Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.

If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Gibson Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the city fire department even before attempting to extinguish the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an electrical appliance is in flames, it’s important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety. Don’t plug a lot of devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you’re away from home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in good working condition.

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, but water shouldn’t be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source might give a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you need to do is unplug the device from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you think you might be able to take care of the fire yourself, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently 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 source of the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house right away, shut the door , and wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Gibson Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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