An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.
If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance right away and call College Station Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in College Station. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances inside your home, we suggest calling the city fire department even before you attempt to put out the fire by yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance is very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
You can stop electrical fires before they start by following a few simple guidelines for appliance safety. Don’t plug too many devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.
It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or while you are away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.
Examine all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should never be used on an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on a power source might give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water might conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items in the area.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate thing you need to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you can take care of the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.
For smaller fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.
For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to be sure they are not expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher on hand, pull the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to put out alone or you think the fire may block an exit, leave the house immediately, close the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call College Station Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts