Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Hale Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances in your house, we advise calling the local fire department before you attempt to put out the fire on your own.

An electrical fire is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can prevent electrical fires from starting by following a couple of simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of larger appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.

Inspect all outlets regularly for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test them regularly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might give a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to other locations of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you should do is unplug the device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you are able to extinguish the fire by yourself, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.

For big electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to ensure they have not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you think the fire might block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, shut the door , and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Hale Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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Appliance Safety
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