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 Integrity Augusta Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Augusta. If there is an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the town fire department even before you attempt to extinguish the fire yourself.
An electrical fire can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is debris like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large residential appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working order.
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source could cause a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable items in the area.
The first step you should do is unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you can put out the fire yourself, it is important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.
For little fires, you might be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.
For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to ensure they aren’t expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home immediately, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Integrity Augusta Appliance Repair once the flames are 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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