Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance right away and then call Green Bay Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Green Bay. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside of your house, we advise calling the city fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like clothes or paper near the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or any time you are away from home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test them often to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water should never be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.

Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on a power source might cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water could conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you should do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you are able to extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire too.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked consistently to be sure they are not expired. If you have a operational fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Green Bay Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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