Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens in your house, unplug the appliance right away and then call Frontier Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in El Paso Texas. If there is an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we suggest calling the city fire department before you try to put out the fire on your own.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple rules of appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug in too many electrical devices into a single outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is debris like paper or clothes close to the electrical outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger appliances because they are plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are not at home, and do not place a freezer or refrigerator in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.

Examine all outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors quarterly 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 put out the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used to fight an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on or near a power source might give a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you can handle the fire on your own, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For smaller fires, you could be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with baking soda can block oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the fire is small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire as well.

For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be 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 you have a operational extinguisher on hand, pull the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, shut the door behind you, and wait for help from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Frontier Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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