Sold my house....Oh CRAP! Now what?

[shen]

So, my house has been on the market since May of 2012 with minimal interest, that is until about 3 weeks ago. We accepted an offer and need to be out of here by Mar. 6th. You'd think I'd be ecstatic, however, not taking into account where I'm going to live, I look in my basement at the 14 batches of wine in 5 or 6 gallon carboys, and think, "How do I move all of those?"

I know I'm not the first person in this predicament, so I'd like some suggestions as to what others have done in this position.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Depending on how far along they are, rack and add k-meta and put in a solid bung then move it. a strip of duct tape across the top won't hurt either. Toss on some carboy handles or brew haulers to get them out. If still under fermentation, tape down the airlock and hope for the best.

 

[ibglowin]

How do you move them...... Very CAREFULLY!

I have kept all of the cardboard boxes that my carboys came in. They fold completely flat when the carboy is not in them. IF we ever move (retirement) I would add a solid stopper, duct tape and place back into the box and move them like they were all precious cargo.

 

[Putterrr]

Milk cartons are great as the plastic keeps the glass from being bumped on the botton and sides.

Or you can have one heck of a moving out party and invite everyone from winemakingtalk to help

cheers

 

[joea132]

I'm going to be in the same predicament in a few weeks...hopefully. Good information. I was thinking about bubble wrap too. My only issue is that I have stainless steel tanks and demijohns that are full!

 

[John Prince]

Build a pipeline.

 

[JohnT]

My father-in-law (RIP) made crates for all of my carboys. I have been meaning to build a couple more, taking pictures and measurements alond the way. My plan was to post this as a new thread. Perhaps I will do this over the weekend.

 

[UBB]

Bribe a bunch of friends to help pack and have a wine tasting (or chugging) party!

 

[Deezil]

I had to do this about 8 months ago, although i only went about 3 blocks, had to move 8 carboys and 12 1-gallon jugs.... I used every blanket in the house and took two trips in the back of the car..

The only thing that really worried me was the speed bumps

Had a nice thick layer of blankets under them all and then i stuffed blankets between them so they couldnt clang together

So it partly depends on how far you'll be moving them.. For a couple blocks, bungs & duct tape is a bit much....

 

[Runningwolf]

I think the best idea is the plastic milk crates as they are strong and have handles. I've seen plenty of homemade haulers like JohnT talked about and they're awesome also. I would be leary of cardboard boxes except for empty carboys. They can be awkward with a full vessal.

What I do with my carboys sitting next to each other or in the freezer is cover them with carpet. I went to Home Depot and bought (2) 1 foot strips of indoor/outdoor carpet. It's about 12 feet long. I cut it in lengths long enough to wrap around a carboy. Works great incase they bump each other.

I always thought about what if i ever moved. Where would I get enough cases for about 1400 bottles and who the heck is going to carry them all out of the basement along with the 75 or more cases of empty bottles.

 

[shen]

Great advice everyone, and thank you. I too like the milk crate idea. I'm moving across town, less than 10 miles, so I think I'll put solid bungs with duct tape in the carboys, and then in milk crates in the back of my pick up. I think that's the best and safest solution. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

[jdmyers]

i can help

Im about to have surgery on my knee so I will be off work for 4-6 weeks I would be willing to help you by drinking as much wine as I could. hey what are friends for.

 

[saramc]

Just make sure the milk crates are the old school, so sturdy you can stand on them, milk crates. They sell some now that would likely collapse if they were loaded with milk. You can also cover the carboys with dark t-shirts/sweatshirts, etc.

Congrats on the house!

 

[shen]

I got moved last weekend without any casualties. I taped a layer of bubble wrap around each carboy, used solid bungs held in with shrink wrap. I put all of the full bottles upside down in cases, but didn't want to store them that way, so I finally got one of the stainless steel shelves 168 bottle wine racks from Amazon. I was very impressed by the quality and sturdiness. Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

 

[TahunaJR]

I also bought one oh the SS wine shelving units from Amazon a few months ago. They are fantastic and a great value for the money!

Congrats on the safe move.

Joe

 

[Sammyk]

The same rack at Sam's Club it $80.88. I bought 2 there.

 

[ibglowin]

Plus shipping as they are not an "in club" stocked item.

 

[TahunaJR]

Correct. Shipping + Tax from Sam's Club brings the total over the Amazon price for me (I do have Prime).

 

[Boatboy24]

Glad the move went well.

I too, have one of those shelves from Amazon. My only problem with it is it's not full!