Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Goff 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 recommend calling the fire department even before you try to put out the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple rules of appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in a lot of devices into a single outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like paper or clothes near the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as small devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and do not place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

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

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water should never be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water might conduct the electricity to additional areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you might be able to take care of the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For minor fires, you might be able to use baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected regularly to be sure they are not expired. If there is a working extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, point the hose at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight alone or you think the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Goff Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished 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