An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
If an appliance emergency happens in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call ASAP Scottsdale Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Scottsdale. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside of your house, we suggest calling the fire department even before attempting to put out the fire on your own.
An electrical fire is very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow our easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.
It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every story of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in good working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should never be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you can extinguish the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of control.
For minor fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance 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 blanket on fire too.
For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to ensure they haven’t expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, pull the pin at the top, aim the hose at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house right away, close the door , and wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call ASAP Scottsdale Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.
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