Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and call Stanley Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we recommend calling the city fire department even before attempting to extinguish the fire by yourself.

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 is in flames, it is very important to not panic and remain calm. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from starting by following some basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Do not plug in a lot of devices into one outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially when there’s clutter like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the dangers of large residential appliances because they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much of a fire hazard as small devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine should not be left to run overnight or any time you are not at home, and don’t keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Inspect all of the outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you store at least one working smoke detector on every floor of your home, and test them often 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 on an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source could cause a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to additional locations of the room, increasing the chance of igniting more flammable items in the room.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you need to do is unplug the appliance from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you can take care of the fire on your own, it’s important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For little fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the smoldering or burning area with baking soda can prohibit oxygen flow to the fire with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket, but only when the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire too.

For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to be sure they are not expired. If there is a operational fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight by yourself or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, leave the house as fast as possible, shut the door , and then wait for help from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Stanley Appliance Repair once the fire is 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 Repair Cost
Appliance Repair Tips
Appliance Safety
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts