Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Spencer Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your house, we suggest calling the fire department before you attempt to extinguish the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be 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’s important to not panic and remain calm. Follow our easy guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following a few simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug more than two devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger household appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and do not place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should not be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source could give a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You could be able to extinguish a smaller fire with 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 own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to make sure they have not expired. If there is a working fire extinguisher in the home, just release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Spencer Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical 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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