If you are moving home, chances are you will need to move your kitchen appliances including your fridge or freezer. Before you get started, it is important to exercise extreme care while transporting your fridge or freezer to avoid damaging it during the move. No one wants to spend extra cash on buying a new fridge or freezer, especially as a result of an avoidable mistake. Moving home is cost-intensive enough.
This step is simple and straightforward. Unplug the fridge or freezer, roll up the power cord and use tape to stick the power cord to the back of the fridge. This will ensure it stays out of the way during transportation.
Before moving your fridge or freezer, it's time to empty out all the contents. Store food that can easily be kept cold with an ice pack in a cooler bag. It's a good idea to consume as much food as you can from the fridge or freezer in the weeks leading up to your move. Remember that defrosted foods, like meat can't be frozen again. Removal all the food from inside the fridge/freezer and take off any magnets, papers or documents from the outside.
Take out any removable items from inside your fridge. Shelves, ice cube trays and other loose or moveable items can slide around and break during the move. Wrap these items in bubble wrap or towels and place them in a moving box for protection. Label your box properly before you tape it up. You may have been told to secure the shelves inside your fridge with tape rather than just removing them. This isn’t a bad idea, but removing the shelves completely is the safer option.
If you have a modern fridge or freezer, it's likely defrosting won't take very long. However, some old fridges and deep chest freezers can take six to eight hours to defrost, especially if they have built up a layer of ice. Leave yourself enough time to defrost and clean your fridge freezer. Don't try and do this on the day of your move. If your chest freezer contains a lot of ice, you can speed the defrosting process up by using lukewarm water. A bowl of boiling water sitting on a shelf or in the freezer will help expedite the process. Don't use a sharp object to clean ice from the walls of the fridge or freezer. If you need to scrape the ice away, use a plastic spatula.
Once your fridge or freezer is empty and completely defrosted, use a disinfectant to clean the interior, drawers and surfaces of your fridge. Use dish soap and water or mix vinegar with warm water. These solutions work well to remove food and grease stains.
Secure the doors of the fridge or freezer so they can't open during transportation. You can use a strong rope or bungee cord to accomplish this. If you are trying to move a double-sided door fridge, you'll need to ensure that both door handles are tied together. Avoid using tape to secure the doors. Tape can leave a sticky residue on the front of the fridge and is often not strong enough to stop the doors from opening if you hit a pot hole or bump while transporting the fridge.
Now that your fridge is ready - it is time to move your fridge or freezer. Let’s walk through a list of things that need to be done when moving your fridge or freezer.
It's important to keep your fridge or freezer upright during transportation. Some brands of refrigerators have compressor brackets that absorb vibrations while in an upright position. Lying these fridges on their sides can place a strain on the bracket and cause damage to the internal machinations of the fridge.
Due to the size of your fridge and freezer, it is always a good idea to look for professional fridge mover help or a man with a van service. To find a fridge mover in Auckland and across New Zealand book a removalist with Wise Move here. This is most important if the fridge needs to be moved using a dolly and kept in an upright position while moving.
Most of the time, you'll be able to slide your fridge or freezer onto a dolly. You may have to lift it gently to move it into place. Use straps or bungees to fasten the fridge or freezer onto the dolly. Ensure you avoid tilting your fridge a lot when placing it on the dolly, and secure it upright. Tilting the fridge a lot could cause the oil from the compressor to seep into the cooling tubes. This is why you need to ensure your fridge is always kept in an upright position.
Once the fridge has been firmly secured onto the dolly, exercise care moving it out of the house. Get your helper to assist by securing the fridge as you move it through the house. If you need to move the fridge down a set of stairs, take your time, communicate effectively and move one step at a time.
Whichever truck you decide on, a fitted ramp can help you roll the fridge onto the truck. In the absence of the ramp, extreme care needs to be exercised. Get as much help as possible to lift the fridge or freezer onto the truck.
It is never a good idea to lay your fridge or freezer down. When the fridge or freezer is laid on its back, oil flows into the cooling tubes and can seep back into the fridge or freezer when upright. This can lead to your fridge breaking down or stopping cooling.
Even in situations where you transported your fridge or freezer in an upright position for the entire duration of the journey, some oil from the compressor might have leaked into the refrigeration system. To ensure no negative effect due to transportation, ensure you wait for at least an hour before turning on your fridge or freezer.
Read more moving 'How-To' guides:
Why go through all the stress of moving difficult objects yourself when we can easily take the load off your shoulders? There are many things to consider when moving a fridge or freezer. Let a professional fridge mover make the process a whole lot easier. Get fridge or freezer transportation quotes in your area here.
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