An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and then call DC Appliance Repair ASAP for local appliance repair in Washington DC. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the town fire department before you attempt to extinguish the fire on your own.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s very important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the dangers of larger residential appliances since they stay plugged in all the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.
Inspect all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working condition.
If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water should never be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might give a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.
The immediate thing you want to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you are able to handle the fire yourself, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.
For minor fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire too.
For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked often to ensure they are not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call DC Appliance Repair ASAP once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.
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