Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance immediately and call New Rochelle Appliance Repair ASAP for local appliance repair in New Rochelle. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside of your house, we suggest calling the fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire by yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug more than two devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is debris like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and do not place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them often to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable items in the room.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you should do is unplug the device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you think you can take care of the fire by yourself, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For small fires, you could be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to extinguish a smaller fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to ensure they are not expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call New Rochelle Appliance Repair ASAP once the fire is extinguished and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

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Appliance Safety
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