An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Quality Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Quincy. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside of your house, we advise calling the local fire department even before attempting to extinguish the fire on your own.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it’s important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug too many devices into one outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the dangers of large home appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.
Examine all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working condition.
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water should not be used on an electrical fire.
Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water can conduct electricity to additional locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
The first step you should do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you can handle the fire by yourself, it’s important to have help if the flames do get out of control.
For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area 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 put out a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to make sure they are not expired. If there is a operational extinguisher on hand, just release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home right away, shut the door , and then wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Quality Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.
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