Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.

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

An electrical fire is scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow our easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires from ever starting by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you are away from home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water could conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you are able to handle the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For big electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If there is a operational extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Morris Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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

CLICK-TO-CALL