Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.

If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance right away and call Palmdale Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Palmdale. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances in your home, we suggest calling the fire department even before attempting to put out the fire on your own.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following a few basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in more than two electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger household appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller devices like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you’re not at home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Examine all outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test them often to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

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

Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source can give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is unplug the electric device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you can put out the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.

For minor fires, you might be able to use baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to extinguish a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire.

For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to ensure they aren’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, pull the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home as fast as possible, close the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Palmdale Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

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