Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the home appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Elroy Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we advise calling the city fire department even before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and very dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it is very important not to panic and remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug a lot of devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s debris like paper or clothes nearby the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each story of your home, and test them often to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should never be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source can cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you need to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire yourself, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with a layer of baking soda can block oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.

For big electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to be sure they are not expired. If there is a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire might block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door , and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Elroy Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts