An appliance repair emergency might 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 Sterling Heights Appliance Repair HQ for local appliance repair in Sterling Heights. If there is an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside of your house, we recommend calling the town fire department even before attempting to put out the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines to keep your house safe from electrical fires.
Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a few basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug too many devices into a single outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger appliances because they stay plugged in all of the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and try not to place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive 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 every story of your home, and test them often to keep them in good working order.
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source can give a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
The first step you want to do is to unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you might be able to take care of the fire yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of control.
For smaller fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with a layer of baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For big electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to ensure they haven’t expired. If you have a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, leave the house right away, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Sterling Heights Appliance Repair HQ once the fire is under control and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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