A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Anytime Ann Arbor Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Ann Arbor. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we advise calling the town fire department before you attempt to extinguish the fire on your own.
An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it is very important to not panic. Follow our easy guidelines to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following some basic rules of appliance safety. Be sure not to plug a lot of electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s debris like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.
It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Inspect all outlets regularly for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them often to keep them in good working order.
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source could give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
The immediate thing you want to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you can extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.
For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire as well.
For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to ensure they have not expired. If there’s a operational extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Anytime Ann Arbor Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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