Emergency Appliance Repair

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

In the event of an appliance emergency, unplug the appliance immediately and call A&L Tempe Appliance Repair for local appliance repair in Tempe. If there’s an electrical fire happening with one of the appliances in your home, we recommend calling the local fire department even before you attempt to put out the fire yourself.

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

HOW TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL FIRES

You are able to prevent electrical fires before they start by following some simple rules of appliance safety. Don’t plug too many devices into a single outlet—the wiring can get overloaded and spark a fire, especially if there’s debris like paper or clothes close to the outlet.

Sometimes we forget about the apparent dangers of large appliances since they are plugged in all of the time, but they present as much chance for a fire hazard as smaller appliances like toasters and space heaters. Large appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher should not be left to run overnight or any time you are away from home, and try not to keep a refrigerator or freezer in line of direct sunlight, to prevent overworking their cooling systems.

Inspect all outlets on a regular basis for extreme heat, signs of burns, and buzzing or crackling sounds that could point to electrical arcing. Make sure you store at least one working smoke detector on each story of your house, and test the smoke detectors regularly to keep them in good working order.

WHAT NOT TO DO

If there is an appliance repair emergency such as an electrical fire, it might be tempting to put out the flames with water, but water shouldn’t be used on an electrical fire.

Water will conduct electricity, and dumping water on or near a power source might cause a harmful electrical shock. It might even make the fire worse. Water can conduct electricity to other locations of the room, running the risk of igniting more flammable items in the area.

HOW TO EXTINGUISH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE

The first step you want to do is to unplug the electric appliance from the power outlet and call the local fire department. Even if you think you can put out the fire on your own, it’s a good idea to have help if the flames do get out of control.

For smaller fires, you might be able to pour on baking soda to smother the fire. Covering the smoldering or burning area with some baking soda will sometimes prohibit oxygen flow to the flames with little risk of electrocution. Baking soda also contains sodium bicarbonate, which is the substance in regulation fire extinguishers. You also could 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 blanket on fire too.

For large electrical appliance fires, you need a Type C fire extinguisher. You should always make sure you have at least one Type C extinguisher in your house. Extinguishers need to be inspected often to make sure they aren’t expired. If you have a working extinguisher on hand, just pull the pin at the top, aim the hose at the flames, and press the handle. If the flames get too dangerous to fight alone or you are concerned the fire may block an exit, leave the home immediately, shut the door , and then wait for assistance from the local fire department.

For the small appliance fires, call A&L Tempe Appliance Repair once the flames are extinguished and we can identify the cause of the fire and repair the electrical appliance and restore it to its original condition.

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