Dec 10, 20202 min
Updated: Jul 6, 2023
Piano Life Saver System pads should be changed once a year. Keeping a few items handy in your service kit makes this process quick and clean!
Your kit should include:
Precut pads, and full-length pads for older systems
Clean sleeves
Disposable gloves
Paper towels (or small towel)
Empty reusable plastic bag
Small amount of water (Not shown. I carry a travel shampoo bottle full of water in my cleaning kit.)
Pad Treatment (In case your client needs to purchase more.)
To change out pads, carefully remove the old crusty pads by slipping them directly into the empty ziplock bag. I wear gloves for this because I'm squeamish - probably not necessary most of the time. In most cases, it is possible to hold the lip of the ziplock bag over the humidifier so that the wet pads are always contained. However, you should have your paper towels handy (or a small towel for the floor) in case there are any drips from the old pads.
Now is a good time to inspect the humidifier heater bar to see if the clean sleeve needs to be replaced. In modern systems, simply unclip the humidifier heater bar from the watering tank. Then, unclip the water level sensor and pad sensor to slip off the clean sleeve. Replace the clean sleeve and reassemble.
Soak the new pre-cut pads with water and reinstall over the heater bar. Presoaking will stop the pad light from blinking more quickly so you won't have to wait for the pads to soak water from the humidifier.
Piano Life Saver System care - quick, clean, and simple!
Be sure to check the pads at every appointment and change yearly. Doing this helps keep the system clean and efficient. If you notice a lot of calcium buildup on the pads or clean sleeves, it is a sign of hard water. If you find that you need to change the pads more often than every year, you may want to recommend that your client consider using distilled water for their system. Do not use or recommend water softening tablets or solutions. The chemicals that make up that solution are harmful to the system and the piano.
Dispose of the old pads when you get home and rinse out the bag for the next set of old pads! And don't forget to note the date of your replacement so you can repeat the process in a year.