An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Avondale Appliance Repair Experts for local appliance repair in Avondale. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the fire department before attempting to put out the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be 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 important to not panic and remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in more than two electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper near the electrical outlet.
It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you are away from home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.
Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT NOT TO DO
If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first step you need to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you might be able to handle the fire on your own, it’s important to have backup if the fire does get out of control.
For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire.
For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected regularly to be sure they haven’t expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire might block an exit, leave the home right away, close the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Avondale Appliance Repair Experts once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.
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