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 in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Hesperia Appliance Repair Brothers for local appliance repair in Hesperia. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the city fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire yourself.
An electrical fire can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it is very important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to keep your home safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
You are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the dangers of larger appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Check all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test them often to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT NOT TO DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water should never be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items in the area.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first step you should do is unplug the electric device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of hand.
For small fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area with a layer of baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.
For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to ensure they are not expired. If there is a working fire extinguisher on hand, pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and wait for help from the local fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Hesperia Appliance Repair Brothers once the fire is under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.
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