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What We Move
Appliance work is hourly, and it is usually one of three jobs: moving what you own to a new address, bringing home something you have bought, or shifting a unit within the same building so a floor can be laid or a kitchen fitted.
- Refrigerators, freezers and wine coolers
- Washing machines and tumble dryers, including stacked pairs
- Electric and gas ranges, wall ovens and cooktops
- Dishwashers
- Chest freezers and second refrigerators from a garage or basement
- Delivery of a new appliance from a store, warehouse or private seller
- Moving a unit out and back for flooring, cabinetry or a repair
If the appliances are part of a whole household move, they are simply items on that job — see local moving. This page is for the times when the appliance is the job.
This is where most appliance jobs go wrong, so it is worth settling before the date rather than on the morning. California Movers USA moves appliances but does not disconnect or reconnect them. Gas, water and electrical connections are broken before the crew arrives and made again after they leave, by you or by a licensed trade, and the sales specialist says so at the quote stage.
Who Disconnects What
This is the part worth reading twice, because it is where appliance moves go wrong and where some companies are vague on purpose. A moving crew is a moving crew. It is not a plumber, an electrician or a gas fitter, and it should not pretend otherwise in your kitchen.
| Connection | Who should handle it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard plug into a wall socket | You, before the crew arrives | Unplugging is not electrical work, but the unit should be off, unplugged and drained when the crew walks in |
| Gas line — range, cooktop or gas dryer | A qualified professional, before the crew arrives | Gas lines must be shut off, disconnected and capped properly. This is never a mover's job |
| Water supply — fridge ice maker, washer, dishwasher | You or a plumber, in advance | Valves seize, hoses split, and a leak behind a unit is discovered days later |
| Drain lines and dishwasher plumbing | A plumber | Most dishwashers are plumbed and often hardwired as well |
| Hardwired appliances and 240-volt work | An electrician | Anything wired into the building rather than plugged in |
| Dryer vent ducting | You, in advance | Straightforward when it is a clamp or a slip fit; a professional if it is built in |
| Levelling and reconnection at the new home | The crew places and levels. Reconnection is yours or a trade's | Placement is moving work. Making live connections is not, and California Movers USA does not do it |
Book the disconnection for the day before the move rather than the morning of it. A crew standing in a kitchen waiting for a gas fitter is billable time, and it is the single most common reason an appliance job runs long.
Preparing Each Appliance
Each of these takes a few minutes and prevents the damage that appliance moves are known for. Do them the day before, not on the morning.
| Appliance | Before the crew arrives | The thing people forget |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator / freezer | Empty it, shut off and disconnect the water line, defrost it at least a day ahead, empty the drip pan, secure the doors and coil the cord | Meltwater. A freezer defrosted the same morning leaks down a staircase |
| Washing machine | Turn off the taps, disconnect and drain the hoses, run a spin to clear the pump, then fit the transit bolts | Transit bolts. A front-loading drum that is not locked can damage its own suspension in transit — the bolts came with the machine and they exist for exactly this |
| Tumble dryer | Disconnect the vent duct and clear the lint trap. A gas dryer needs a professional to disconnect it first | That "gas dryer" and "electric dryer" are different jobs with different lead times |
| Electric range or cooktop | Unplug it at the 240-volt outlet, remove racks, trays and loose glass, and tape the door | Oven racks. Loose racks slam around inside and dent the door glass |
| Gas range | Professional disconnect and cap, arranged in advance | That it must be done before the crew arrives, not while they wait |
| Dishwasher | Water supply and drain disconnected, and the unit released if it is screwed to the cabinets | That most are also hardwired, which makes it a plumber-and-electrician job |
| Any of them | Measure the appliance and the doorway, and check the route the way the furniture page describes | That a fridge which came in through a since-remodelled doorway may not come back out the same way |
One more that matters after delivery: most refrigerator manufacturers ask you to leave the unit standing upright for a period before switching it on, so the compressor oil can settle back. The time varies by model — your manual is the authority, and California Movers USA will tell you it is worth checking rather than plugging the fridge in the moment it lands.
What Appliance Moving Costs
Appliance work is hourly at $175 for two movers and one truck, or $270 for a crew of four. Two people is the minimum for any real appliance — a full-size refrigerator can run past 300 pounds, and it is tall, top-heavy and awkward on a staircase.
| What drives the hours | Shorter when | Longer when |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnection | Everything was disconnected and drained the day before | The crew waits for a plumber or gas fitter |
| Access | Ground floor, wide doorway, truck near the door | Stairs, a turn at a landing, or a long carry |
| Preparation | Emptied, defrosted, bolts fitted, doors taped | A full fridge, a wet freezer, an unlocked drum |
| Fit | The unit clears the doorway as it stands | A door slab or a cabinet panel has to come off |
| Number of units | One trip, sensibly loaded | Several tall units that cannot be stacked |
| The old appliance | Its removal was arranged separately, in advance | It is discovered on the day with nowhere legal to take it |
The pricing page explains when hourly and flat-rate pricing are used, and local moves carry a three-hour minimum — California Movers USA's own booking policy rather than a state rule — and billable time includes double the driving time between the two addresses, the way the California tariff defines it.
A Fridge and a Washer Down a Flight
A composite built from ordinary California Movers USA work: a full-size refrigerator and a front-loading washer leaving a second-floor flat for a house across town. Two movers, one truck, and one appliance dolly doing most of the work.
Day −1
Fridge emptied and defrosting, water line shut off and disconnected, drip pan emptied. Washer taps off, hoses drained, spin cycle run, transit bolts fitted. Nothing left for the morning.
9:00
Crew arrives, measures the doorway and the landing turn, then protects the floor, the door frames and the banister.
9:15
Doors and drums secured, cords coiled and taped, corners padded and the whole unit wrapped over the pads.
9:35
Fridge onto the appliance dolly and strapped to it. Down the stairs one step at a time, upright, with one mover below taking the weight and one above controlling the lean.
10:10
Washer the same way. Heavier than it looks and unbalanced, which is exactly why the drum is locked.
10:35
Loaded upright against the truck wall and strapped to the rail, with nothing stacked against either unit.
11:15
Arrival. Route measured and protected before the tailgate opens.
11:45
Both units carried in, placed in position and levelled. Transit bolts removed from the washer and handed to the customer — they belong with the machine.
12:15
Walkthrough, padding out, paperwork closed. Connection of the water and the gas is the plumber's visit that afternoon.
What would have changed this
- A fridge defrosted that morning — meltwater down a protected but not waterproof staircase.
- No transit bolts, because the machine was bought second-hand and they were never kept. California Movers USA will say so rather than move it and hope.
- A gas range in the inventory with no disconnection booked — the crew cannot touch it.
- A doorway an inch narrower than the fridge — the door slab comes off, arranged in advance.
Composite illustration drawn from routine Bay Area work. Your own crew size and timings are confirmed in writing after the inventory and access are verified.
Getting Rid of the Old One
Almost every appliance move produces a second appliance nobody wants, and this is the part of the job with actual law attached to it. A refrigerator, freezer or air conditioner is not ordinary bulky waste — it contains refrigerant, and what happens to that refrigerant is regulated.
What the rules require
- Under the federal refrigerant rules, the final person in the disposal chain — a scrap metal recycler or a landfill operator — is responsible for ensuring the refrigerant is recovered before the appliance is finally disposed of.
- That final disposer must obtain a signed statement from whoever dropped the appliance off, giving the name and address of the person who recovered the refrigerant and the date it was recovered.
- Household refrigerators, freezers and window air conditioners are precisely the items that normally enter the waste stream with the charge still in them, which is why the documentation exists.
- In California there is a second layer: removing materials requiring special handling from a major appliance requires certification by the Department of Toxic Substances Control as a Certified Appliance Recycler. Someone certified under the federal refrigerant rules to remove refrigerant only does not separately need that certification for refrigerant.
Federal requirements: US EPA, safe disposal requirements under 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F. California certification: DTSC Certified Appliance Recycler Program. Confirmed September 2026. Summarized here, not reproduced in full.
The practical version: an old fridge cannot simply be dropped at a yard by whoever happens to be driving past. California Movers USA moves what you are keeping. Removal of an old appliance is quoted as its own line and routed to a recycler who can actually sign the paperwork — and it wants arranging before the day, not while a crew stands in your kitchen holding it.
Utilities in California also run appliance recycling programs that will collect an old working refrigerator or freezer, sometimes with a rebate. Worth ten minutes with your provider before you pay anyone to haul one away.
What the Rate Includes and What Is Quoted Separately
Both lists are settled before you book. Nothing on the right appears on an invoice without your approval first.
In the hourly rate
- The crew and the truck
- Trained, background-checked California Movers USA employees
- Appliance dolly, straps, pads and equipment
- Securing doors, drums and cords
- Floor, banister and door-frame protection at both ends
- Taking a door slab off its hinges and rehanging it
- Loading, transport and unloading
- Placing and levelling the unit in position
- Basic protection at 60 cents per pound per article
Quoted as its own line, or someone else's job
- Gas disconnection and reconnection — a qualified professional, always
- Plumbing and hardwired electrical work — a plumber or electrician
- Removal and recycling of the old appliance
- Storage between two dates
- A hoist where no route through the building exists
- A shuttle where a full-size truck cannot reach the door
- Valuation above the basic 60 cents per pound
Sixty cents per pound per article is a liability level built into the rate, not insurance. Appliances are one of the few things where weight and value roughly track each other, but a high-end range still outruns it comfortably — if yours does, raise it during the estimate and have the right valuation elected in your move documents.
If an appliance needs to go somewhere for a while, storage runs through a partner warehouse with climate control available, and pickup, the storage period and redelivery are quoted separately. The storage page covers unit sizes and rates.
Appliance Moving FAQ
How much does it cost to move an appliance?
Appliance work is hourly at $175 for two movers and one truck. Two people is the minimum for any full-size unit. The hours depend far more on the stairs and on whether everything was disconnected in advance than on the appliance itself.
Do you disconnect appliances?
No. California Movers USA moves appliances but does not disconnect or reconnect them. Gas lines, water supply, drain plumbing and electrical connections are for you or a qualified trade, arranged before the crew arrives and again after delivery. Have every unit switched off, unplugged, drained and ready on the day.
Can you move a gas range or a gas dryer?
Yes — after a qualified professional has shut off, disconnected and capped the gas line. That is never a mover's job, and it should be booked for the day before rather than the morning of the move.
Do I have to defrost the freezer?
Yes, and at least a day ahead. A freezer defrosted the same morning drips meltwater down the stairs and into the truck. Empty the drip pan too.
What are transit bolts and do I need them?
They are the bolts that lock a front-loading washer's drum for transport, and they came with the machine. Without them the drum swings on its suspension and can damage itself in the truck. If yours have been lost — common with a second-hand machine — say so at quote stage rather than on the day.
Can the fridge be laid down in the truck?
California Movers USA transports refrigerators upright wherever the route and the truck allow, which is the safest way for the compressor and the oil inside it. Where a unit genuinely has to be tilted, it is done deliberately and briefly rather than laid flat for a journey.
How long before I can switch the fridge on?
Most manufacturers ask for the unit to stand upright for a period before it is powered up, so the compressor oil can settle. The time varies by model — check your manual. It is worth the wait; it is the cheapest thing on this page.
Will you take my old refrigerator away?
Removal is quoted as its own line and routed to a recycler who can sign the required paperwork. It is not something a crew can improvise: federal rules make the final disposer responsible for ensuring the refrigerant was recovered, and they must hold a signed statement naming who recovered it and when. Arrange it before the day.
Is it cheaper to have the utility collect it?
Often, yes. California utilities run appliance recycling programs that will collect an old working refrigerator or freezer, sometimes with a rebate. Ten minutes with your provider is worth spending before you pay anyone to haul one away.
Will my appliance fit through the door?
Measure the unit and the narrowest point on the route before you book. A refrigerator that came in through a doorway that has since been remodelled may not come back out the same way, and taking the door slab off its hinges usually buys an inch or more.
Can you deliver an appliance I bought?
Yes — from a store, a warehouse or a private seller. Send the pickup address, the model and the access at both ends, and it is priced like any other appliance job.
Is my appliance covered if it is damaged?
Basic liability of 60 cents per pound per article is built into the rate. It pays by weight rather than value, so it covers a basic unit better than a high-end one. If yours is expensive, raise it during the estimate and have a higher valuation elected in your move documents.
Does California Movers USA subcontract appliance work?
No. It is handled by trained, background-checked California Movers USA employees, with a lead foreman on site. Gas, plumbing and electrical work is deliberately left to the licensed trades that should be doing it.
Where We Move Appliances
California Movers USA is based in San Francisco and moves appliances across the Bay Area, the Sacramento region and Southern California. Each city page covers the parking and access conditions that decide how a 300-pound refrigerator actually leaves the building.
- Bay Area
- Oakland
- Berkeley
- San Jose
- Fremont
- Concord
- Antioch
- Vallejo
- Santa Rosa
- Daly City
- Sunnyvale
- Livermore
- Sacramento
- Roseville
- Stockton
- Fresno
- Los Angeles
- Pasadena
- Orange County
- San Diego
The full directory is on the moving locations page.
Get an Appliance Moving Price
Send both addresses, which appliances are moving, whether anything is on gas, and photographs of the doorway and the stairs. California Movers USA will tell you what has to be disconnected beforehand and by whom, then put the price and the included work in writing.
Get My Appliance Moving PriceA starting figure is not the written estimate. Once the scope is confirmed, the deposit and payment options explain how the date is reserved and how the balance can be paid.