Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance right away and then call Cox Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Anaheim. If there’s an electrical fire from one of the large or small appliances in your house, we recommend calling the city fire department even before attempting to eliminate the fire by yourself.

An electrical fire from an appliance is scary and extremely dangerous, but there are a couple of steps to be prepared in the event of an emergency. If one of your appliances goes up in flames, it is very important not to panic. Follow these simple guidelines below to help keep your house safe from electrical fires.

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

Homeowners are able to prevent electrical fires from starting by following some basic guidelines for appliance safety. Be sure not to plug a lot of devices into a single outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially when there is clutter like clothes or paper near the outlet.

It can be easy to forget about the dangers of larger household appliances since they remain plugged in all the time, but they present as much of a fire hazard as smaller electrical appliances like toasters and space heaters. Larger appliances like a dishwasher or washing machine shouldn’t be left running overnight or while you’re not at home, and try not to keep a freezer or refrigerator in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems inside.

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

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there’s an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to douse the flames with water, but water should never be used to fight an electrical appliance fire.

Water can conduct electricity, and throwing water on a power source can cause a severe electrical shock. It could even make the fire worse. Water could conduct the electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting other flammable items nearby.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first thing you need to do is unplug the electric device from the power source and call your fire department. Even if you can handle the fire by yourself, it is important to have backup if the flames do get out of hand.

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

For larger electrical fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should make sure you have at least one Type C fire extinguisher in your home. Extinguishers should also be inspected consistently to make sure they have not expired. If you have a operational extinguisher in the home, release the pin near the top, point the nozzle at the source of the flames, and squeeze the handle. If the fire gets too dangerous to fight alone or you think the fire could block an exit, you should leave the home right away, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the smaller appliance fires, call Cox Appliance Repair once the fire is extinguished and we will diagnose the reason for the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

OTHER RESOURCES:

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