Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency in Jacksonville FL, unplug the appliance right away and call Swift Appliance Repair for local appliance repair. If there’s an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside of your home, we advise calling the local fire department even before you try to extinguish the fire yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance can be scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a few steps to be prepared in case of an emergency. If an electrical appliance goes up in flames, it’s important to not panic and remain calm. Follow these simple guidelines to help keep your home safe from electrical fires.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners can stop electrical fires before they start by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety in a home. Be sure not to plug in a lot of electrical devices into one outlet—the wiring might become overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like paper or clothes nearby the electrical outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the apparent dangers of large household appliances because they remain plugged in all the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as small devices like kitchen toasters and heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher shouldn’t be left running overnight or any time you are away from home, and don’t keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking the cooling systems.

Inspect all of the outlets regularly for excessive heat, burn marks, and buzzing or crackling noises that could indicate electrical arcing. Be sure you have at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors quarterly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT NOT TO DO

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

Water can conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire even worse. Water can conduct electricity to additional parts of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable objects nearby.

HOW TO PUT OUT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The immediate step you need to do is to unplug the device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you are able to handle the fire by yourself, it is a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of hand.

For minor fires, you may be able to use baking soda to smother the flames. Covering the fuming or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes block oxygen flow to the fire with little chance of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same substance used in standard fire extinguishers. You also may be able to extinguish a small fire with a heavy blanket, but only when the flames are small enough to not catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For large electrical appliance fires, use a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always be sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers should also be checked regularly to make sure they aren’t expired. If there’s a operational extinguisher on hand, just release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the source of the fire, and press the handle. If the fire gets too big to put out by yourself or you think the fire could block an exit, leave the house right away, shut the door , and wait for help from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Swift Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the appliance and return it to working order.

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