You're going to need help when you move your freezer, either from a few friends, family members, or neighbors--plus heavy-duty moving aids like a hand cart or an appliance dolly. You should also take the matter of safety very seriously and be mindful of the proper methods for moving large items, so as to not endanger anyone involved in the move, or risk damaging the item.
That's why it's always important that you follow the proper procedures for moving a freezer. There are
specialty movers available who specialize solely in moving large and heavy items for you, and if you can find one in your area that can assist you with your move, this would be the best way to go. But if you're pressed for time or money and you want to take on this moving task by yourself, there are some things that you're going to need to know.
Get some help
Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to move a large freezer on your own. No matter how strong or physically capable you may be, there's no reasonable way that you can move a large, heavy freezer by yourself. So, your best bet is to gather as many people as you can to help you on moving day. Ask around and try to have at least five or six of your most capable friends, family members or neighbors present to help you out with the move.
When you're planning and preparing for how to best move your freezer, remember to take into consideration all of the factors that make large appliances so difficult to move, like their weight, their size and their overall cumbersome design. For example, a large freezer can sometimes weigh up to a few hundred pounds and, depending on how big the freezer is, can be at least a few feet in height, making it extremely difficult for just one or two people to be able to get enough leverage to attempt moving it on their own.
Getting some help for the move is especially necessary if there are stairs involved with the move. By doing so, you're risking damage to your property, as well as the house you are trying to move the freezer out of, and you're also risking serious injury.
Preparing the freezer for the move
Before you begin with the actual moving of the freezer, you need to prepare it for the move by making sure that it's ready to be transported. This means that you should first empty it of all of its contents. You should do this for several, mostly obvious, reasons.
First, when you're moving the freezer, it will be unplugged, meaning that the mechanism involved with making the inside of it ice cold will be off. In a matter of a few hours, whatever food you were keeping in the freezer will likely spoil, unless you're moving in the dead of winter and the outside temperature is below freezing. But even if it is, you're still going to want to remove the contents because of how the freezer will be jostled around during the move. It will be hard enough to move as it is, but the last thing you need are boxes of microwave dinners and packages of meat being thrown around as you try to maneuver the freezer onto the moving truck.
Before you remove the contents though, make sure that you have a cold place to store the items temporarily, while the freezer is being moved. A good idea would be to cook the food you have in there, or give it away, prior to the move so you don't have to worry about finding a place to keep it.
The second most important reason for why you should empty the freezer before you move it is because with the freezer empty, it will probably be a lot lighter and certainly easier to maneuver. Of course, this depends on what exactly you keep in your freezer, but nonetheless, removing the contents should manage to ease the burden a considerable amount.
Moving the freezer
Once you've emptied the freezer of its contents and are ready to move it, there are some things you're going to need to do to make the move possible. For starters, you should begin by taking the freezer's cord and securing it to the side of the freezer with some duct tape so it doesn't hang freely during the move and get caught up or tangled in other things along the way.
Also, take measurements of all of the dimensions of the freezer before you move it, to make sure that you'll be able to fit it through all of the doorways in your home and your new home that you'll need to get it through.
To move the freezer, you should take every precaution necessary, and in addition to making sure you have enough people on hand to assist, you should also make sure that you have all of the proper equipment that you need to move the freezer. Without the proper equipment, you can be risking serious injury or damage to your property.
- The first step to moving the freezer is to remove the freezer door. This will make it easier to maneuver, and also it will help it to fit through doorways and other openings that it may have trouble fitting through otherwise. On an upright freezer, remove the screws in the top hinge, before loosening it and then removing it from the bottom hinge that it pivots on. If you're moving a chest freezer, you'll have to remove both sets on screws on the top and bottom hinges in order to remove the lid completely.
- With the help of several people, maneuver the freezer onto the hand cart. To do this, figure out which side of the freezer is the most narrow and place that side farthest away from the cart. Then, have a few people grab the top of the freezer and slowly and carefully tilt it back to allow another person to slip the cart completely underneath the base of the freezer.
- If the hand cart that you are using is equipped with moving straps, then you may use these straps to secure the freezer to the cart by tying them around the freezer. Make sure to wrap the straps completely around the freezer as many times as the length will allow to really secure the freezer and keep it from moving around on the hand cart while you're transporting it.
- If the hand cart you are using is not equipped with straps for securing the freezer, then you may use other materials like rope or duct tape to wrap around both the freezer and the hand cart to make sure that it remains steady during the move and while you are loading and unloading it.
- Once the freezer is on the hand cart and properly secured using whatever materials or supplies that you have been equipped with, have one or two people help to carefully tilt the freezer back towards the person who will be controlling the hand cart. Make sure to do this as slowly and gently as possible, as rushing it can cause the freezer to tip over and cause injury. Tilt the freezer until the weight of it is resting fully on the wheels of the hand cart. Then, make sure that the hand cart can move freely, without any obstructions or hindrances before you begin transporting it.
- Using the hand cart, wheel the freezer wherever it needs to go, making sure to maneuver it slowly through doorways and over bumps and keeping at least three people holding it steady during the move. If there are any stairs involved in the move, you will need to pick up the freezer and the hand cart together, with at least two people at each end to provide the proper support and balance.
Photo by: Ambro (Freedigitalphotos.net)