Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs in your house, unplug the appliance right away and then call Hub City Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we advise calling the fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important not to panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a few basic guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large home appliances because they stay plugged in all of the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you are not at home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water should not be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.

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

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you are able to handle the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire too.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they have not expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, shut the door behind you, and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Hub City 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
Refrigerator Parts