A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance right away and call Weatherford Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Weatherford. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the local fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.
An electrical fire is very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important to not panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
You can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger household appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working order.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water should never be used to fight an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source can cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items in the room.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you can put out the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.
For small fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire too.
For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to fight alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door , and then wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Weatherford 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 working order.
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