An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Champion Chandler Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Chandler. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances inside of your house, we recommend calling the fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire by yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of 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 our easy guidelines to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
You can prevent electrical fires from ever starting by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. 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’s debris like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or any time you are not at home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Inspect all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water might conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first step you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you might be able to put out the fire on your own, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of control.
For small fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire too.
For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they haven’t expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house right away, shut the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Champion Chandler Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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