Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Post-storm, water damaged pianos?

For a grand piano, a critical point is when the flood waters reach the height of the keys. There are still likely questions about the value vs. the repair cost, but once the keys get wet, you've usually exceeded the value even in valuable instruments..

I hope like me she has her piano covered under her household insurance.

Old pianos made before WWII are assembled with hot hide glue. The melting point of that glue is 140 degrees. It is noteworthy that the standard method of joint release in old pianos is heat and steam because of this. A piano that has absorbed moisture and is exposed to heat is likely to have extensive damage to the hundreds of glue joints. A piano removed from a flood and put into uncontrolled storage in Texas could easily be subjected to 140 degree temps in the sun.

I actually do not agree that the damage is limited if the water does not reach the level of the keys. A grand piano sitting in water for days on end, even if the water does not reach the bottom of the key bed will take on enormous moisture in the rim, soundboard, action and bridges. The soundboard will form compression ridges and the fibre of the wood is crushed so that upon drying out the wood will crack. Even if the water is only 5-6 inches above the floor, strings, tuning pins and screws will rust and wood will swell far beyond its original specs, causing extreme moment of joints. Even if the piano is much newer than the pre WWII years the modern glues will not prevent the wood from swelling or rust from forming. And if the piano has case part panels that are made of MDF or other particle boards the swelling will not be able to be repaired.

It takes a much shorter time for wood to absorb moisture than to release it. As a result the ability to assess damage could be years away. My advice is to immediately claim the full replacement of a piano subjected to this type of flooding damage and don't look back. The repairs will almost always eclipse the value and even if the piano can be repaired with a full rebuild without being upside down on the cost, most of the time the owner will have a greatly devalued instrument as a result.

I've been reading reports that some areas that flooded were in the 500-year or 1000-year floodplain, so the owners did not have flood insurance-- normal home insurance excludes floods.

It's devastating, and I am hearing of so many people who have literally lost everything they own. (Not to get off-topic, but hope those who are able will help where they can-- aside from monetary donations, local blood banks are being depleted to help those in Houston so blood donation is helpful across the country.)

Not having an item as expensive as a good piano insured is a risk. Of course theft is usually not a risk, but fire can always occur. As we have seen so many times, flooding is a big risk in some places.

Aggregating down is another risk. If your house contents are worth 100,000 and you have them insured for, say, 60,000 an insurance company is quite correct, in UK, to pay only 60% of any claim.

If you have them insured for 60,000, the insurance company should pay 100% of claims up to 60,000, but no more.

I don't think homeowners insurance covers floods.

My sister's friend is a concert pianist and teacher in Houston and lost her beloved C. Bechstein that she spent most of her life's savings on. There is a photo of it standing with water all the way up to the bottom of its case, and another of the ivory keytops haphazardly coming off. You can hear her pain as she talks about everything they're going through, but that the loss of her piano is what is completely breaking her heart