A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the home appliance.
If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance right away and then call Ace Alhambra Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Alhambra. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we advise calling the town fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.
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 is in flames, it’s very important to not panic and remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
You can stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. Be careful not to plug in a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s debris like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the dangers of larger appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate step you want to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you are able to put out the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.
For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire.
For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to ensure they are not expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you think the fire may block an exit, leave the house as fast as possible, close the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Ace Alhambra Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.
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