Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical 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, unplug the appliance right away and call Dawson’s Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances in your house, we recommend calling the fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger household appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or any time you’re away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises 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 often to keep them in working order.

WHAT NOT TO 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 shouldn’t be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable items in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

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

For small fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to make sure they aren’t expired. If there is a operational extinguisher in the home, pull the pin near the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Dawson’s Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the cause of 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