Appliance Emergencies

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

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance right away and call D&D Worcester Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Worcester. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside your house, we advise calling the local fire department before attempting to put out the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be 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’s important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug in too many electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes nearby the outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the dangers of large household appliances since they are plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or while you are away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems inside.

Check all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance emergency involving an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water shouldn’t be used to douse an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source can give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable items in the room.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you are able to take care of the fire on your own, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a small fire with a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire too.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked consistently to make sure they haven’t expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, pull the pin near the top, point the hose at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home right away, close the door behind you, and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call D&D Worcester Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished 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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Appliance Safety
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