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, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Finch Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the fire department before you attempt to eliminate the fire on your own.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in more than two electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger residential appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water should not be used to douse an electrical fire.

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

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you might be able to take care of the fire on your own, it’s important to have help if the flames do get out of control.

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

For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to be sure they have not expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Finch Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

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