An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance right away and call Nifty Nashville Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Nashville. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances in your home, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you attempt to eliminate the fire yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it’s very important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following a few simple rules of appliance safety. Be careful not to plug in a lot of devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.
It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large residential appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you’re not at home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the fire with water, but water should never be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water can conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first thing you should do is to unplug the device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of control.
For smaller fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You also might be able to put out a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked consistently to make sure they are not expired. If there’s a working extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, point the hose at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Nifty Nashville Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.
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