No, our storage terms don't set a weight limit. Everyday heavy things, such as furniture, an American fridge freezer, washing machines, boxes of books and gym equipment, are fine in a ground-floor unit. Upright pianos are too: our antique furniture guide says the floor loading at our units is typically adequate for an upright. Call us on 0800 2545585 before you book if you're bringing a grand or baby grand piano, a safe, workshop machinery, a pallet's worth of anything (bagged cement, tiles or paving slabs included), or anything heavy for an upper floor, an upright piano included. We don't publish floor-loading figures or lift limits, so those are the cases we check with you. There is no forklift at any Wigwam site and no staff to unload, so heavy stock and pallet deliveries need your own plan: see the business section below.
What our terms say about heavy things
Our licence agreement has no weight rule. It has general rules that matter more the heavier your things are:
| The rule | What it means for heavy items |
|---|---|
| "You must ensure the Unit is suitable for the storage of the Goods intended to be stored in it" (clause 26) | Tell us what you're bringing and we'll suggest a unit, but the terms leave the choice, and the responsibility, with you |
| You mustn't "cause damage to the Unit or any part of the Facility (which includes by removal, haulage or delivery contractors)" (clause 22) | Damage to the building caused by your goods or your movers, from a cracked floor to a scraped wall, is yours to pay for |
| You mustn't "attach anything to the internal or external surfaces of the Unit" (clause 22) | Shelving and racks must be free-standing, and a safe can't be bolted to the floor |
| Goods with built-in batteries must be "not stacked" (clause 20.1) | Put heavy things beside them, never on top. Mains-only equipment isn't covered by this rule |
| We may refuse goods that in our opinion create "a risk to the safety of any person or property" (clause 27) | Tell us about an unusually heavy item before it arrives |
Damage to your own things, such as a dresser scratched on the way in, is what contents cover is for: see how much contents cover you need.
Ground floor, upper floors and lifts
In our buildings, the ground floor is the place for the heaviest things, with no lift or stairs between your vehicle and the unit.
Upper floors at Alton, Bath, Bromsgrove, Burton-on-Trent, Dorking, Lincoln, March and Tewkesbury are reached by lift. We don't publish any lift's weight limit or door size. A customer review on our Bromsgrove page mentions a goods lift, and one on our Chipping Norton page mentions a goods lift upstairs; our price list marks the Chipping Norton mezzanine "No lift", so ask which applies to the unit you're offered. Our page on ground-floor units, stairs and lifts goes through the sites on our price list.
For lift access at any other site, see are there ground-floor units? or ask us before you book an upper floor.
An upright piano on an upper floor is a question to ask first: our guide's line about floor loading doesn't settle it for upstairs units, and the lift has to take the piano too.
Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster also have a limited selection of drive-up units and external shipping containers, where you park beside the door and load straight in; we don't publish their floor loading either, so call before bringing machinery.
Heavy stock, pallets and building materials (business and trade)
Many online sellers keep their stock in a unit and visit during access hours to pick and pack orders before taking them to the post office or courier. Under clause 22 of the terms, the unit is for storage. It can't be used as an office, a shop, a workshop, a place for staff to work, or a business or mailing address.
You can't connect a power supply for equipment unless Wigwam authorises it: clause 22 bars connecting "any utilities or services to the Unit unless authorised by Us".
Wigwam does not accept, receive or sign for deliveries for you. Someone from your side needs to be at the unit, within your site's access hours (normally 6am to 10pm; check your site's page), to meet the courier or haulier, check the goods and take them into your unit. Cheltenham's page shows 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends and bank holidays, and also 6am to 10pm, so confirm the hours before you book a delivery there.
There is no forklift at any Wigwam site, and no staff to unload. For a pallet delivery, book a haulier with a tail-lift and a pallet truck, or bring your own, and be there to meet it. A 2020 post on our blog mentions "pallet trucks available", but our site pages don't say which sites have one you can use; ask on 0800 2545585.
Before you book, tell us the pallet's footprint and weight, so we can suggest a ground-floor or drive-up unit it fits. Our page on storing goods on pallets covers the rest.
Packing and stacking heavy things
- Loads made of many dense pieces, such as bags of cement, tiles, slabs, boxed stock or weight plates, are better spread over the floor than stacked in one spot.
- Single heavy items, such as a piano, a safe, a range cooker or a fridge freezer, go on the ground floor near the door, where they're easiest to get in and out.
- Heaviest at the bottom and at the back, with lighter boxes on top. Our guide to packing a unit for a house move sets out the order.
- Keep heavy boxes small enough to lift, and put nothing heavy on anything fragile or on a piano.
- Free-standing shelving and racks: heaviest items on the lowest shelves.
- Keep bagged cement sealed and off the floor, on a pallet or boards.
Our units aren't climate-controlled. For a piano or wooden furniture on a long stay, read our page on damp and mould in storage before you pack.
Clearing a workshop or garage
Bare metal and machine tools can rust from condensation, so give them a light protective wipe and cover them. Clause 18(c) bars "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil", so drain oil and coolant from machinery and leave the cans at home. If a machine can't be drained, ask us before you bring it. See also flammable liquids.
Getting heavy things in
Plan who will do the lifting before moving day. Customer reviews of several of our sites mention trolleys; are trolleys available? lists them. Check your site's page, and ask what's there before you rely on it for anything heavy. If you need help, we can put you in touch with local removals firms we recommend. Someone from your side needs to be there while they work.
What to tell us when you call
For the items in the first paragraph, and for long or tall pieces such as a wardrobe or a rack, call 0800 2545585 and tell us:
- what the item is, its rough weight and its measurements;
- which floor you'd like, so we can check it against the lift;
- for long or tall items, the length, width and height, because we list units by floor area and don't publish each unit's length, width or height (see our note on unit dimensions);
- for a pallet delivery, its footprint, weight and the vehicle bringing it.
Some units on the second floor at Lincoln are listed as restricted height; if height matters, ask us before you book.
We'll suggest the unit and floor that suit it. For everything else, get a price online and ask for a ground-floor unit if your heaviest things need one.
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