Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Sterling Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the town fire department before you try to eliminate the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an electrical appliance is in flames, it is important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug more than two devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable objects in the room.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you are able to take care of the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.

For small fires, you might be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked often to make sure they are not expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, pull the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Sterling Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can identify the cause of 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
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