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Everything You Need to Know About Piano Moving
By: More articles by braymore

Moving can be a very stressful time in a persons life especially if he or she has not hired appropriate help to move their furniture. Piano moves can be especially stressful because the mover needs to have special knowledge and skills to safely move the piano. In this article I have outline a few frequently asked questions about piano moving in order to help understand what is involved in moving a piano and prepare you with the information to choose the right mover. At the end of the article I have listed some questions that you can ask to help you choose your piano mover as well as the information that you should have ready in order for the mover to be sufficiently prepared for your move.

Why do I need to hire a professional piano mover

Many of you may be wondering why you would need to hire a professional piano moving company to move your piano rather than using the household mover who is moving the rest of the contents of your house. The main reason for hiring a professional piano mover is that many household movers do not have adequate training or equipment to properly move a piano.

The average upright piano weighs between 400 and 900 pounds. Grand pianos can weigh between 650 and 1300 pounds. The value of a piano can vary from a few hundred dollars to 500000 dollars depending on the make model age and condition of the piano. The majority of piano moves involve moving the instrument through a tight space such as a small door frame or staircase. In some cases the piano may need to be dismantled in order to get it out of your house. Using and experienced professional piano mover will drastically minimize the risk of damage to the instrument and to your home.

As a piano mover I have come across many cases where a customer has hired a household piano mover to move their piano and has had to make an emergency call to us because the household mover could not get the piano out of his or her house. In other cases I have received calls from customers who had hired a nonreliable piano mover because their price was much lower and had to book an emergency move with us because that piano mover did not show up to move their piano or call to explain why they were not there.

How are pianos moved

When you hire a professional piano mover you can expect 23 people to come to your home equipped with piano skids moving pads ramps slings and the knowledge of how to move your piano safely. They will use special techniques to maneuver the piano out of your house. When the piano is put on the truck it will be safely secured to the vehicle in order to avoid damage during transport. In the most difficult moves 46 people may be used. Generally when a piano is moved by someone other than a professional piano mover this equipment knowledge and these safety precautions are not employed. While hiring a professional piano mover does not completely eliminate the risk of damage it will drastically reduce this risk. Furthermore a good piano mover will assess the situation and inform you if there is a chance of damage before he or she begins the move and will give you the option of proceeding or not.

Are all professional piano movers equal

Unfortunately as in any trade each piano moving company varies in their level of quality and experience. Some piano movers are better equipped and more prepared than others and act with more care and integrity than others. The best way to find a good piano mover is to call around to your local piano stores piano technicians and piano teachers to find out which company they use. Piano stores in particular have a high stake in ensuring that they use reliable high quality piano movers who have the least risk of damaging their instruments and are properly insured in the event that the unforeseen does happen.

Are all piano movers similarly insured

Sadly the answer to this question is no.
There are 3 types of insurance to consider when hiring a piano mover:
1. Commercial/automotive insurance: Is the company insured against damage to property and or vehicles
2. Cartage/content insurance: Is the company insured against damage to the piano
3. Workmans Safety Insurance: Is the company insuring its workers against injury
Some piano moving companies are insured for 1 or 2 of these types of insurance but not all 3. It is the buyers responsibility to make sure that he/she is properly insured not the moving company. It is a good idea to ask about these 3 types of insurance when you are phoning piano moving companies and also to ask what amount of insurance your piano will be covered for. A properly insured moving company should provide you with a Bill of lading which is a legal document stating what is being moved the names of all parties involved in the move where the piano is being moved from and to and the full declared insured value of the instrument. The Bill of lading should also include the moving companys terms of cartage. As a legal document a proper bill of lading helps to ensure that the piano mover will repair any damages that were incurred during the move (unless a damage waiver was signed). It is also important to note that any damage caused to your piano or your property must be noted on the bill of lading to ensure that you have proper recourse if any action is needed.

Why is worker injury important to me

You may be wondering why it is important that you ensure that the piano mover you hire has Workmans Safety Insurance. When you contract a moving company they are considered your employee for the time that they are working for you. If you hire a moving company that is not covered for Workmans Safety Insurance you are accepting full liability for any employees who are injured while working for you. Your liability will extend to medical bills lost wages and possibly civil law suits. A company who is covered for Workmans Safety Insurance will take care of most of these problems for you. Some companies do not pay their required insurance premiums and are therefore not covered for all injury insurance claims. You may ask the company that you are hiring to provide you with an uptodate workmans safety insurance clearance certificate in order to ensure that you are properly covered. To be absolutely sure that the moving companys coverage is up to date you can contact your local Workmans Compensation or Workmans Safety Insurance board to check on the companys status.

Does moving the piano affect the sound of my piano

The actual move of the piano does not affect the sound or tuning of a piano. Generally piano tuning is affected by changes in temperature and humidity which cause the wooden and steel parts of your piano to expand and contract. You will probably need