Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency occurs in your home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Donaldson Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the local fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire yourself.

An electrical fire is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an appliance is in flames, it’s very important to not panic and remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines below to keep your home safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a few simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like clothes or paper near the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and try not to place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

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

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should not be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water conducts electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source could cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the chance of igniting other flammable items in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you want to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you are able to take care of the fire yourself, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you could be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with baking soda can block oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to extinguish a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to ensure they have not expired. If there is a operational extinguisher in the home, pull the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house immediately, close the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Donaldson Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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