Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Tuscaloosa Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Tuscaloosa. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the city fire department before you try to eliminate the fire yourself.

An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If an electrical appliance is in flames, it’s very important not to panic and remain calm. Follow these easy guidelines 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 simple guidelines for appliance safety. Be careful not to plug in more than two electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is debris like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or while you are not at home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.

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, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water could conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you can handle the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For small fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning area with a layer of baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to be sure they aren’t expired. If there is a working extinguisher on hand, pull the pin near the top, point the hose at the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, leave the home immediately, shut the door behind you, and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Tuscaloosa Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to its original condition.

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