Chiller Unloading, Shifting & Installation: How Professionals Do It
A chiller is usually the single heaviest, most expensive piece of equipment on an HVAC project — a 450 TR water-cooled machine weighs 8–12 tonnes, and large centrifugal units go well beyond that. One wrong move during unloading can damage compressor mounts, refrigerant piping or the unit casing, and set a project back by months. This is how a professional rigging crew takes a chiller from the trailer to its foundation.
Step 1 — Site assessment before the chiller arrives
Good handling starts days before the trailer reaches site. We survey the unloading area, the travel path and the final location: ground bearing capacity for crane outriggers, gate and corridor widths, floor loading limits for basement moves, overhead obstructions like cables and lamp posts, and the exact foundation position. On one Kolkata data-centre job, a single lamp post in the crane's swing path had to be temporarily relocated — catching that in the survey, not on unloading day, kept the crane hire to one mobilization.
Step 2 — Unloading from the trailer
Depending on weight and access, unloading is done with a mobile crane (typically 50–150 T for chillers), a hydra/Farana for smaller units, or jack-and-skid methods where cranes can't reach. The unit is lifted only at the manufacturer's designated lifting points, using certified slings, D-shackles and spreader bars so the load never bears on the shell or piping.
Step 3 — Shifting to the plant room, terrace or basement
- Ground-level plant rooms: the chiller travels on machine rollers over steel channel rails, pulled by chain blocks or winches.
- Terraces: a crane lifts the unit directly — we have placed chillers at 45 m height using a 300-tonne crane at a Kolkata hospital.
- Basements: the unit is lowered by gantry or chain-pulley arrangements through cut-outs, then skidded to position — as done for 450 TR machines shifted to basement plant rooms.
Step 4 — Positioning and alignment on the foundation
The final metre matters most. The chiller is jacked, aligned over anchor-bolt positions, lowered onto its vibration isolation pads, and checked for level in both axes. Proper alignment protects the compressor and makes the OEM's commissioning inspection go smoothly — which is why OEMs like Kirloskar, Trane, Carrier and Johnson Controls engage specialist rigging partners for this stage.
From the field
Ask your rigging contractor for their equipment test certificates (slings, chain blocks, jacks) and crane operator competency certificates before work starts. OEM safety audits will ask for them — and a contractor who has them ready has done this before.
IPN LIFTERS has performed chiller unloading, shifting and installation for over a decade across India — including 7 × 2700 TR water-cooled chillers for a semiconductor project in Assam, 500 TR units at Apollo Hospitals Kolkata, and terrace lifts for Blue Star and Climaveneta sites. If you have a chiller arriving on site, talk to us before the trailer does.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does chiller unloading and positioning take?
A straightforward ground-level unloading and positioning is typically completed in 1–2 days. Terrace lifts or basement shifts with restricted access can take 2–4 days including crane mobilization and site preparation.
What crane capacity is needed to lift a chiller?
It depends on the chiller's weight and the working radius, not weight alone. A 10–12 tonne chiller placed at 20–45 m height or reach may need a 150–300 tonne crane because capacity falls sharply with boom radius. A load chart study during the site survey gives the exact answer.
Can a chiller be shifted without a crane?
Yes. Where cranes can't reach — inside plant rooms, basements or congested sites — chillers are moved with jacks, machine rollers, steel rails, chain pulley blocks and winches. It is slower but equally safe when done by an experienced crew.
Do you work with HVAC OEMs and contractors?
Yes — most of our chiller work is executed as the rigging partner of OEMs and MEP contractors including Kirloskar Chillers, Trane, Carrier, Johnson Controls, Blue Star and Climaveneta.
Planning this kind of job?
Send us your site details and equipment datasheet — we'll tell you the method, the timeline and a firm price.