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 right away and then call Rapid Riverside Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Riverside. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the fire department before you try to put out the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is very important to not panic and remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.
You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in too many electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s debris like clothes or paper near the outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or any time you are not at home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.
Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in good working condition.
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water could conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable items in the area.
The first thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you can put out the fire by yourself, it is important to have backup if the fire does get out of control.
For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You could be able to put out a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.
For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If you have a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you think the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Rapid Riverside Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.
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