Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in your home, unplug the appliance right away and call Triumph Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Bryan. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we recommend calling the city fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from starting by following some basic rules of appliance safety. Do not plug in more than two electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes nearby the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Check all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should never be used to put out an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source could cause a dangerous electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct the electricity to additional parts of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate thing you should do is unplug the device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you think you can extinguish the fire on your own, it is a good idea to have help if the fire does get out of hand.

For little fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to douse the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in standard fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.

For big electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to ensure they have not expired. If you have a working extinguisher in the home, pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door , and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Triumph Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

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