Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.

If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance right away and then call Stone Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances in your house, we advise calling the local fire department before you try to extinguish the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following a few basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug a lot of electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large residential appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the fire with water, but water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you think you might be able to take care of the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For small fires, you could be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with a layer of baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire as well.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to ensure they are not expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to put out alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

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

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