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Re: [disklavier] Fire damaged Disklavier

2014-12-11 by clays91740@...

OK, Thanks!
 
 
In a message dated 12/11/2014 5:59:38 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
disklavier@yahoogroups.com writes:

 
 
 
the cleanup people (Servicemaster) told me that every fire is different in  
terms of whether damaging fumes will or will not condense in any particular 
 location. hopefully you just have soot that can be wiped away. if 
mechanical  cleaning of surfaces eliminates any residual odor, you are probably in 
good  condition. you can test for residue by putting the cleaned object in a 
bag or  covering it with thin plastic sheeting. if after sitting covered for 
a day it  does not stink, there is not likely to be residue remaining.

do you  have replacement cost insurance? if so, see what the insurance 
company will  give you.

On 12/11/2014 2:52 PM, _clays91740@..._ (mailto:clays91740@aol.com)  
[disklavier]  wrote:



It was an electrical fire that  destroyed a 42-inch flat screen tv and many 
old video tapes. there was lots  of smoke; the piano was in another room 
about 25 feet away and it is covered  with heavy black, stinky soot. I will 
look inside it  tomorrow.
 
Thanks  
 
In a message dated 12/11/2014 5:40:06 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
_disklavier@yahoogroups.com_ (mailto:disklavier@yahoogroups.com)   writes:

 
i do not know your piano specifically but every solenoid piano i have  ever 
seen does have some circuitry in the piano. 

i did not mention  in my first post that there is a wide range of possible 
damage from minor  annoying odor to serious corrosion and electronic damage. 
it all depends  on how much smoke there was, what was in the smoke and how 
far it got into  the piano.

what kind of fire was it, how severe, how close to the  piano etc? the fire 
i had burnd some plastic which can create very  corrosive and toxic 
deposits on and in everything exposed.


On 12/11/2014 12:50 PM, _clays91740@aol.com_ (mailto:clays91740@...)   
[disklavier] wrote:



Dear  Spencer,
 
Thank you for taking your time to provide me with so much excellent  
information.  Are there circuit boards inside the piano itself as  well as the 
wagon and DSR-1?
 
Clay
 
 
In a message dated 12/11/2014 11:51:36 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
_disklavier@yahoogroups.com_ (mailto:disklavier@yahoogroups.com)  writes:

 
i have not had experience with a piano in a house fire but did have  a 
workshop fire and a lot of equipment exposed to smoke that has  similarities to 
the stuff in an electronically controlled piano.  

not much burned in the fire, but there was a little plastic  that did burn 
. it made stinky soot that covered everything.  Servicemaster cleaned 
everything but i had to do the electronics. i  had a cnc milling machine and other 
stuff that insurance would not pay  much for so i took all the electronics 
apart and cleaned that stuff  myself. i doubt that anyone other than a very 
expensive  "professional;" would have taken the care to do it right. 
everything  still works. there are smoke stains on somw metal parts that are  
impossible to remove and wood stuff fared even worse.

A DKV  will have all the aspects of the worst stuff to try to save in my  
workshop and i think you will not be happy with the results which will  
probably cost a fortune. probably better to scrap it if you can  convince the 
insurance company to pay much of anything for it. get  some advise as to how to 
deal with the insurance company. most likely  they will depreciate a 1992 
piano to almost nothing. if you have an  actual replacement cost policy you 
may do well but there are all sorts  of exclusions and the company will 
likely to try their best to avoid  paying much.

if you are going to try to save the piano  yourself, at minimum you would 
need to examine all circuit boards and  clean them. except for certain 
components that may hold water forever,  you can actually wash most of this stuff 
in appropriate detergeants as  long as you do not connect power to anything 
until you know it is  completely dry. i have a vacuum oven so i could dry 
slowly under  vacuum. all connectors including socketed chips should be 
removed and  lubricated with a contact cleaner/lube that contains polphenyl ether. 
 felt parts might have to be replaced. wooden cabinet parts can  probably 
be cleaned well enough, without damage that they won't smell  too much. 
action parts are going to be hopeless if they got much of a  dose of smoke.
wound strings could probably be cleaned but  replacement is probably a 
better option. 

ozone does an amazing  job of neutralizing smoke odors. a "professional" 
would tent the piano  and apply ozone for hours or days as needed. as more 
smoke odor comes  out of wooden and other porous parts this will need to be 
repeated. i  elected to not have the drywall and insulation removed and 
replaced in  my workshop and 2 years later there is still a lingering smell. i made 
 an ozone generator (really easy, you can find plans online) and run it  
occasionally if the smoke odor is especially bad. just a few hours  helps. 
ozone is very corrosive to metal parts especially steel and  iron so you have 
to limit its use. there are also miracle products  that "neutralize" odors 
and some are very effective but they leave  their own very strong odor for a 
while.  i like XO which is a  little difficult to find but Amazon probably 
has it. Vets use it to  neutralize anal sac contents when they squeeze your 
dog's sacs so it  can neutralize anything :)



On 12/11/2014 6:39 AM, _clays91740@..._ (mailto:clays91740@...)   
[disklavier] wrote:



Hello  Group,
 
My DG-1 (wagon grand) and DSR-1 were exposed to very heavy  smoke and soot 
in a fire at my home.  I'm not sure if it still  works or not.  I'm 
wondering if any one on the list has had any  experience with any like this.
 
I purchased the piano new in 1992 and really want to keep  it.  I 
appreciate any information available.
 
Clay Shelton
Petersburg,  VA 



-- 



Best regards, Spencer Chase

67550-Bell Springs Rd.

Garberville, CA 95542 Postal service only.

Laytonville, CA 95454 UPS only.

_Spencer@..._ (mailto:Spencer@...) 

_http://www.spencerserolls.com_ (http://www.spencerserolls.com/) 

(425) 791-0309






-- 



Best regards, Spencer Chase

67550-Bell Springs Rd.

Garberville, CA 95542 Postal service only.

Laytonville, CA 95454 UPS only.

_Spencer@..._ (mailto:Spencer@...) 

_http://www.spencerserolls.com_ (http://www.spencerserolls.com/) 

(425) 791-0309






-- 



Best regards, Spencer Chase

67550-Bell Springs Rd.

Garberville, CA 95542 Postal service only.

Laytonville, CA 95454 UPS only.

_Spencer@..._ (mailto:Spencer@...) 

_http://www.spencerserolls.com_ (http://www.spencerserolls.com/) 

(425) 791-0309

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