Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens in your house, unplug the appliance right away and call Remedy Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Central California. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the town fire department before you try to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it is important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug too many electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of larger household appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water can conduct electricity to other parts of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items in the room.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you think you are able to extinguish the fire yourself, it’s important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire too.

For big electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to make sure they aren’t expired. If there’s a working extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Remedy Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.

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Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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