A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.
If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance immediately and call A+ Aurora Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Aurora. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the local fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an electrical appliance goes up in flames, it’s important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.
You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following a few simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like clothes or paper near the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and do not place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.
Examine all outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test them often 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 fire with water, however water shouldn’t be used on an electrical appliance fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
The immediate step you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you think you might be able to put out the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of control.
For small fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with a layer of baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You also may be able to put out a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.
For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to be sure they have not expired. If you have a operational fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin near the top, point the nozzle 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 may block an exit, leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call A+ Aurora Appliance Repair once the flames are 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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