Appliance Movers Vancouver
If you need appliance movers in Vancouver, Always Best Moving Vancouver moves fridges, washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers and freezers anywhere in the city, seven days a week. One item or a whole laundry room. Up a Kitsilano walk up or down a downtown parkade. We show up with the appliance dolly, the ratchet straps, the blankets and the floor protection, and we handle the building paperwork so nobody gets turned away at the elevator.
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The Appliances We Move
The fridge is usually the heaviest thing in the kitchen. French door models average 317 lbs and the large ones pass 390. Side by side units average 285. A rough rule is about 12 lbs per cubic foot of capacity, so a 28 cubic foot fridge sits around 336 lbs before you add a single shelf. That weight is why fridges travel upright on an appliance dolly, never flat on their back. Laying a fridge down pushes compressor oil out of the compressor and into the cooling lines, and that is an expensive fix on a unit that was working fine an hour earlier. We tilt the dolly back, strap the body, tape the doors, coil the cord and keep it standing the whole way. Chest freezers and upright freezers get the same treatment.
Fridges and freezers
The fridge is usually the heaviest thing in the kitchen. French door models average 317 lbs and the large ones pass 390. Side by side units average 285. A rough rule is about 12 lbs per cubic foot of capacity, so a 28 cubic foot fridge sits around 336 lbs before you add a single shelf. That weight is why fridges travel upright on an appliance dolly, never flat on their back. Laying a fridge down pushes compressor oil out of the compressor and into the cooling lines, and that is an expensive fix on a unit that was working fine an hour earlier. We tilt the dolly back, strap the body, tape the doors, coil the cord and keep it standing the whole way. Chest freezers and upright freezers get the same treatment.
Washers and dryers
A small washer or dryer runs about 180 lbs. A big one gets up to 400. Front loaders are the ones that bite. The drum inside hangs on springs, and it needs the shipping bolts refitted before the machine moves, otherwise the drum swings and tears at the suspension and bearings. That is the single most common way a washer gets wrecked in a move. If the original bolts are long gone, we foam pad the drum instead so nothing travels loose. Water valves get shut at the wall, hot and cold, then the hoses come off and drain into a bucket. Dryer vents get bagged so lint does not end up on your hallway carpet. At the other end, washers and dryers get levelled on their feet so they do not walk across the floor on a spin cycle.
Stoves, ranges and dishwashers
Electric ranges are straightforward. Gas is regulated. In BC, gas work is Technical Safety BC territory, and only a licensed gas fitter working for a licensed gas contractor can legally disconnect and cap the line. Book that appointment before move day. Once the valve is closed and the line is capped, we move the range. Dishwashers need the water supply off and the drain line cleared first, because there is always more water in there than people expect. Racks come out or get taped, doors get strapped shut, and everything rides padded so the finish stays clean.
Getting the old unit out the same day
Swapping a fridge or a laundry set usually means two appliances, not one. The new unit goes in and the old one leaves on the same trip through our junk removal service, so you are not living with a dead washer in the hallway for a week. If the timing does not line up between two places, the appliance can sit in secure storage until the new suite is ready.
Why Moving an Appliance in Vancouver Is Its Own Job
Vancouver is a strata city. Almost every high rise here asks your moving company for a certificate of insurance before anyone touches the elevator, naming the strata corporation as additional insured. Most buildings want it filed 48 to 72 hours ahead, and insurers take 1 to 3 business days to issue one. We sort that filing early so your elevator booking sticks.
Then there is the cab itself. A standard passenger elevator runs roughly 3 feet by 4 feet up to 5 feet by 8 feet. A freight elevator is bigger, typically 6 by 6 up to 8 by 8. A French door fridge fits in one and not the other, and finding that out on move day costs you the whole window. Buildings hand out 3 to 4 hour slots, often 9 AM to 1 PM or 1 PM to 5 PM, Saturdays are frequently morning only, and Sundays and holidays are often off limits entirely. Book 7 to 14 days out at minimum, 3 to 4 weeks in the May to September rush. Most stratas also want Masonite runners down the hallway, not just blankets, and pads on the elevator walls.
Access at street level is its own puzzle. Parkade entrances across Metro Vancouver run from about 2.0 metres to 3.0 metres of clearance, while a standard moving truck stands 10 to 13 feet tall, so plenty of buildings mean loading from the street instead of the bay. If we need to hold curb space, the City of Vancouver’s temporary street occupancy permit now wants at least 10 business days of notice. Noise bylaw hours matter too. Outside downtown the window is 7 AM to 8 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 8 PM on weekends. Downtown runs 6 AM to midnight weekdays and 10 AM to midnight weekends.
Not every building has an elevator at all. Kitsilano is full of 3 and 4 storey walk ups with no lift, so a fridge goes up on straps and technique instead of wheels. The West End packs about 47,200 people into 1.98 square kilometres, which means narrow lobbies, heritage low rise stock and almost no place to park a truck without planning it first. And it rains here. Vancouver gets around 169 days of measurable rain a year and 1,159.5 mm of it, most of that between October and March, so wrapping and floor protection are not optional extras on this coast. You can see the neighbourhoods we cover if you want to check yours.
How the Job Actually Runs
Prep starts before we arrive. Turn the fridge off a few hours ahead so the freezer can defrost, empty it, and let the inside dry so it does not come out smelling like mildew. Pull the loose shelves and bins. If there is an ice maker, shut the water valve and drain the line. For the laundry set, run the drain pump filter empty and have the transit bolts ready if you still have them. Have any gas appliance already disconnected and capped by a licensed gas fitter.
On the day, we measure first. Height, width and depth of the unit, then every doorway, turn and hallway between it and the truck. Handles and doors come off when the gap is tight. Floors get protected, corners get guarded, and the path gets cleared before anything heavy moves. Then the appliance goes onto a proper appliance dolly, which is taller than a regular hand truck and made to hold a 300 lb load upright, and it gets strapped with ratchets rather than balanced by hand. Two people minimum. Three or more once a unit clears 300 lbs or stairs are involved.
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“On time, careful with every piece, and the price was exactly what they quoted. They rebuilt the bed and placed everything by room.”
“Booked the elevator, pulled the parking permit, and wrapped everything. A downtown move with zero stress.”
“Answered the phone at night when I called last minute. Same crew start to finish, and they took the paper away after.”
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to move a fridge by yourself?
Not safely. A French door fridge averages 317 lbs, and it has to stay upright the whole time. One person cannot strap it, tilt it and control it on stairs at once. Two people is the floor, three once you are over 300 lbs or dealing with steps.
How long does a fridge need to sit before moving?
Shut it off a few hours before move day so the freezer defrosts and the inside can dry. On the other end, stand it upright before you plug it in. If it was tilted at all in transit, leave it standing at least twice as long as it spent on the angle, and check your manual, because some makers ask for up to 72 hours after a longer trip.
Can you lay a refrigerator on its side for 30 minutes?
Do not. Even a short lie down lets compressor oil run into the cooling lines. A fridge should never go flat on its back, and if it absolutely has to tilt, it goes on the side away from the compressor lines and stands upright again for a long stretch before power. We move fridges standing, so it never comes up.
How do you move a heavy fridge without scratching the floor?
Floor protection goes down first, then the fridge goes on an appliance dolly with rubber wheels. Nothing gets dragged. Corners and door frames get guarded too, which matters when your strata is holding a damage deposit against the move.
Can I move a washer and dryer by myself?
A dryer is manageable with a helper. A washer is not a solo job. A small unit is around 180 lbs and a large one runs to 400, and a front loader whose drum is not bolted down can be damaged just by tipping it wrong.
Can you move a washer and dryer with a regular dolly?
No. A regular hand truck is too short to hold the machine upright and stable. You want an appliance dolly with ratchet straps, which is built taller for exactly this.
What is the best way to move appliances?
Measure everything, disconnect and drain in advance, lock the washer drum with its shipping bolts, keep the unit upright on an appliance dolly, strap it, blanket it, and level it when it lands. Skipping the bolts or laying a fridge flat causes most of the damage we see.
How to move a 600 pound refrigerator?
A unit that heavy needs a crew, a rated appliance dolly, straps and often a lift gate. It also needs the route mapped first, because a 600 lb fridge and a 3 by 4 foot elevator cab do not mix. Call us with the model number and we will tell you what it takes before you book anything.
Do you need a plumber to disconnect a gas stove?
In BC you need a licensed gas fitter working for a licensed gas contractor, not a plumber and not your mover. Technical Safety BC regulates that work. Have the valve closed and the line capped ahead of time, then we move the range.
Tell us the appliance, the building and the floor, and we will tell you exactly what the job needs. If it is a strata, we will get the certificate of insurance filed with your building manager and work to your elevator window. You will have a clear, no-obligation quote agreed up front and put in writing before we start, so there is nothing to guess at on move day. We also run climate controlled storage in Vancouver if the appliance needs somewhere to sit between homes.
Upright the whole way, rated gear, one written quote agreed up front.
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