A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the home appliance.
In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance right away and call Oshkosh Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Oshkosh. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside your house, we suggest calling the fire department before attempting to eliminate the fire on your own.
An electrical fire is very scary and very dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important to not panic and to remain calm. Follow our easy guidelines to keep your home safe from electrical appliance fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.
Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large residential appliances because they are 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 to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Check all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, 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 might be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.
Water conducts electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first thing you should do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call your local fire department. Even if you might be able to handle the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.
For little fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to extinguish a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only when the fire is small enough not to catch the blanket on fire.
For big electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to ensure they are not expired. If there is a operational extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, leave the house immediately, close the door behind you, and wait for assistance from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Oshkosh Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to its original condition.
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