Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Valor Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Grapevine. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we recommend calling the local fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire by yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following a few simple rules of appliance safety. Don’t plug in a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large household appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller appliances like 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 try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.

Inspect all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on every story of your home, and test them often to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should never be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source might cause a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to additional locations of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you might be able to handle the fire on your own, it is important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to put out a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to make sure they aren’t expired. If you have a working extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to put out by yourself or you think the fire might block an exit, leave the home right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Valor Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.

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