Relocating a Frozen Food Depot: Chest Freezers, Power and Timing

The new shop has a shutter, a socket and a gateman who says light has not been steady all week. Back at the old depot, six chest freezers are full of frozen chicken, fish and ice cream, and none of them can be switched off until the last minute. A frozen food depot is the move where the clock starts the moment you unplug.

The stock is worth more than the freezers, and it does not forgive delay. So the plan is built around one question: how long will the cold stock be out of power, and who is waiting at the other end?

Sort the stock before you touch a freezer

Nothing gets moved until you know what you are moving. A week before, stop buying large quantities. Sell down the slow lines, and write down what is left in each freezer: product, number of cartons and roughly how heavy.

If the new place has less capacity than the old one, decide now which freezers travel and which are sold. A half-empty freezer on a truck is wasted space and wasted weight.

Get the new site ready first

Do not unplug anything until the new depot is ready to receive.

1. Confirm the sockets work and the supply can carry several freezers at once. Ask an electrician if you doubt it.
2. Clean the floor and place the freezers where they will stand, with space behind for air.
3. Have the generator fuelled and tested in case the supply drops.
4. Put one person at the new depot with the key, whatever time the truck comes.

Our guide on moving stabilisers, UPS units and power backup equipment helps if your power set-up is changing too.

The order of work on moving morning

Start early, while the day is cool.

1. Empty one freezer at a time into thick cooler boxes or insulated sacks, packed tight with no gaps.
2. Switch that freezer off, drain any water and wipe the inside.
3. Carry the empty freezer out and strap it upright on the truck.
4. Load the cooler boxes last, so they are the first thing off at the new depot.

Work freezer by freezer, not all at once. The less time any carton sits in the open, the better. Follow the manufacturer's guidance on how long a freezer should stand upright before you switch it on again, because compressors dislike being tilted and rushed.

How to carry a chest freezer

Keep it upright. Lying a freezer on its side can send compressor oil where it should not go. Tie the lid shut with strong tape or a strap, pad the corners with blankets or foam and keep the cord tucked in.

Chest freezers are heavy and awkward. Use a trolley or a strong carrying crew, and check the gate and doorway width at both ends before the day. If a freezer will not turn the corner, it is better to find out on the Friday than with a full truck outside.

Keep the cold stock cold on the road

Cooler boxes should sit together in the shade of the truck body, away from the sun and the engine heat. Fill gaps with sacks or boxes so nothing slides. Keep the trip short and direct: no stops for errands and no waiting in traffic if you can help it. A long drive inside Lagos is still a long drive, as we explain in our post on moving from Ikorodu or Epe to central Lagos.

At the new depot, plug in and confirm each freezer is running before the stock goes back. Then reload the cartons.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the Sphere app and choose a truck for a full depot, or a pickup van if you have two or three freezers. Add the pickup and drop-off, then describe the load plainly: "6 chest freezers, about 40 cartons of frozen chicken and fish, cooler boxes, 2 trolleys". Say whether the stock will be in coolers and what time the new site is ready. Propose a price, and nearby verified drivers will accept or send counter-offers. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept.

Useful pages: truck hire in Lagos and business moves in Lagos.