Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Powell Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we suggest calling the town fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire yourself.

An electrical fire can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it is important not to panic and remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a few simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in too many devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and crackling or buzzing sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source could give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water can conduct electricity to additional locations of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable items in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you might be able to put out the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If you have a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

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

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