Emergency Appliance Repair

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

If an appliance emergency arises in your home, unplug the appliance right away and call Ideal Edison Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Edison. If there is an electrical fire involving one of the large or small appliances inside your home, we advise calling the fire department even before you attempt to put out the fire on your own.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple guidelines for appliance safety. Be careful not to plug a lot of electrical devices into a single electrical outlet—the wiring might get overloaded and then spark a fire, especially if there’s clutter like clothes or paper near the electrical outlet.

It’s possible to forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they remain plugged in all of the time, but they can present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller devices like kitchen toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re away from home, and do not keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, in order to prevent possibly overworking their cooling systems inside.

Examine all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and crackling or buzzing noises that might indicate electrical arcing. Make sure you keep at least one smoke detector on each story of your home, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in working condition.

WHAT TO NOT DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency involving an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, however water should not be used to put out an electrical appliance fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and pouring water on or near a power source might give a dangerous electrical shock. It could even make the fire stronger. Water could conduct the electricity to other parts of the room, increasing the risk of igniting other flammable objects in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you want to do is to unplug the electric device from the power source and call the local fire department. Even if you are able to take care of the fire yourself, it’s a good idea to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

For smaller fires, you may be able to use baking soda to extinguish the flames. Covering the smoking or burning spot with a layer of baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with minimal risk of electrocution. Baking soda also includes sodium bicarbonate, which is the same chemical in regulation fire extinguishers. You might be able to smother a smaller fire using a heavy blanket as well, but only if the flames are small enough not to catch the heavy blanket on fire.

For larger 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 should also be checked often to ensure they haven’t expired. If there is a working extinguisher in the home, release the pin at the top, aim the nozzle at the fire, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to put out alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the house right away, close the door , and wait for help from the fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call Ideal Edison Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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Appliance Safety
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