Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance right away and call Champion Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Pittsburgh. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside of your house, we recommend calling the local fire department before you attempt to put out the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is very scary and extremely 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 important to not panic. Follow these easy guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in a lot of devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is debris like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger residential appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller devices like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left running overnight or any time you’re away from home, and don’t keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Inspect all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

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

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might give a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you might be able to put out the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For smaller fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the fuming or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to put out a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to ensure they aren’t expired. If you have a working extinguisher in the home, release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out alone or you think the fire may block an exit, leave the house right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Champion Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.

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