Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance right away and then call Fast Fall River Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Fall River. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances inside of your home, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you attempt to eliminate the fire on your own.

An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important to not panic and remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a couple of basic guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug in too many devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like clothes or paper close to the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of larger home appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and try not to place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you keep at least one smoke detector on every floor of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in 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 fire with water, however water should never be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable items nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you can extinguish the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If you have a operational extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Fast Fall River Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

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Appliance Repair Cost
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Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
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