Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Vance 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 home, we advise calling the town fire department before you attempt to eliminate the fire yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires from ever starting by following some simple rules of appliance safety in a home. 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 clutter like clothes or paper close to the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large residential appliances since they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you’re away from home, and try not to place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Examine all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to other areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more 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 the local fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to make sure they aren’t expired. If there’s a operational extinguisher in the home, just release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, leave the house as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Vance Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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