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 occurs, unplug the appliance right away and call Freedom Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Fontana. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the appliances in your house, we suggest calling the local fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow these easy guidelines below to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

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

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger appliances because they stay plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them often to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects 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 can take care of the fire on your own, it is important to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.

For little fires, you might be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with a layer of baking soda can block oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to make sure they haven’t expired. If there is a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to fight alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Freedom Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.

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