Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance immediately and call Achieve Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Arlington. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the city fire department even before you try to extinguish the fire by yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a couple of simple rules of appliance safety. Do not plug too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one working smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source could give a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you might be able to take care of the fire yourself, it’s important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For little fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.

For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to ensure they are not expired. If you have a working extinguisher in the home, pull the pin near the top, aim the hose at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Achieve Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

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Appliance Safety
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