Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency happens, unplug the appliance right away and then call F&S Fort Worth Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Fort Worth. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the appliances inside of your home, we recommend calling the city fire department even before you try to extinguish the fire yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires before they start by following a couple of simple guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Don’t plug a lot of devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is debris like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the apparent dangers of larger household appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they still present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you are not at home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking the cooling systems.

Examine all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling sounds that might indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on each floor of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

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

Water conducts electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is to unplug the appliance from the power outlet and call the fire department. Even if you can handle the fire on your own, it’s important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For small fires, you could be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning spot with baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the flames with very little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also may be able to smother a small fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire too.

For large electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If there’s a operational extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin near the top, point the hose at the fire, 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 home immediately, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call F&S Fort Worth Appliance Repair once the flames are under control and we can diagnose the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and return it to working order.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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