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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Willem, Terry, Fenton, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for your perspective on the flood
damage. I'll definitely be doing everything possible to cover my
posterior!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sue Brown</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=fmurray@cruzio.com href="mailto:fmurray@cruzio.com">Fenton Murray</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, September 17, 2008 1:11
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: flood damage</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<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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