Emergency Appliance Repair

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

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

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can prevent electrical fires from ever starting by following a few simple guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in more than two devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like clothes or paper near the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances since they stay plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.

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

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should never be used on an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source can cause a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water can conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you can extinguish the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You could be able to put out a small fire with a heavy blanket, 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 have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to be sure they aren’t expired. If you have a working fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, point the hose at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Giles Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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