Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens in your house, unplug the appliance immediately and then call Bull City Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in North Carolina. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we suggest calling the city fire department before attempting to put out the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the electrical outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of large home 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. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re not at home, and don’t place a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each story of your home, and test them quarterly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can give a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you are able to put out the fire by yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

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

For larger electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be inspected often to ensure they aren’t expired. If there is a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight alone or you think the fire may block an exit, leave the house as fast as possible, close the door behind you, and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Bull City Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts