Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Storm Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside of your house, we recommend calling the city fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple ofsteps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a few basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large residential appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.

Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source can give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you are able to put out the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For minor fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with a layer of baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also might 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 large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected regularly to ensure they aren’t expired. If you have a operational fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house right away, shut the door , and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Storm Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

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