So, you happen to own a piano, and you want to move it to a different location. This is a daunting task, and you can already foresee what kind of specific problems does piano moving entail. Without further ado, this text is about helping you hire NJ moving professionals when moving your piano, considering it’s borderline impossible to do it yourself.
It’s best to hire professionals when moving your piano
Let’s get something out of the way – piano moving is something only professionals should be left alone to do. And why is that? Well, let’s just say that piano is an extremely large and complex instrument. It’s heavier than a wardrobe (an empty one) at least, considering it weighs from 136, all the way to over a 570 kilograms (in other words, it weighs anywhere from 200 to 1200 pounds). That means that a Toyota Yaris can’t handle it (provided that you can even put it inside), and even a Ford Mondeo will struggle. Of course, this applies provided that you can place it inside, which brings us to our next point…
Pianos are incredibly complex systems – one could compare them to machines
Wait, you may think, how are they like machines? They don’t have cylinders, pistons, fuel pumps, etc.? What they do have, on the other hand, is:
- A lid (which consists of two parts);
- Sostenuto rails;
- A bridge;
- Pedal mechanisms;
- Hitch pin;
- Strings;
- Soundboards.
And those are just “general“ components. Contemporary pianos have about 12000 elements total. A car has something like 30000 parts, although some older models have as few as 6000. Now you understand how complex a mechanism a piano is. For that reason, it is best to hire professionals when moving your piano.
There are many sensitive parts in a piano
Some of the parts, such as a wooden frame, are robust, heavy and nigh indestructible. It doesn’t mean the rest of the piano isn’t extremely sensitive to damage. A piano requires a right atmosphere and maintenance. According to the piano experts at Yamaha, some of the ways to damage your piano are:
- Do not place a vase with flowers on top. First, it may damage the sound box. Second, if the water spills, that’s going to be some rather expensive repair;
- The best humidity for a piano is between 40 and 45 percent – another important factor for you to consider;
- Pianos use materials such as cloth and wood for precision parts, with a damage tolerance bar set as low 1/100mm;
- Sudden temperature changes will rust and bend the wires of your piano. This means that you have to worry every time your piano is exposed to direct sunlight. It may cause the wires to bend or even snap, which inevitably leads to expensive repairs;
- Beware the excessive dryness. Yes, we’ve warned you about humidity, but worry and problems can also be found at the other end of the spectrum. Excessive dryness can also damage your piano. Wooden parts are glued together, and excessive dryness can cause them to fall apart, even if they have been glued with utmost, surgical care (they usually have).
If this doesn’t convince you that you should contact NJ movers to move your piano, I don’t know what will.
There are several substances which your piano shouldn’t come in contact with at any point
Again, according to piano experts at Yamaha, there are several types of stuff your piano should never come into contact with, and they make all the greater reason why you should hire professionals when moving your piano. These are:
- Plastic and vinyl products – as you can see, we can say goodbye to plastic wrapping, which is a staple of sensitive product moving. Our problems grow exponentially;
- Anything that contains alcohol – alcohol goes in the lives, which it also damages. However, the damage alcohol does to a piano is far greater;
- Cosmetics, insecticides, etc. Any type of chemistry means massive damage to the strings and wooden components, so it’s a massive no-no;
- Anything based on petroleum – petroleum is like an atomic bomb to a piano. It will damage and destroy anything in its path. Avoid it like the plague.
So, why not hire professionals to move your piano?
And there you have it! Moving a piano is an extremely complex process, with many components that could go off at any time. Not only can you damage it if you move it yourself, but it could also end up as a pile of spare parts if you do not hire the right type of movers.
You see, you need to hire real professionals who will know what moving piano entails. They should know what the sensitive components are, which parts can they disassemble and which parts are not to be touched at any moment. They should also know how to pack the components which should be packed in order to avoid damage. Literally, any moving company can move a set of chairs or a wardrobe, but, as we’ve established, a piano is much more like a car – only it’s much more sensitive. So you’re going to need to hire professionals to move your piano if you wish to still have the entire piano when it arrives.
A reliable moving company employee will know everything regarding the special care it takes to move a piano. It’s as difficult as child care, only this time, your “baby” weighs several hundred pounds. For this reason, you should never attempt to move it yourself, and should only hire professionals when moving your piano.
