Renovation around an Organ

The following page is written as a help to churches who may be renovating their Sanctuaries or having major mechanical work done. A recent experience at a church, which coincidentally installed new central air-conditioning systems throughout their facilities while an organ renovation was underway, pointed to the need for this page

What to do before the contractors move in...

• Discuss any intentions with your organbuilder PRIOR to proceeding with any work of this nature. Typically, an organ contract will contain clauses that stipulate doing this. It will save both the church and the organbuilder a great deal of misunderstandings, frayed nerves and ill-will by being proactive about it.
  
  
• Building Contractors' or Decorators' work inside a church Sanctuary or chapel invariably puts the pipe organ at risk.
  
  
• In our experience dust always finds its way into the organ, and if it is not protected under the supervision of a qualified Organ Builder it is likely that actual damage will occur.
  
  
• Damage is often caused by non-organ builders going into the instrument. Sometimes they do not even realize they have damaged the organ. Dropping a paintbrush, paint, plaster, mortar or water or any other foreign matter into the instrument can cause serious damage, which is expensive to repair.
  
  
• If the organ is not protected in accordance with a qualified organ builder's specification the church’s Insurance Company may not accept any resulting claim.
  
  
• If the organ is in a separate room (organ chamber) the Tonal Opening(s) for it should be covered with plastic sheets and taped as required. This work is most economically done by the Contractors, under the supervision of the organbuilders who should be the only persons allowed inside the pipe organ. With respect to an encased instrument, especial care should be taken, in that many times, scaffolding, planking, and other construction materials can cause damage.
  
  
• In some circumstances the Contractors need to work adjacent to or immediately above a pipe organ, and in such cases it may be necessary to remove some or all of the pipework. Sometimes it is necessary to remove a portion of organ casework and other parts, also
  
  
• Any pipes or parts that are left in the organ will need to be protected.
  
  
• The removal of organ pipes and parts should be carried out only by qualified organbuilders, who will require a safe, preferably adjacent, storage place.
  
  
• Upon completion of the Contractors' work the organ should be carefully unwrapped under the supervision of the organ builder, and extreme care should be taken not to allow any dust or other foreign particulates to fall into the instrument.
  
  
• When the organ is uncovered, it is likely that some additional abrasive dust will have found its way into the instrument. Even if the contractors have been very careful, fine construction dirt invariably finds its way through the sheeting and into the organ.
  
  
• The instrument will need to be inspected and likely cleaned by the organ builder. Simple and immediate maladies can be easily corrected. However, there may more serious problems to correct owing to extended periods of inactivity. If necessary, a complete report can be submitted to the church. In some instances, in the event of obvious damage, an estimate for repairs will need to be submitted to the contractor who, in turn, should submit a claim to their liability company.
  
  
• If the organ needs to be cleaned it is strongly recommended that this work is carried out immediately, so as to avoid undue wear of moving parts and to safeguard the instrument's serviceable life.

Important points to remember:

1. Organs are easily damaged
2. Specialist repairs to organs are expensive
3. Only qualified organbuilders should go inside organs
4. Only qualified organbuilders should handle organ pipes
5. If any organ pipes are removed, they will need to be stored in a safe place, away from construction work
6. Covering and uncovering a pipe organ should be supervised by organbuilders
7. Dust finds its way through the smallest gaps, so when the organ is uncovered it will need to be checked
8. Any abrasive dust left in the organ will speed up the wearing out of the actions
9. During the contractors' work, extreme changes in the Relative Humidity and temperature must be avoided.
10. If in doubt, call in the specialists, (877) 944-2454 or send an EMAIL to