The Truth about Moving Refrigerators

I was told that one of the most compelling reasons to hire good DC movers is because they have the muscle and the equipment to carry, load and haul your refrigerator upright.  The first time I moved a refrigerator, nobody even told me that I shouldn’t have moved the refrigerator on its side, and because it was the convenient way to get it on the pickup, that’s exactly how I moved it.  A couple of months later, when the rather ancient, hand-me-down, reconditioned refrigerator conked out, I assumed it was simply age.  

After seven moves though, and a lot of valid and not so valid insights on the subject, I now know that it is essential that a refrigerator be moved upright.  To do so is really quite hard, you need the proper tools which only a good DC moving company will have. 

The reason you need to move a refrigerator upright is that the oil in the compressor will drain out into an overflow tube if you tip it over to the wrong side.  The right side depends on the make and model, so to be safe, it’s best not to tip it at all.  The tube is vertical when the refrigerator is tipped, but elevated and horizontal while it is upright; which means that it is quick to drain when tipped, but slow to return even after it is set upright again.  No oil means no lubrication for the compressor’s moving parts, and a drastic shortening of its service life.  DC movers know how to move refrigerators and other fragile “moveables”.  The best thing really is to leave the moving to them. 

There's a Trick to It

Within a four year period, I moved seven times.  The first five were experiences I'd rather forget if I could.  Those first few times, I decided it would be simpler to not hire professional DC movers.  We were able to cram everything into the back of a pickup the first two times, but by the third move it was different, my wife and I had better jobs and we'd started to accumulate more stuff.  The third and fourth moves were "back-throwingly" awful; the fifth was an absolute nightmare.  

After the debacle that was the fifth move, I had an epiphany: On a visit with my grandmother, who was partially paralyzed, she had a new caregiver, a Filipina girl who couldn't have weighed more than 95 pounds.  My grandmother is a big-boned 5'7 woman.  I have a hard time helping her get around, and I'm 6'1 and close to 200 pounds.   I thought, there was no way this girl could do it once, let alone on a regular basis.  To my surprise she did it many times during the visit with no trouble at all.  Finally, I asked her: "How do you do it?"  She smiled and said, "There's a trick to it."  

Shortly after, I moved a sixth time, and this time, on the theory that there must be a trick to it, I hired a DC moving company.  From the get go they impressed me, I practically salivated over their moving equipment it would have been nice to have had that stuff on the first five disasters.  The way they carried stuff around so effortlessly was just as impressive.  I felt less anxiety about my TV being dropped down the stairs than if I’d carried it myself.    

From then on I decided:  I’ll never move without DC movers.

Sage is Going Green!

The transportation industry is notorious for wreaking havoc on the environment, and Sage is ready to do it's part to protect our planet for generations to come.  We have some major green warriors in our offices that are relentless about pushing forward their agenda, so things are starting to change around Sage.  Stay tuned for press releases on our new initiatives, and take a  look at our "going green" page on our DC Moving Company web page to learn what's already been approved by management for 2010.

Welcome to Sage's New Blog!

Okay, so this is overdue, but we've started a blog, and it's time to share with you some of our hard-earned insights into the world of moving & storage.  Everyone knows moving is stressful, and nobody likes to relocate.  It's tough, it's daunting, and it's usually a pain in the neck.  That's why we're here to take the stress out of your more and show you a better way to approach your relocation process.

In this blog we will share with you tips, tricks, and general knowledge that will help you plan and prepare for your move.  We'll show you what common mistakes you should avoid, and what simple steps you can take to increase your chances of success for having a simple and easy move.

Got questions?  Ask away!  We're here to help you.