A typical appliance repair emergency could be a leak or smoke or even flames coming from the appliance.
If an appliance emergency occurs, unplug the appliance right away and call Lawton Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Lawton. If there’s an electrical fire resulting from one of the appliances in your home, we advise calling the city fire department before attempting to extinguish the fire on your own.
An electrical fire can be very scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it’s important not to panic and to remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.
HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES
You are able to stop electrical fires from starting by following a few basic rules of appliance safety in a home. Be careful not to plug more than two devices into one electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.
It is possible to forget about the dangers of larger household appliances because they stay plugged in all the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left to run overnight or while you’re away from home, and don’t place a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent overworking the cooling systems.
Inspect all of the outlets on a regular basis for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that might point to electrical arcing. Make sure you have at least one working smoke detector on every story of your house, and test them regularly to keep them in good working order.
WHAT NOT TO DO
If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it can be tempting to douse the flames with water, however water should not be used to fight an electrical fire.
Water will conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source could give a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.
HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE
The first step you need to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you think you are able to handle the fire by yourself, it’s important to have backup if the fire does get out of hand.
For little fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoking or burning spot with some baking soda can prevent oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda contains 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 if the fire is small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire.
For larger electrical fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you own at least one Type C or multi-use fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers need to be inspected consistently to be sure they haven’t expired. If there’s a working fire extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the hose at the source of the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the house right away, shut the door behind you, and then wait for help from the fire department.
For the small appliance fires, call Lawton Appliance Repair once the fire is under control and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the appliance and restore it to working order.
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