Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Cross Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the local fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a few simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in too many electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger home appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you’re not at home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source can cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you are able to extinguish the fire yourself, it is important to have backup if the flames do get out of control.

For minor fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the fuming or burning spot with a layer of baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to be sure they aren’t expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Cross Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can diagnose 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
Refrigerator Parts