A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Choice Hawthorne Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Hawthorne. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your home, we suggest calling the town fire department before you attempt to eliminate the fire yourself.
An electrical fire is very 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 is important to not panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
You are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is debris like paper or clothes near the outlet.
It’s possible to forget about the dangers of larger residential appliances since they are plugged in all the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.
Check all outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical fire.
Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water might conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the room.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate step you should do is unplug the appliance from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you think you are able to extinguish the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.
For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.
For big electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to be sure they haven’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the local fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Choice Hawthorne Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.
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