An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the household appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and call Tru Trenton Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Trenton. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire yourself.
An electrical fire from an appliance is very scary and very dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important to not panic. Follow our easy guidelines to keep your house safe from electrical fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Do not plug too many electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes close to the outlet.
It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Inspect all outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.
WHAT NOT TO DO
If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water should not be used to fight an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source can give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water could conduct the electricity to additional areas of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate step you want to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.
For minor fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a small fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.
For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked consistently to be sure they have not expired. If you have a working fire extinguisher on hand, release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door , and wait for help from the local fire department.
For the smaller appliance fires, call Tru Trenton Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.
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