C. Bobsin, Organ Service

Preventive Maintenance & Tuning Contract Information

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Did you know that your pipe organ has an Estimated Replacement Value (ERV) of over $30,000 per rank?  That means even the smallest of instruments utilized every Sunday would cost between a quarter and a half-million dollars to replace.    And those who possess instruments with 35 or more ranks of pipes are approaching a million-dollar value, often much more. 

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Do you have a plan in place that ensures the protection of this investment and the continued reliability of your instrument?  How often do you have the organ inspected and tuned?  Are you aware of upcoming issues and expenses?   Are you being proactive in preserving the legacy that your instrument represents?  These are critical questions that are all too often overlooked.

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Are you deferring maintenance costs?  Most professional facility and equipment managers look for a “Maintenance Cost as a percentage of Estimated Replacement Value” (MC/ERV) target of 2-3% annually.  Deferring this responsibility leads to large repair bills and extended downtimes.

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Pipe organs are the most valuable piece of equipment many congregations own.  It is responsible stewardship to keep them in good repair and in good tune.  After many years of servicing and repairing organs, we realized the need for a comprehensive maintenance tool to help prevent expensive emergency repairs and failures. 

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Our Preventive Maintenance & Tuning Contract was designed to answer the needs of your music program while protecting the investment your congregation has made in the pipe organ.  For a fixed quarterly fee we will service, maintain and tune your instrument regularly.  Emergency calls, most repairs, and the base number of tunings are all included at no extra cost.

 

Utilizing our Contract will do the following things for your music program, facilities management, and budget:

 

1. Prevent unexpected or emergency expenses;

2. Ensure better tuning throughout the year;

3. Aid your financial planning by offering quarterly payments;

4. Forecast necessary future expenses and help you plan for them;

5. Automate maintenance of your instrument so it isn’t overlooked or neglected;

6. Provide your staff peace of mind; and

7. Preserve and improve on the long-term investment your congregation has made in a pipe organ.

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Upon the start of your Maintenance Contract we will do all of the above by performing the following included services:

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• We will provide a letter containing the Insurance Replacement Value of your particular instrument.  This is valuable information that should be given to your insurer.  We will update this letter on request.

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• At your request, we will provide you with a baseline report on your instrument.  This will, in general terms, present the current condition of your instrument along with a forecast of foreseeable necessary repairs within the next 2, 5, and 10 years.

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• We will schedule and perform regular visits throughout the year or as often as your instrument requires, typically 2-3 tuning visits annually.

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• Christmas and Easter visits will always be included in our scheduling.

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• We will respond within two weeks to all emergency service calls.

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• We will make minor repairs to include most small parts and materials at no additional cost.

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• In the event that a needed repair or part will incur an additional expense, we will present this in writing and get your approval before proceeding.

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• We will provide detailed reports for your records after every visit.

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• We will be available to meet with your vestry, committee, or musicians.

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• We will coordinate certain maintenance items with your facility manager.  This includes ensuring the HVAC components are not causing or in danger of causing damage to the instrument, maintaining and service electrical feeds and fuses, and keeping sensitive mechanical areas secured and free from debris.

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• We will create, maintain and continually update a database containing all of the important specifications of your particular instrument.  This includes such things as age and condition of renewable components, sizes of light bulbs and fuses, wind pressures, access issues, key church personnel, serial numbers of equipment, and many other important items.

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• We will divide the annual cost of your Contract into affordable quarterly payments.