Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance right away and call Valor Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we suggest calling the town fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from starting by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in a lot of electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger household appliances since they stay plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you’re not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Examine all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source can give a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable items in the room.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is unplug the device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to put out a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Valor Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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