Insurance Claims

Arthur E. Schlueter, Jr., President of Schlueter Pipe Organ Company, is an expert insurance consultant. He also serves as an industry consultant to the board of the National Electric Code (NEC). He has the experience and knowledge to do an onsite evaluation of damage to your pipe organ and properly document the findings in a way that is most meaningful to your insurance company. Because of his extensive experience in this area, he is frequently called in by insurance companies as an expert consultant. He knows how the insurance companies work and will use this knowledge and experience to help you get an appropriate settlement for the damage done to your instrument.

Water Damage

Water damage can be difficult to assess, as the full extent of the damage is often not evident immediately. Because we have worked on so many water damaged organs, we have developed a system of evaluation and documentation that takes into account the broader range of damage that will predictably manifest over time. Our documentation includes a photo survey which provides a visual account of where the water entered the chambers, what parts of the organ were exposed to the water, and how the water effects the functioning of the organ.

Lightning Damage

Lightning damage can be very illusive and is the most difficult damage to pin down and document. Again, we have developed a system for tracking down the illusive symptoms and documenting them so that the insurance company will understand the serious nature of this type of damage. Without the appropriate documentation, many lightning damaged organs will have just the few "fried" components replaced, but the rest of the electronic components which have been compromised will be ignored. The result is that the organ will continue to manifest problems over and over again as the compromised parts fail, one at a time. We have been very successful at documenting the full extent of lightning damage and negotiating replacements of all of the electronic components that have been compromised, so that the repaired instrument is reliable again.

Click here for a complete article about Pipe Organs and Lightning.


To inquire about a pipe organ insurance claim, give us a call at
800-836-2726 or 770-482-4845.