Pianos Under Water

[Clyde Hollinger]

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Lewis,
I have almost no experience with this situation but decided to give my input
anyway.  I once saw a cheap used piano in a showroom that had a mudline about
six inches up the soundboard.  It did not appear to be damaged.  I suspect a
lot depends on how long it was in the water.  I saw another, an old upright,
where the water had been up over the bass bridge and apron, and it pretty well
ruined them.  Your pianos that got only their legs or bottoms wet are quite
likely rebuildable, although there are a number of variables that will affect
the difficulty of doing the work.

I am quite certain that all the pianos submerged for days are complete goners.
If a piano were extremely rare and valuable, it could probably be rebuilt, but
I would think everything would have to be new except the metal components and
maybe the legs.

For the sake of argument, how would a piano be affected by water in the best of
circumstances?  For example, if it were completely submerged for one minute,
then a piano technician were immediately at hand to dry it out as soon as
possible?  My guess is it would still entail a lot of time and expense, beyond
the value of a new similar model.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger

Lewis Spivey wrote:

> Hi List,
>
> Greetings from down under, not the equator but from Floyd's flood waters in
> Eastern North Carolina, USA.  While I am high and dry, hundreds if not
> thousands of pianos in my area have been swimming without scuba gear. Many
> have been completely submerged for days and while others have only gotten
> their legs or bottoms wet.  In my 25 plus years of piano service nothing
> like this has ever been a problem.  Do any of you have experience with
> flooded pianos. Are pianos that have under water rebuildable.  Any help
> would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Lewis Spivey, RPT
> Eastern North Carolina, USA

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