The contractor will need access to the organ chamber(s), what should be done?
- Any work required within organ or blowing chambers should be carried out with the organ builders in attendance and a small contingency fund of, say £1,000 should be set aside to cover any expenses which may be incurred by organ builders while attending or overseeing work being carried out under these circumstances.
- The contractor should regularly keep the organ builders informed of progress to allow access at a mutually agreed date for work such as the moving of wind trunks, cabling or the repositioning of a console.
- Any protection which has been applied by the organ builders to the console or parts of the organ which are fixtures should not be moved or disturbed without the prior consent of the church authorities. It should be borne in mind that any damage caused by the contractor to the organ would not be covered by an existing contract with the organ builder.
- In buildings where the organ is susceptible to overheating, everyone working within it should be made aware that leaving the heating on for long periods will cause shrinkage in the timbers which can affect the operation of the key action and the winding system. In these circumstances the church authorities should regularly check the humidity levels within the building using an electrical thermo-hygrometer.
