A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.
If an appliance emergency arises in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and call Ideal Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Boston. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your house, we suggest calling the town fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire by yourself.
An electrical fire is scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it is very important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following a few basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in more than two devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like clothes or paper close to the outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of larger residential appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working order.
WHAT NOT TO DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water should not be used to douse an electrical 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 the electricity to additional areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate thing you want to do is unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you can put out the fire by yourself, it is a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of control.
For smaller fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to ensure they have not expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door , and wait for help from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Ideal Appliance Repair once the fire is 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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