A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the home appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Hi-Tech Midlothian Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Midlothian. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we advise calling the town fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important to not panic and remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.
You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in too many devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.
It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large household appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re not at home, and don’t keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Examine all outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working condition.
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might give a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items in the room.
The immediate step you want to do is unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you think you might be able to handle the fire yourself, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of control.
For minor fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with a layer of baking soda can block oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.
For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to ensure they haven’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin near 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 might block an exit, you should leave the home right away, shut the door , and then wait for help from the local fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Hi-Tech Midlothian Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to working order.
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