A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the home appliance.
If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Brentwood Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Brentwood. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your home, we advise calling the local fire department even before you try to eliminate the fire yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and extremely 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 is very important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.
Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug more than two electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.
It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger home appliances because they stay plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.
Examine all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.
If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water should never be used to fight an electrical fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the area.
The immediate step you need to do is unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire by yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.
For small fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.
For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Brentwood Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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