Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance immediately and call Warwick Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Warwick. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the appliances in your house, we recommend calling the city fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be very 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 to not panic. Follow these easy guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in a lot of electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is debris like clothes or paper close to the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large residential appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s 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 appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you can handle the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For small fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical appliance 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 house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to be sure they have not expired. If you have a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, leave the house right away, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Warwick Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.

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Appliance Safety
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