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How much should you spend per year on preventive maintenance?

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  • How much should you spend per year on preventive maintenance?



    As a newcomer to his forum, I have been impressed by the depth of knowledge shown by various posters, so I don't doubt that several people will be able to answer this question.




    Some churches seem to think that when they install an expensive pipe organ it will last forever. Therefore they always seem surprised when large sums need to be spent to maintain the instrument. An organist/choirmaster for whom I have a great deal of respect (recently retired after 30 years at an Episcopal cathedral) always told me that you should spend (or set aside in a reserve fund) 10% of the instrument's replacement cost every year.




    Subsequently I have heard figures ranging from that % down to only 1%, which seems a bit low.




    Is there consensus on a good average amount?




  • #2
    Re: How much should you spend per year on preventive maintenance?



    My humble opinion:




    10% of the replacement cost per year sounds rather high. For our church that would be at least $200,000 per year, which would be out of the question. I would suggest planning on spending less thjan 1% per year, to wit: For a $2 Million organ, plan on at least $5000 per year for routine maintenance and also plan on putting away $10,000 based on the assumption that once per century, the organ will need a $1 million overhaul.




    Our church could literally be standing for another 1000 years. Thus, $10 Million over a thousand years is not too much to pay for this quality of organ.




    Hope this both makes sense and helps!

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    • #3
      Re: How much should you spend per year on preventive maintenance?



      There are many factors involved in this sort of calculation, most of which are specific to individual instruments. The type of action, quality of materials, and the quality of upkeep that has been provided over the years are probably the most important factors.



      A small Aeolian-Skinner that I play is 71-years-old. It has had one refurbishment which cost $30,000 25 years ago. That amount also included the addition of a solid-state combination system. Since then the organ has only required semi-annual tuning/check up visits for an annual cost of $900. There are no indications that we will need major repairs within the next 5 to 10 years. Regardless of its current condition, I have told the powers-that-be that they should always keep in mind that pipe organs will occasionally need pricey repairs or refurbishment.



      The Möller that I play is 79-years-old and is twice as large as the A-S. It has been neglected for 20 years. $30,000 was recently spent to make repairs. To bring the organ up to the same condition as the A-S would probably require spending $50,000 to $75,000. (It will never sound as nice as the A-S, though, unless many of its stops were replaced with better quality pipework.) The annual cost of the semi-annual tuning/check up visits is $1,200.



      Larry

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      • #4
        Re: How much should you spend per year on preventive maintenance?



        Actually, I always thought that 10% figure sounded more than a tad high. On the other hand, 1% sounds awfully low.




        I guess there are too many variables to have a one-size-fits-all answer.

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