Emergency Appliance Repair

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, unplug the appliance immediately and call Noble Alexandria Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Alexandria. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the town fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire is scary and very dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it’s very important to not panic. Follow these easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in a lot of devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes near the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances since they stay plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Check all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

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

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you are able to take care of the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with a layer of baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You also could be able to put out a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For big electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If there is a operational extinguisher on hand, release the pin near the top, point the hose at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, leave the house right away, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Noble Alexandria Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we will identify the cause of 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