How to Move a Refrigerator
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Key Takeaways:
- Plan ahead: Defrost 12–24 hours before moving, empty shelves, and disconnect water lines safely.
- Measure everything: Compare fridge dimensions (with handles) to doorways, stairs, and hallways before moving.
- Use the right equipment: An appliance dolly with straps is safest; if unavailable, sliders or lifting straps can help on flat floors — but never on stairs.
- Know your model: Side-by-Side and French door fridges often require door removal; top- and bottom-freezer units are lighter but still heavy.
- Protect your home: Wrap the fridge in moving blankets, secure the cord, and lay down floor protection.
- Allow recovery time: If the fridge traveled on its side, let it stand upright for 12–24 hours before plugging in.
Why fridges are different
Refrigerators look sturdy, yet they're temperamental travelers. Inside the heavy cabinet sit a compressor and oil that prefer to stay upright, delicate lines that don't like sharp jolts, and doors whose weight magnifies on narrow corners. Treat the job like a small project, not a quick lift: a few quiet steps the day before will spare you panic on the day you roll it out.
If you live in a condo or a downtown building, the choreography matters even more. Service elevators must be booked; parking must be close; flooring needs protection. Our Apartment & Condo Moves crews do this daily, but with the right plan you can do it, too.
The day before: unhurried prep
Start in the kitchen while the house is still calm. Empty shelves into boxes or a cooler, wipe crumbs away, and unplug the unit. Leave the doors slightly ajar so stale air doesn't settle in. If frost has crept into the freezer, give it the night — meltwater will find a tray or towel you place underneath and won't surprise you on the stairs.
Models with ice or water dispensers ask for one extra gesture: close the water valve, trigger the dispenser to release pressure, and disconnect the line at the rear. A photograph of the fittings pays you back later when you reconnect. Can't find the manual? A quick model-number search almost always turns up a PDF. Shelves and drawers travel better wrapped in paper and boxed than rattling in place; slide them out now and label the box “Fridge — Inside Parts".
Mapping the path
Walk the route your fridge will take as if you were the dolly. Doorways, turns, the angle at the hall — measure them against the true width of your fridge (handles included). Sometimes a door pin popped out or a handle removed buys the inches you need; sometimes a rug edges up just enough to snag. Roll out a runner or cardboard to protect floors. If stairs are involved, agree with your helper who calls the steps and where you'll pause. For houses in winter, salt the path; for condos, confirm the elevator window and where the truck will wait. Small frictions become big delays when a 300-pound box is tilting in a doorway.
Wrapping and strapping
Before the first lift, make the fridge a single, quiet object. Tape the power cord to the back panel so it can't swing. Close the doors and hold them with stretch wrap rather than sticky tape on the finish. A moving blanket — one below the straps, one above — turns hard edges soft. Now bring in an appliance dolly (the kind with stair glides and a ratchet strap). Slide the lip under the base frame, tip just enough to seat the weight, and cinch the straps at two heights so nothing shifts when you change angles. Doors are never handles; hinges are not meant to steer.
If You Don't Have an Appliance Dolly
The safest way to move a refrigerator is always with a proper appliance dolly and straps. But not everyone has one on hand. If you don't, there are a couple of imperfect alternatives.
Some movers use shoulder or forearm lifting straps that distribute the fridge's weight between two people. These reduce strain and give leverage, but they require good coordination. For short moves across flat floors, you can also place the fridge on sliders, plywood sheets, or sturdy cardboard and push it gently.
Important: without a dolly, stairs are dangerous. If your route involves staircases, it's worth renting the right equipment or hiring pros. Saving on tools is never worth the cost of an injured back or a damaged fridge.
Different Models, Different Challenges
Not all refrigerators move the same way. Knowing the type you're dealing with helps you prepare.
- Top-freezer models are usually the lightest and easiest to handle, though they can still weigh 200+ lb.
- Bottom-freezer units place more weight low to the ground, which helps stability but makes tilting harder.
- Side-by-Side refrigerators are wide and heavy; standard doorways may require removing the doors or handles.
- French door models combine width with fragile hinges and multiple connections. Removing the doors is almost always necessary, and water/ice lines must be handled carefully.
By identifying your model type first, you'll know whether to plan extra time for disassembly, to bring narrower dollies, or to recruit more help.
The careful move
On level floors, the rhythm is slow and steady. At thresholds, square up and rock forward rather than attacking at an angle. On stairs, the person above leads and lifts while the person below braces and talks; you move one step at a time, resting the wheels on each tread. Keep the cabinet upright through the journey. If a tight turn forces you to lay the fridge on its side, choose the side without visible refrigeration lines and accept that you'll need patience later before powering on.
Arrival, leveling, and the first cold
At the new place, the finish line is quiet work. Set the fridge in its nook and bring it to level — the front a touch higher so doors close with a gentle nudge. Reconnect the water line, open the valve, and watch for a bead of moisture at the fittings; dry is good, damp means tighten. Only now plug in. If the unit rode on its side at any point, let it stand upright for 12–24 hours first so the compressor oil returns to its home. Cold doesn't arrive instantly; give the cabinet several hours before you restock. The first tray of ice can go to the sink — fresh lines, fresh cubes.
For anyone juggling a full household move at the same time, this is where a mixed approach shines: let pros handle the heavy lift while you focus on packing and setup. Our Local Moving teams can take the stair work; our Packing Services protect glass shelves and crispers so they don't become jigsaw puzzles.
Micro-case: “Tight Condo Turn, Zero Scratches"
On a downtown Calgary condo move, the fridge wouldn't clear a 31" hallway turn with the handles on. We paused, measured again, and removed both door handles plus the top hinge cover, bagging and taping the hardware to the cabinet. With floors protected and the service elevator booked, we wrapped the unit, strapped it to an appliance dolly, and kept it fully upright through a narrow S-turn. At the destination, we leveled the fridge, reconnected the water line, and waited before powering on because the unit had been angled for several minutes on the stairs. Result: no wall marks, no floor scratches, doors perfectly aligned on reassembly, and ice back in the bin by evening.
A compact checklist (print this)
☐ Defrost 12–24 hours in advance; unplug; keep doors slightly open; place towels/pan for meltwater.
☐ Empty, wipe dry; remove and box shelves/drawers (label “Fridge — Inside Parts").
☐ Shut off water supply; release dispenser pressure; disconnect and cap the water line.
☐ Photograph rear connections; secure power cord to back panel.
☐ Measure fridge (H×W×D, incl. handles) and all doorways/turns; remove door pins/handles if needed.
☐ Protect floors/walls with runners and corner guards; clear rugs and obstacles.
☐ For condos: book service elevator; confirm truck parking and time window.
☐ Wrap cabinet with moving blankets; use stretch wrap to keep doors closed (no sticky tape on finish).
☐ Strap to an appliance dolly at two heights; keep unit upright; assign roles for stairs (top leads, bottom stabilizes).
☐ If no dolly: use straps or sliders only for flat surfaces; never attempt stairs this way.
☐ At arrival: level slightly high at front; reconnect water; check for drips; plug in only after upright rest time if it was laid/angled.
☐ Discard first batch of ice; run water to clear lines; allow 4–6 hours to cool before restocking.
Questions you'll likely ask (and straight answers)
Can I move it on its side?
You can, briefly, if space insists. Keep it on the line-free side, and once upright, allow 12–24 hours before plugging in so compressor oil resettles.
Do I really need to take doors off?
Only if measurements say so. Removing doors (and sometimes handles) prevents hinge strain and buys critical clearance in tight condos.
How long to defrost?
Plan on an unhurried 12–24 hours. Rushing invites leaks and slippery floors; patience here is safety later.
What about stairs?
Use an appliance dolly with straps, assign roles, and count treads. Two calm people beat four hurried ones.
When can I restock?
After the cabinet pulls down — often 4–6 hours. Start with essentials and let the rest follow once temperatures stabilize.
Is DIY worth it?
If access is simple and you're comfortable with the dolly, yes. For tight turns, stair runs, or high-end units, the cost of a scratch, bent door, or line damage easily exceeds a couple of hours of professional time.
Are some fridge models harder to move than others?
Yes. Side-by-Side and French door models are particularly challenging because of their width and fragile hinges. Often the doors must be removed before moving them through a hallway or doorway. Top-freezer and bottom-freezer models are narrower and slightly easier, though still very heavy. Always measure your model against your doorways before moving.
Pro tips from our crews
- Keep hardware in labeled bags taped to the unit — no missing screws at reassembly.
- Use ram board or cardboard runners before the first move — retro-protecting floors after a scratch is too late.
- When strapping to the dolly, avoid crushing door gaskets; warped seals waste energy later.
Request your free moving quote today and make your fridge move (and your whole household move) stress-free.
Author:
Adam O'Keefe, CEO, Alberta Pro Movers
With a decade of first-hand experience managing complex commercial relocations across Alberta and Western Canada.