Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.

If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance immediately and then call World Class Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Rancho Cucamonga. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the local fire department before attempting to put out the fire on your own.

An electrical fire from an appliance is very scary and very dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an electrical appliance is in flames, it is important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug too many devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper close to the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances because they are plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Check all outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is to unplug the appliance from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you can extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s important to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to ensure they haven’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too big to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home right away, close the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the fire department.

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

OTHER RESOURCES:

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

CLICK-TO-CALL