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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I dealt with this recently on a 1895 S&S A2 I
rebuilt. A month after a new action, keyset and new soundboard
restoration, the piano was flooded when the roof caved in on the lid. After some
thought and questions to this list my letter to the insurance company simply
stated there was no way I could guarantee anything on this piano unless it was
completely rebuilt again. The client got a check for more than the total
amount of the previous rebuild, plus got to keep the piano. At that point,
at his request, we proceeded with a more minor recondition. In the end the piano
had some problems, but the client was happy because he received value
compensating him for his loss. One bright note, an absolutely flawless job by
Classic Woods in LA of reglueing and refinishing the lid which was broken in 5
pieces. You can not see the repair!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, even though my crystal ball was not perfectly
clear in trying to come up with a less than complete re-restoration that would
put the piano back in service, the client was covered. In the end, the client
decides how thorough a job he wants to pay for, we just need to give him sound
advise. Your 100 year old B most likely needed rebuilding before the flood, let
alone after it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I learned yet another lesson from this
experience, hopefully it helps.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fenton</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=wimblees@aol.com href="mailto:wimblees@aol.com">wimblees@aol.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=stbrown9@frontiernet.net
href="mailto:stbrown9@frontiernet.net">stbrown9@frontiernet.net</A> ; <A
title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, September 16, 2008 6:28
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: flood damage</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><WBR>Hi Sue<BR><BR>First of all, since this damage was a year
ago, did your customer keep the case open with the insurance company? Any
damage to the piano as a result of the water damage is covered under home
owners insurance. But if the customer signed off on it, she's on her
own.<BR><BR>Concerning the rust on the pins and coils. Yes, in time the
rust will cause the strings to break. it might take another year, or maybe
even longer, but eventually the rust will eat through the strings, and they
will break. <BR><BR>Concerning the pin block. After one heating
season, the pin block might still feel OK. But in a couple of years, the pin
block will dry out, and start to fail. <BR><BR>Concerning the wippens. With
that many having been exposed to the water, I'm surprised only a few came
appart. Again, in a couple of years, the rest will probably go bad,
too.<BR><BR>All in all, unless the customer signed off on it, the insurance
should pay to have a new pin block and string, and new action parts put in the
piano. The piano was not in the same condition after the flood as it was
before the flood. The purpose of insurance is to help get property back in
it's original condition. Since the piano can't be put back in the condition it
was in, the insurance should pay to have the piano rebuilt. <BR><BR>Willem
Blees, RPT<BR>Honolulu, HI<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>-----Original
Message-----<BR>From: Sue Brown <stbrown9@frontiernet.net><BR>To:
pianotech@ptg.org<BR>Sent: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 2:10 pm<BR>Subject: flood
damage<BR><BR>
<DIV id=AOLMsgPart_2_97e51beb-00d7-4298-a562-b774986dafa1>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a client who's 1905 Steinway B was in a
flood in which water leaked from the toilet upstairs overnight and flooded the
piano, carpet, etc. The main areas of water exposure were the webbing
and keywell. The surrounding carpet,ect. was also soaked. The room
was dried out pretty quickly, using a commercial flood cleanup service.
I have waited the recommended one year time since the flood. The strings
still sound good - the lid was down. There is water staining on the
plate and rust on the coils. There are plate bushings and they are water
stained. The pinblock still feels tight. I am concerned that since
the webbing area was exposed to water, should the pinblock be checked for
water damage (by destringing, taking the plate out and looking.) Also do
I need to worry about rust in the plate. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>During the flood several wippens became unglued
under the rest rail cushion. I glued them back together. The piano
got soaked in the key well to the point where about 2/3 of the balance rail
puchings got soaked. There is a hairline crack in the keywell about 10"
long. Does a handful of wippens coming apart warrant a new action?
(My customer doesn't notice anything wrong in the action so she's a bit
resistant to having work done)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I also have questions about glue joints coming
loose in the keywell area that seem OK now. Does the piano loose value
because it now has a history of having been through a flood?
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks in advance for any ideas,
input.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sue Brown</FONT></DIV></DIV><!-- end of AOLMsgPart_2_97e51beb-00d7-4298-a562-b774986dafa1 -->
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