Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency might 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 right away and then call Accel Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Washington. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the local fire department even before you try to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s very important not to panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from starting by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in too many electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes near the outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of larger residential appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you’re away from home, and do not place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Check all outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should not be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to additional areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items in the area.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you can put out the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of control.

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 can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to put out a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to ensure they have not expired. If there is a operational extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Accel Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.

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Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts