Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency might be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the household appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Patriot Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Old Bridge. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside your house, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you try to eliminate the fire on your own.

An electrical fire can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow our easy guidelines to help keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires before they start by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Do not plug too many devices into a single outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or any time you’re away from home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Examine all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors often to keep them in good working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water can conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable items in the room.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

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

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning spot with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to put out a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the fire is 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 extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be checked often to be sure they are not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Patriot Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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