Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Shaw Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your house, we recommend calling the town fire department even before you try to eliminate the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it is important not to panic and remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in more than two devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper close to the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger home appliances since they are plugged in all the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Examine all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test them regularly to keep them in working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water should not be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source can give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water could conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you can take care of the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of control.

For small fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical appliance 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 consistently to make sure they haven’t expired. If you have a working extinguisher in the home, release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, leave the house right away, close the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Shaw Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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