Emergency Appliance Repair

An appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.

If an appliance emergency arises, unplug the appliance right away and call Shoreline Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Orange County. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the large or small appliances in your home, we suggest calling the local fire department even before attempting to put out the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You can stop electrical fires from ever starting by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Be careful not to plug in more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper nearby the outlet.

It is possible to forget about the dangers of large home appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small appliances like 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 line of direct sunlight, to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems.

Check all outlets regularly for excessive heat, burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on each floor of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the fire with water, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and pouring water on a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water can conduct electricity to additional areas of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you think you can extinguish the fire on your own, it is important to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.

For small fires, you may be able to pour on baking soda to douse the flames. Covering the fuming or burning spot with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal chance of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You may be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the blanket on fire as well.

For big electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C or multi-use extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be checked regularly to make sure they are not expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher in the home, release the pin near the top, aim the hose at the fire, and press the handle. If the flames get too big to fight by yourself or you think the fire may block an exit, you should leave the home immediately, close the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Shoreline Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we can diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and return it to its original condition.

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