The refrigerator can be considered as one of the main appliances that brings much convenience to home life. Aside from the cookware, stove, and other implements, the kitchen centers on the refrigerator where possibilities are kept and are kept fresh. With a refrigerator, there’s no need to finish a whole plate of food, nor is there the temptation to throw out a meal’s excess. It can salvage leftovers, or it can keep a month’s supply of ingredients without you having to run to and fro for errands. It’s logical then for a refrigerator to be big and take up space. Just how heavy is a refrigerator?
Types of Refrigerators and How Much they Weight
The refrigerator’s weight depends on its type, make, and size. The year a certain refrigerator model was released also has a bearing on its weight. On average, across refrigerator styles and models, a unit’s weight range varies, from 160 to 320 pounds.
French door refrigerators are typically heavier than other types, at 305 pounds on average. A French door fridge has two doors that open in the middle, while its freezer is at the bottom. That explains the hefty weight, much of the refrigeration system is at the bottom.
The next heaviest types are side by side fridges with 290 pounds of weight, and bottom freeze fridges at 214 pounds. A side-by-side fridge comes with two doors, one for each compartment. There is a door for the freezer, and beside it, another door for the fresh food compartment. On the other hand, a bottom freezer fridge has a roomier freezer compartment found at the bottom of the fresh food compartment.
In the middle of the road refrigerators in terms of weight are top freezer fridges at 171 pounds. With the freezer on top, this type of refrigerator has lesser freezing space since it cannot be top-heavy. Lastly, the mini refrigerator is at 62 pounds.
Now, how heavy is a refrigerator that is old? Older models of refrigerators are gargantuan at 250 to 300 pounds. Meanwhile, newer models are made of durable but lightweight materials, without weighing over 200 pounds, unless it is a French door fridge, for a good reason.
How heavy is a refrigerator? Some also advise that a quick tip to help you estimate a refrigerator’s weight is that each cubic foot of a refrigerator weighs a little over ten pounds. So, if you have a twenty-eight cubic foot fridge, just multiply it by ten pounds, and then you have a sense that it could be as heavy as 280 pounds. But this is not always the case.
Transporting Refrigerators
Since the refrigerator is a hefty home fixture, it could be quite challenging to move and transport. Aside from knowing how heavy is a refrigerator, there are also factors that need to be kept in mind. Its internal parts that cause refrigeration also need to be handled delicately so as not to dislodge, leak, or get damaged. A fridge then has to be moved the right way.
An important rule to follow is that a refrigerator cannot be laid down horizontally when transporting. It has to be upright. Here are a few other tips for moving refrigerators:
- Of course, when transporting a fridge, it has to be unplugged. All contents should also be taken out.
- The refrigerator should be defrosted before moving.
- Use an appliance dolly to wheel out the refrigerator safely. Secure it with straps.
- Cover your refrigerator with a blanket — if it does not come with the packaging (say, it’s not a new fridge, and you’re moving house) to avoid scratches in the process of transporting.
- It’s best to use work gloves so that you have a better grip on the refrigerator when hauling.
- Let the refrigerator’s side be supported against the dolly and not on its front or back.
Tips when Moving Refrigerators
If it is impossible to move your refrigerator without keeping it upright, be guided by these rules:
- For side by side refrigerator models, these should lay on the side of their freezer. Remember that the freezer is the part of the refrigerator that has to be closely guarded, or else it won’t function and freeze properly.
- Let the refrigerator unit lie on its side, and never on its back. To keep the unit’s doors from opening, the refrigerator should lie on the side, the part where there are no hinges.
- When the refrigerator has finally been transferred to its new location, let it stand upright for the same duration of time that it lay on its side.
- Do not plug the refrigerator immediately as soon as it is positioned in its new space. Again, give it time for its internal refrigeration system to recover and return to its normal order, about the same length of time that it spent tilted on its side.
- For French door refrigerators, it is not worth taking the risk of laying them on their side when moving. They have to be upright at all times.
Conclusion
So when you ask, just how heavy is a refrigerator? You now have an idea that it can be as heavy as carrying a grown man or woman, or a man and woman altogether! But for such massive weight, it is so delicately assembled and designed, all for our need to stock and preserve food. Thus, it is always prudent to not do the moving yourself. Hire a professional who knows how to handle this prized kitchen treasure with care. Find out more about measuring appliances.