A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance right away and call Spring Appliance Repair NOW for local appliance repair in Spring. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the local fire department even before you try to put out the fire yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s very important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in too many devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper close to the outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances because they are plugged in all of the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.
Inspect all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should not be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water might conduct electricity to other locations of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first thing you want to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you are able to put out the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.
For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire.
For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to ensure they haven’t expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher in the home, pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Spring Appliance Repair NOW once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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