Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and call Accolade Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside of your home, we suggest calling the fire department before you attempt to put out the fire on your own.

An electrical fire is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines below to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from starting by following a couple of simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s debris like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test them regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water should never be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.

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

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you are able to take care of the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.

For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to be sure they have not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home right away, shut the door , and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Accolade Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished 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
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