Pianotech

  • 1.  Flood Prepping Grand Pianos

    Member
    Posted 09-23-2018 21:59
    The effects of hurricane Florence are ongoing here in the Carolinas along the coast as the flood waters are working there way south to the ocean.
    I have managed to get a number of Grand Piano transported to safety but unfortunately roads are beginning to flood and time is running out. My main piano mover has run out of skid boards and storage space so now am trying to put clients in touch with some other moving red casters, removing the lyre, enclosing the piano case in some waterproof tarps to protect the underside of the key bed, soundboard , beams, rim are better than nothing. One worst case scenario is flood water at 10 to 15 feet; another scenario is 2 to 4 and a third is 0 to 2 feet. If it is 10 to 15 the pianos will be gone anything under 2 feet they may have a chance , if only 1-3 inches a few inches of elevation as from a 4" post may even keep them dry.

     Of course if power goes out and humidity soars there are many new issues like rusting, ambient air saturation affecting felt and glue joints.


    I am open to any and all suggestions from technicians who may have been faced with similar situations. I am not sure concrete cinder blocks are the best supports under  several hundred pounds of grand piano. I have used 4 x 4 pressure treated to help with installing piano trucks and to get the legs up and off the floor using hydraulic jacks and a motorcycle scissor jack

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 2.  RE: Flood Prepping Grand Pianos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-24-2018 06:38
    James
     I feel your pain. As someone who has lived in the tropics ( S. Florida) for over 30yrs, I've dealt with numerous serious storms that ravaged our area quite seriously.   In 2004, I had to major hurricanes make a direct him on our home ( with the eye going right over my home)  3 weeks apart. Our area looked like a war zone for 6 months.
    No matter how much you try to protect the pianos, once the damage to the homes occurs, along with extreme flooding, and loss of power, you quickly realize that many of these pianos will be toast.  At a minimum, you'll be restringing a lot of pianos simply due to the ambient air and the exposure to all of that moisture.  Some pianos will show immediate damage results, but don't be surprised some decades later of pianos that went through the ordeal and now the glue joints start falling apart. I've seen this happen time and time again.  
    You can only do what you can do. In the meantime, take good care of yourself, your family, and your neighbors.   You have some tough times lying ahead and eventually, you'll get through this. In the meantime, we are all here to help so let the list know where we can step in.
    As far as triage for these pianos, take plenty of pictures and document everything.

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    Tom Servinsky
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  • 3.  RE: Flood Prepping Grand Pianos

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 09-24-2018 12:46
    Jim, Tom Servinsky nailed it. I'm on the other coast from Tom. 

    Document everything and take care of you.

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    -Phil Bondi
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