Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens in your home, unplug the appliance right away and then call Peerless Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Grand Prairie. If there is an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances inside of your house, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you try to put out the fire on your own.

An electrical fire is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is important not to panic and remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug too many electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like paper or clothes near the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances since they stay plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for extreme heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could point to electrical arcing. Be sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water shouldn’t be used on an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on a power source might give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other areas of the room, increasing the chance of igniting other flammable objects in the room.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you want to do is unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you might be able to put out the fire on your own, it’s important to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For small fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the chemical used in regulation fire extinguishers. You could be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For larger electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you own at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to ensure they have not expired. If there is a working fire extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin at the top, point the hose at the source of the flames, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire could block an exit, you should leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Peerless Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.

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