Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the home appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and call McBride Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in CITY. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside of your house, we advise calling the fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following a few simple rules of appliance safety. Be sure not to plug a lot of devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the dangers of large residential appliances since they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them often to keep them in working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should never be used on an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you need to do is to unplug the electric device from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For little fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in regulation 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 heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home right away, shut the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call McBride Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

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