Emergency Appliance Repair

A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even a fire coming from the appliance.

In the event of an appliance emergency in your house, unplug the appliance right away and call La Mesa Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in La Mesa. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the appliances inside of your house, we suggest calling the fire department even before you try to eliminate the fire by yourself.

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

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety. Don’t plug in a lot of electrical devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like paper or clothes near the electrical outlet.

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

Check all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the fire with water, however water should never be used to put out an electrical fire.

Water conducts electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source can cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire even worse. Water can conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, increasing the risk of igniting more flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you should do is to unplug the device from the power outlet and call your fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire by yourself, it’s important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For minor fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to extinguish the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda will sometimes prevent oxygen flow to the flames with very little risk of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical used in standard fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should be sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be checked often to be sure they are not expired. If you have a operational fire extinguisher in the home, just pull the pin near the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire might block an exit, leave the home right away, close the door , and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call La Mesa Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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

CLICK-TO-CALL