An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
If an appliance emergency arises in your house, unplug the appliance right away and then call Premiere Plantation Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Plantation. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances in your house, we advise calling the city fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.
An electrical fire is very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it’s very important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to keep your home safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in too many devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.
It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger appliances because they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small appliances like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.
Inspect all outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you store at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in working condition.
WHAT NOT TO 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 on an electrical fire.
Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source could give a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to other parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the room.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first step you want to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you are able to take care of the fire yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.
For little fires, you may be able to use baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked often to ensure they have not expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Premiere Plantation Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.
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