.e. a sunroom), which won't get a lot of direct sunlight. However I think the point has been well-made that maybe it's not the best idea, which I'm not surprised about but at least wanted to confirm and get some opinions! It will have to go in the living room or upstairs I think...

The piano will need to be a playable, proper digital upright piano. I would say I'm a self-taught beginner/intermediate player, and am looking to buy something to practice on for my own personal enjoyment, rather than any professional aspirations. I haven't had much experience with gear4music, but they seem to have decent reviews? I'll have a look at some Casio CDP ones thanks

Thanks for clearing up the subject of a "conservatory". I thought you were buying a piano for a music school!

In the sun room in my (former) home in Florida you could fry eggs. That's not a place to put a piano.

Conversely, clothearednincompo commented above. He's in Norway. I suspect that temperatures in a sun room would not be a problem there.

That's a case of two extremes. Where do you live?

Sorry, I naiively thought "conservatory" was a universal word, oops! I'm in the north of the UK, so it's not quite as extreme temperatures as Florida or Norway I imagine!

Sounds like a lovely environment in which to practice piano. My worry would be uv rays bombarding the plastic parts. The keys would yellow, black plastic would fade, & all would age & get brittle. Perhaps you could keep it covered when not in use.

Well, if the roof is isolated, with no more than 60% of humidity all the year, then I don't see problems.

P.S.: if I can ask, why do you want to buy that no-brand super-cheap DP for your conservatory?

It's not specifically FOR the conservatory, it was more a case of finding a place for it, and at the moment the conservatory would be the best place, space-wise.

The reason for the no-brand, super-cheapness is because I don't feel like I need a really expensive one, as it is for casual use and learning only. I have seen the Casio AP270 online for £600, which I might stretch to if the general consensus is dead-set against the DP options.

Rubiks, when you say the North of the UK, does that mean North Scotland. Otherwise if you are further south than that I would recommend a visit to the gear4music showroom in York.

They have a wide range of digitals on display, many you can try out by just turning on, but even those that aren't setup, they will help set them up for you to try out. I've been there a few times and compared to other places with digital pianos in this part of the world they have the largest range to try out and a decent amount of room to try them out in.

If you buy a dp with the furniture stand, Just saw off the furniture stand by ~3-4 inches and put plastic-caster wheels on, and you can move it in and out of the sun space.

Personally I would suggest you to buy the Casio model. In that price range they are very good products, much better than no-brand ones.

+1.

An upright piano... for under 500 USD? Good luck finding a good one.

Upright digital*

The OP is in in the UK. Its always above 60%. OK slight exaggeration, but not much. Today where I am, summer, overcast, rained overnight, it’s 70%+.

This reminds me of cool winter weather in Florida, when the temperatures drop to around 80 F and humidity drops to around 70%.

Humidity by itself isn't really a problem. Where I live it's typically over 70-90%. The temperature is typically 5-20 C.

Apparently, pianos here last longer than in most places.

In countries where you need air conditioning, and you have huge humidity swings, the considerations are different.

In the UK, anywhere indoors, should be fine.