A typical appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.
If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance right away and then call Prime Provo Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Provo. If there is an electrical fire from one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the city fire department before attempting to put out the fire on your own.
An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance goes up in flames, it is important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
You are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like clothes or paper close to the electrical outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large home appliances because they are plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or while you’re away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking their cooling systems.
Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in good working condition.
If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water might conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the chance of igniting more flammable items nearby.
The first thing you need to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call your local fire department. Even if you think you might be able to extinguish the fire yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of control.
For smaller fires, you might be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda can block oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.
For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected regularly to be sure they haven’t expired. If there is a working extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, shut the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Prime Provo Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.
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