A typical 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, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Five Star Yakima Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Yakima. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the town fire department before you attempt to eliminate the fire by yourself.
An electrical fire is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s very important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.
PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety. Do not plug a lot of electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.
It can be easy to forget about the dangers of large residential appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left running overnight or any time you’re not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.
Examine all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.
WHAT TO NOT DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water should never be used on an electrical fire.
Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source could give a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.
HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you can extinguish the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.
For smaller fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.
For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to make sure they have not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, point the nozzle at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to fight by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, leave the home right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Five Star Yakima Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.
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