Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Appleton Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Appleton. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside your house, we advise calling the fire department even before you attempt to extinguish the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s very important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow our easy guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires from starting by following a couple of simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug too many devices into one outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or any time you are not at home, and try not to place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Examine all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them often to keep them in working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical fire.

Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on a power source might give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to additional locations of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the room.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you can extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to extinguish a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked often to be sure they haven’t expired. If there’s a operational extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire might 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 smaller appliance fires, call Appleton Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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