Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Lawson’s Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside of your house, we suggest calling the fire department before you try to eliminate the fire yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a few basic rules of appliance safety. Don’t plug too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of larger residential appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t 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 overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water can conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you need to do is to unplug the appliance from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you are able to extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not 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 extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to ensure they are not expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher in the home, pull the pin near the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, shut the door , and wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Lawson’s Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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