Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and call Magic Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we suggest calling the fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Don’t plug in more than two devices into one outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large household appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as small appliances like kitchen toasters and heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or any time you’re away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

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

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water might conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the room.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you should do is to unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you are able to put out the fire on your own, it is important to have backup if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoking or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For large electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to ensure they aren’t expired. If there is a working extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Magic Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the 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