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 in your home, unplug the appliance right away and then call Mayes Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances in your home, we suggest calling the local fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in a lot of electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of large household appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and do not place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them often to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

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

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you can put out the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For minor fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.

For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked often to make sure they are not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Mayes Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will identify the reason for 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