Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical 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 house, unplug the appliance right away and then call Gold Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances in your house, we recommend calling the city fire department before you attempt to eliminate the fire on your own.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger residential appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or any time you’re not at home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should never be used to put out an electrical fire.

Water conducts electricity, and pouring water on a power source can give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you are able to put out the fire on your own, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes prohibit 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 may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house right away, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Gold Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.

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