3

I will shortly be moving into my first rented accommodation (finally flying the nest!), and a colleague has offered me their washing machine and fridge/freezer as they are remodelling their kitchen. How nice of them, I know!

I will be having to hire a van to go and pick them up, and I can imagine transporting them with a little lifting help will be simple enough. Just lift and push!

However... I am worried about potential water hazards and the lack of "transporting bolts".

I had the idea of wrapping both in cling film (clear plastic wrap) but I am not sure if this is the best idea.

Could somebody give me a best solution for this?

James Jenkins
  • 2,708
  • 4
  • 20
  • 35
physicsboy
  • 133
  • 4
  • 1
    Hi physicsboy, Welcome to Lifehacks.SE. We hope you enjoy sharing knowledge and experience. Rent a big enough hand truck to move the appliances when you rent the van - to be kind to the appliances, the premises, and your backs. – Stan Jun 27 '19 at 13:15
  • Does this question really make sense for LifeHacks.SE? Wouldn't this be more on-topic at https://diy.stackexchange.com/ ? – chicks Jul 03 '19 at 18:37

1 Answers1

4

I don't think that you would need to wrap in cling film. If it is a hot day and you start to sweat this could become a nightmare. All of my experience (moving 5-6 fridges/ washing machines in my life) we have always moved it as is but used blankets to cover it once in the van.

Tip 1) the fridge/ washing machine needs to be turned off for at least 24 hours before moving

Tip 2) When transporting the fridge keep the bottom at the bottom (silly I know, but common sense isn't that common!) and tilt it as little as possible

Tip 3) If you are moving mostly on flat surfaces (without many stairs), consider using a skate of some sort to rest the fridge on so a) you don't have to do the heavy lifting and b) the fridge stays upright

Tip 3) Wear a pair of gloves that offer some good grip. I recently moved a SMEG fridge into our new place and ended up with cut hands from the bottom of the fridge.

Tip 4) Leave both off for 24 hours once you've got them in place

Tip 5) Be gentle!

Hope these help in any way and happy moving!

Dean
  • 333
  • 1
  • 6
  • 1
    I am not sure your tip 1 "turned off for at least 24 hours before moving" is required. Change to Tip 4) Leave both unplugged for 24 hours once you've got them in place and you should be good. Otherwise looks good. This reference says they only need to stay unplugged for 24 hours if they were on their side. I know that when I bought a new fridge, the delivery guys plugged it in right away. – James Jenkins Jun 27 '19 at 12:44
  • 2
    @JamesJenkins the turning off before is to ensure that all gas settles at the lower extremes, as you wouldn't want to be moving with anything still circulating. Likewise with leaving it off once moved, allowing the gas to settle before turning on. Not requirements, just passing advice, is all :) – Dean Jun 27 '19 at 12:57
  • Good point, when I buy a new fridge it has not been plugged in recently (it is new in the box) and it is transported upright by trained staff. – James Jenkins Jun 27 '19 at 12:59
  • @Dean - I don't think it will be possible for me to transport the fridge upright unfortunately. I believe I will only have access to a Ford Transit Adblue (Custom), so will have to lay it down. – physicsboy Jun 27 '19 at 13:12
  • @physicsboy that should be fine, see tip 5 ;) – Dean Jun 27 '19 at 13:18
  • @Dean - Actually I believe it is a regular Transit, so I may have more wiggle room to stand it up, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Do you have any tips for if I have to lay it down? – physicsboy Jun 27 '19 at 13:18
  • @Dean We commented pretty much at the same time. OK! I will take your advice and leave things off before moving. My only other worry now (Washer specific) is that I will be keeping them both in a storage unit for a couple of weeks before moving to the new place... Just don't want any leaks as it will damage the other things in there :-/ Have you had any experience with leaks etc? – physicsboy Jun 27 '19 at 13:20
  • 1
    @physicsboy I was a professional mover for a few years. The washing machine is a leak risk, before loading it into the truck, disconnect the drain hose from the washing machine, and take it to a lawn or somewhere it is okay to get wet, and tilt it back to encourage drainage. When you store it, re-attach the drain hose, to the back of the washer, and zip tie it in a vertical position, and then nothing should leak while it is in storage. The fridge/freezer would only leak if there was frost build up that melted, which is not very common. – Paul Davis Jun 27 '19 at 15:43
  • @PaulDavis thanks for the advice! I've been hearing about "transport bolts" that stop the drum from moving about when in transport. Should I be concerned about this at all? I can't imagine that I'll be throwing it about enough to do any damage. – physicsboy Jun 28 '19 at 07:15
  • 1
    Don't be concerned about it; youre going to be careful, the shippers who move washing machines for the manufacturer probably throw them off stacks of washers 4-high. If you've ever seen how much a drum bucks and rocks around when you throw a wet towel in it you wont worry about trundling a washer down a bumpy road – Caius Jard Jun 30 '19 at 05:09
  • @PaulDavis probably better to bung the end of the hose. If youre going to drain a washer you need to have the hose as low as possible and tilt the machine towards the drain pump. On a front oading washer this is at the front, not the back – Caius Jard Jun 30 '19 at 05:10
  • @physicsboy you don't need to keep the washer off for 24 hours, but it is recommended to leave a fridge off, and tilt it as minimally as possible during transit. This is not because of the gas in the refrigeration system, but because of the oil in the system that lubricates the compressor; the system is designed so that gravity keeps the oil in places it should be and out of places it shouldnt. Throwing a fridge on its side for hours then turning it on means oil can end up forever trapped in places not intended, ruining the chilling ability and potentially starving the compressor of oil – Caius Jard Jun 30 '19 at 05:13
  • @CaiusJard, if you operate out of an extreme abundance of caution, then plugging the end of the hose makes sense, but if you want to get your move over with in an efficient a reasonable way, just tying the hose up high above the outlet is going to keep any water in. I've moved hundreds of washers this way without a problem, and I can guarantee that there isn't a professional moving outfit that would "bung the end of the hose" – Paul Davis Jul 01 '19 at 15:49
  • Agreed; this was an abundance of caution, the washer may have been idle for some time, full of rank water and the van may be borrowed ;) Many washers have a plastic U shaped hoop to retain the hose when installed but it can be reused to hold the hose high for transport, if a case screw is removed and used to hold the U hoop when replaced.. – Caius Jard Jul 01 '19 at 18:20
  • Your question about transporting bolts I think has been overlooked. For our new basic Bosch front loader the manual stresses their importance. And running the machine with bolts still inside will ruin our machine. Check the online manual. Then I’d call a local washing machine repair place as they probably move machines daily. They should be able to give you some guidance, or even loan or buy the bolts from them. – Stefan Jul 04 '19 at 08:20