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 home, unplug the appliance immediately and call Ready Reno Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Reno, NV. If there is an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances inside your home, we advise calling the fire department before you try to put out the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be very scary and very dangerous, but there are a few ways to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances is in flames, it’s important to not panic. Follow our simple guidelines below to keep your house safe from electrical appliance fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following a couple of basic rules of appliance safety. Be careful not to plug in a lot of electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring can become overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there is clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large residential appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical devices like toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re not at home, and do not place a refrigerator or freezer in direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems inside.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you store at least one smoke detector on each story of your house, and test them quarterly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it could be tempting to douse the fire with water, however water should not be used on an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source might give a severe electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water might conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you should do is unplug the electric appliance from the power source and call the fire department. Even if you can take care of the fire by yourself, it is important to have help if the fire does get out of control.

For minor fires, you could be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the fuming or burning area with baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You also might be able to put out a smaller fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough to not catch the blanket on fire.

For big electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked consistently to make sure they haven’t expired. If there’s a operational fire extinguisher in the home, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out alone or you are concerned the fire might block an exit, leave the house right away, shut the door , and wait for assistance from the fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Ready Reno Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we will identify the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.

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