How to Move a Wood Stove Without Hiring Movers

As a proud owner of a wood stove, you know perfectly well all the advantages of having a wood burner in your house – the pleasant warmth it radiates and the sense of comfort and coziness it creates. And because of it all, wood-burning stoves often become the attractive force within the home during the cold months of the year.

There’s no doubt that a wood-burning stove is an excellent investment. However, due to their enormous weight and large dimensions, wood stoves are also extremely difficult to move around the house. And if you’re thinking about moving a wood stove to a new house, then things can become really challenging in a hurry.

Of course, the easiest way to move a wood stove is to hire professional movers to do it for you. The pros will surely know how to get the job done quickly and safely.

Nevertheless, if you can’t afford to pay for moving labor and you feel like you can manage the tough task together with a few friends, then this detailed guide on how to move a wood stove is exactly for you.

Why are wood stoves so risky to move?

Before you rush to move your wood-burning stove, you must be aware of just how risky that moving task is. In reality, there are a couple of reasons why wood stoves are so difficult to lift and move around: 1) wood-burning stoves are extremely heavy, and 2) log burners are particularly bulky to handle due to their large dimensions.

Weight

Depending on the exact model and manufacturer, wood stoves can weigh anywhere between 300 lbs. and 800 lbs. Some models can weigh even more than 800 lbs. excluding the mass of the solid fuel inside.

The major reason for that extraordinary weight comes from the materials used to construct wood-burning stoves – cast iron or steel, or a combination of the two metals.

The usage of cast iron in wood stoves is clear: the metal formed by a casting process (melted – poured into molds – solidified) is slow to heat up but once heated, it’s also slow to cool down, thus giving off heat for much longer.

So, with an average weight of around 500 lbs., you can see why wood stoves are so tricky to move around the house or move to another house altogether.

Dimensions

In addition to their extraordinary weight, cast iron wood stoves can also be too bulky to handle safely by non-professionals. Some wood stoves can reach a height of up to 40’’ and a width of up to 33’’.

Also, those log burners can get to 25’’ in depth, making them a real challenge to move around safely without causing any costly property damage.

Caution: As you can see, and possibly already know from personal experience, wood stoves are really, really heavy and really, really big to move by one person alone.

Therefore, you shouldn’t try to move your wood-burning stove entirely on your own for fear of getting injured in a bad way. Instead, you should do the sensible thing and secure at least 3 helpers in addition to yourself to get the job done safely.

What you need to move a wood-burning stove

To move a wood stove by yourself – that is, without hiring professional movers, you’re going to have to be ready for the tough task ahead of you.

Here’s what you’ll need to move the wood-burning stove to another spot in the same room, move it to another room in the house, or move it to another house altogether:

• Assistants. It’s too risky to move a wood stove by yourself – entirely on your own, that is, so we’ll describe in detail a scenario in which you get at least 3 people to help you move the wood-burning stove. You can ask your good friends to help you out, or your neighbors for assistance.
  The good news is that your helpers don’t need to be super strong or anything – by using these tips for moving a wood stove, the extra helping hands will be there with you to keep the big metal object in balance during the actual haul.
• Furniture dolly. To move a wood stove without paying for professional movers, you’re going to need a heavy-duty furniture dolly that has 4 swivel wheels and a wide flat base of wood or metal. Furniture dollies look simple in design but they are quite impressive in efficiency considering that most of them can safely handle loads up to 1,000 pounds, or even more.
  Heavy-duty furniture dollies are not expensive either – they start at around $15 and can go up to $30-$40 for some fancier models.
• Furniture blankets. You’ll need a few moving blankets to protect the wood burner during the move. By padding the stove on the outside, you’ll also minimize the chance of ending up with property damage – floor damage or wall damage – if the heavy object accidentally gets dropped onto the floor or hits a wall.
• Straps or rope. You’ll need a couple of sturdy straps or 2 lengths of strong rope to secure the heavy wood stove onto the 4-wheel dolly. Each strap or rope should be at least 6 feet long.
• Plywood sheets. Get several thick sheets of plywood to help you slide the super-heavy wood stove along the floor. The plywood will also protect the floor from getting severely scratched or dented during the moving process.
• Gloves. Use a pair of thick work gloves to improve the grip and protect your hands when moving a wood stove without using professional movers.

How to prepare a wood stove for moving

Regardless of the distance between Point A (the current spot of the stove) and Point B (the destination place of the wood burner), there are a few must-do steps to follow in order to prepare the heavy wood heater for moving.

Here’s what you should do before attempting to move your large wood stove:

• Step 1. Make sure that the intended move path (when moving the stove just across the room) is perfectly clear of any obstacles that could endanger the entire operation. When moving the wood stove to another room in the house or taking it out of the home for transport to another place, then walk along the exit route and, once more, ensure that nothing is blocking the pathway.
• Step 2. Remove, slowly and carefully, the stove pipe or pipes and set them aside for now. Make sure they are not too hot from recent use.
• Step 3. Consider removing any detachable elements from the wood-burning stove to make it lighter and easier to handle. This step is especially important when moving the wood stove to another house.
  Usually, the stove components that you can remove safely are the door (use a flat-head screwdriver for the purpose), griddle, burn plates, and fire bricks inside the stove. The fire bricks are best transported in a large storage bin made of durable plastic.

How to move a wood stove in the same room

Moving a wood stove to another spot in the same room is the easiest moving scenario you can face. And the best way to get the job done is to use the plywood sheets you have prepared in advance.

• Step 1. Arrange the plywood sheets in such a way as to form an uninterrupted path starting from the current position of the wood burner to the spot within the room where you want it moved. The idea here is to slide the super-heavy wood stove all the way to where it needs to go.
• Step 2. Have a couple of helpers tilt the heavy metal stove slightly backward while you position a plywood sheet underneath the burner until you reach the back feet.
• Step 3. Release the front feet onto the plywood and tilt the wood stove slightly forward, slowly, until its back feet get onto the plywood sheet too. When the entire stove gets firmly onto the hard protective surface, you’re ready to start sliding it effortlessly toward its new spot in the room.
• Step 4. Start sliding the heavy wood stove across the room but do it slowly and cautiously – don’t rush this step. Make sure the plywood sheets form a continuous path on the floor – if not, fix any gaps along the way before the heavy load reaches them.
  Plywood has a very low friction factor, so you should not have any problems sliding the super-heavy and bulky log burner to the other end of the room.
• Step 5. Slide slowly the back end of the cast iron wood stove off the final plywood sheet so that its rear legs (or rear side) touch the floor.
• Step 6. Tilt the heavy load backward to free the front legs, remove the final plywood sheet, and adjust carefully the wood-burning stove to its final position.
• Step 7. Reconnect the chimney pipe or pipes.

Important note 1. When moving a wood stove across the room, you don’t need to remove any of its components to make it lighter (obviously, the wood stove pipe is the exception) since you’ll be sliding the heavy thing effortlessly along the plywood sheets so its actual weight is almost irrelevant.

Important note 2. In this particular wood stove moving scenario, you should do fine with just one other helper since no heavy lifting is involved.

Important note 3. As an alternative to using sheets of plywood, you can also get the job done by using furniture sliders of the right kind. The idea is the same – to slide the heavy log burner to the new spot in the room – but this time you’ll position a furniture slider beneath each stove leg or edge.
Should you choose this moving method, remember that sliders made of hard materials – plastic or rubber – should be used on carpeted floors while gliders made of soft materials such as felt should be used on hardwood floors.

How to Use Furniture Sliders When Moving

How to move a wood stove to another room in the house

Now, moving a wood stove to another room within the same house can be a bit trickier but you should be able to pull it off with the invaluable help of a furniture dolly.

Here’s how to do it:

• Step 1. Wrap the large wood stove entirely in thick furniture blankets, then use a bit of tape to secure the loose ends and keep them from unwrapping during transport.
• Step 2. Position the furniture dolly – the flat and low 4-wheel platform – right next to the stove, preferably next to the front area.
• Step 3. Tilt the wood stove slightly backward, then slide the furniture dolly underneath the burner as far as the 4-wheeler will go.
• Step 4. Use all the muscle power available to you at that moment (4 people altogether is a minimum requirement in this case) and lift the back end of the metal stove slightly off the ground just to slide the entire furniture dolly underneath.
• Step 5. Adjust the wood stove in the middle of the dolly so that the heavy load remains well-balanced throughout the moving procedure.
• Step 6. Secure the large wood-burning stove onto the furniture dolly using the straps or rope.
• Step 7. Have one person push the dolly-strapped wood stove toward the exit of the room while the other helpers have their hands on the load, keeping it steady.
• Step 8. Go slowly and keep the communication channel open. If possible, assign a person as a spotter – staying in front of the heavy load and making sure everything is going smoothly. Be extra vigilant when going around corners with the loaded dolly.
• Step 9. Use the loading steps in reverse order to remove the wood stove safely from the furniture dolly when you reach the destination room.
• Step 10. Adjust the wood burner to its final resting spot, remove the furniture blankets, and reconnect the chimney pipe(s).

Important note. The steps above describe how to move a wood stove within the house provided that you won’t have to go up or down the stairs.

If the destination room is not located on the same floor where the wood stove is located originally – that is, if there are stairs involved along the intended move pathway, then you’d be better off hiring professional movers.

Why? Because the risk of property damage or personal injuries would increase dramatically if you attempted the move with a bunch of inexperienced friends.  

Hire Movers or Do It Yourself: 10 Questions to Help You Decide

How to move a wood stove to another house

If you have to move your wood stove to another house, then you’ll have to take the heavy and bulky object out of your home, load it onto a moving vehicle, transport it to the new address, unload it safely, and get it inside the new home.

The entire process of moving a wood-burning stove to another house sounds complicated and that’s exactly what it is.

• Step 1-8. Follow the above-mentioned steps – from Step 1 to Step 8. These steps are identical no matter whether you’re moving the stove to another room within the same house or moving out of the house to be properly loaded.
• Step 9. Use the loading ramp to get up the massive wood stove when you reach the awaiting moving truck outside. Be extremely careful here – arrange for two people to pull the loaded furniture dolly from the front while the other two helpers are pushing it up from behind.
• Step 10. Rent a moving truck with a hydraulic lift gate, if possible. This way, loading the wood stove into the van will be much easier and safer than having to pull it up along the loading ramp.
• Step 11. Secure the wood stove once it’s loaded by tying it up to the side of the vehicle using straps. Don’t take it off the furniture dolly for easier and safer unloading when you reach the new home.
• Step 12. Use the above steps in reserve order to unload the wood stove and take it inside the new home after you reach your destination.

Important note. Whereas moving a heavy wood-burning stove in the same room or moving it to another room on the same floor can be pulled off by you and a few helpers, moving a heavy wood stove up or down stairs or transporting it to a new home is a job better left to experienced professionals.

Get a free quote to learn how much it will cost you to have your wood stove moved by professional movers in a quick and safe manner.