Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance right away and then call Able Reading Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Reading. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you try to eliminate the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is very important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in a lot of electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the dangers of large residential appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you’re away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking their cooling systems.

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

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water shouldn’t be used on an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water might conduct electricity to other parts of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable items in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you might be able to take care of the fire by yourself, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in standard fire extinguishers. You could be able to put out a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.

For big electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to ensure they aren’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Able Reading Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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