A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and then call Legacy Lawrence Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Lawrence. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances in your home, we recommend calling the city fire department even before you try 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 an appliance goes up in flames, it’s important not to panic. Follow these easy guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
You are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following a few simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug a lot of devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of larger household appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.
Inspect all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you have 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 can be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water should not be used on an electrical fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source could cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the room.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate thing you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you think you are able to put out the fire by yourself, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of hand.
For small fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.
For big electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to make sure they have not expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher in the home, pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, close the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Legacy Lawrence Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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