Can an electric heater (plug in) smell like fish? This could be something electrical in the home overheating and melting its insulating plastic or ­rubber—which could lead to a fire. ... A malfunctioning outlet or fixture could take months, even years to fail completely. 227 E. Deer Park Drive Electrical Smells – Signs of electrical fire in walls I noticed a really bad fishy smell in the room. ... IMO electrical smoke smells like electrical smoke and nothing else. It sounds like something in the same circuit is pulling power across a particular outlet that has poor connections. The information on this website is for informational purposes only; it is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. electrical outlet melted and smells like fish? Fishy Smell That’s Not Fish Some people refer to this as a urine or burning rubber smell. With time that warmth could trigger the conductor to broaden and also agreement. Usually, the fish smell is an early indicator of a serious electrical problem that could lead to a fire. A few weeks ago, we started to experience a strange fishy smell on our upstairs landing right outside of the bedrooms. My outlet smells like fish. Generally, such a smell is caused by the arcing of electrical device. Any overheated copper will be discoloured and will have gone soft, so when repaired you are likely to need a new accessory and to cut back the damaged part of the cable to remove discoloured copper and insulation. What a “fishy” smell in your home really means Nine times out of 10, a fishy smell throughout the home means you have overheating electrical components (circuit breakers, outlets, wiring, etc.). Ensure electrical items have portable appliance testing (PAT) This is where electrical appliances are checked through a series of visual inspections and electronic tests and is the best ensuring that your appliances are safe for use. Seasons greetings one and all. This post serves as a reminder to me, and a warning to you. Electrical shielding, wires, and other plastic components emit a “fish” or “urine” smell when exposed to high heat. Ozone has a characteristic sharp odor and is mildly irritating. COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES – to protect our customers and employees! All fitted by a sparky when the conservatory was built 3 years ago. the fishy smell is normally smelt before this happens. Our licensed, experienced electricians will inspect your electrical system and replace any components necessary to repair the problem and make your home safe again. So, fishy smells can mean that something electrical is wrong. Which worked fine for several years. The most likely culprit is an appliance, such as a … After a very brief investigation, we found that the elecrtical outlet on the wall inside our bedroom as you enter the bathroom was hot (not warm, but hot) to the touch. Something smells fishy… and it’s not fish. The odor can be caused by any number of electrical problems, including: Usually, the fish smell is an early indicator of a serious electrical problem that could lead to a fire. Presence of a Weird, Fishy Smell One of the most common electrical faults announces itself with a strange fishy smell from the wall socket or switch. As such, the electricians should have used a heavy duty outlet. He arrived, made sure to wear footies for the house, and reviewed my…”, “The HVAC technician was very professional and knowledgeable. As you can see from the picture inset, the outlet was toast. Highly recommended!”, “Ermias was my technician today. level 1. If you turn off the power, remove the two screws holding the socket to the wall, pull the socket away from the wall and look at the cables, you will see if they are burnt. When you notice fish, urine, or burning plastic smells in your Maryland home, call our team at GAC Services. He called ahead when he was on his way, and arrived within the time frame provided to me from the main office. If I had a better iphone I would post a picture, but trust me, it looks just like the one above. In many cases, only the outlet will need to be replaced, usually due to loose or broken contacts inside, loose wires, or physical damage. Welcome Reddit's International Electrical Worker Community. The odors can be hard to track down and may come and go as the current draw on the outlet increases or decreases with use. So the fish smell was greatest after having been in the bathroom with all of the lighting on for 15-20 minutes. If so, it is likely a plumbing issue. fish smell from electrical fittings is due to overheating. It confirms the inspectors findings that overheating electrical components can cause fish odors in homes. If the cables have burnt, you should be able to smell them. When a circuit overheats, the plastics and heat-resistant chemicals used in outlets, circuit breakers, or wiring insulation may emit a fishy or urine-like smell. Gentlemen, this does not make for a good stories in any way. Could anyone tell me what the fishy smell is that comes from termination points on some circuits I have encountered. 5 years ago. I had smelled the scent earlier today near the socket but didn’t even think to check the socket itself, I had my mind so wrapped around bad pipes and I figured it may be under the house in that area, just didn’t know how. Signs of Burning Around an Electrical Outlet. Talk shop, show off … Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). Emergency room doctors treat over 4,000 individuals each year for injuries caused by faulty electrical outlets—don’t let anyone in your family fall victim to an electrical accident. the "mystery fish odor" in your home. 9 times out of 10 the culprit is probably something most of you had never thought of and it's something you shouldn't ignore! This could be something electrical in the home overheating and melting its insulating plastic or ­rubber—which could lead to a fire. We serve homeowners throughout Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard counties in Maryland, and with nearly 50 years of professional experience, you can count on us for all your electrical, heating, and air conditioning needs. That is why it is important to have your electrical system professionally inspected when you notice a fishy, urine-like, or burnt plastic smell near any outlets or electrical devices. An electrician can find the cause of the fish odor quickly and replace the affected components. The electric setup in the conservatory is basically a double plug socket in the conservatory wired to a switch with a fuse just inside the house which in turn is wired to a double wall socket on the wall just above it. Your email address will not be published. So the fish smell was greatest after having been in the bathroom with all of the lighting on for 15-20 minutes. As it turns out, taking a shower just exacerbated the faulty electrical switch because the bathroom wiring was routed through that outlet. The product and the process was explained and all my questions were…”, “Very impressed with every aspect of our experience with GAC Services, from the routine maintenance of our HVAC systems to emergency response/repairs and the installation of new equipment. If you start smelling rotten eggs, you could have a gas leak or a plumbing issue. Naturally, we googled about the smell, and it turns out that the odor is often related to electrical connections and appliances burning too hot, usually due to faulty wiring or wires having worked their way loose over time. Sort by. What you can see above, they used a normal use outlet. We were surprised by the occasional fishy smells that were drifting down from the attic, but figured the smelly little beasts had done something unmentionable. save. Check if the smell is stronger from your drains or when the water is on. It could be the warning that saves your life. But there seemed to be a pattern. Personally, I'd recommend shutting that particular circuit down until you can get a licensed electrician out there to troubleshoot the problem on site. Reasons why your electrical socket has a burning smell It crumbled apart when it was removed. If you smell fish and can’t figure out why, check all of the outlets and electric wires. report. Instead, it is overheated plastic in electrical components. We kept smelling a fishy smell and it turned out to be an electrical outlet that was melting inside the wall. Thank you so much for sharing and pass this on, fish smell, NOT burning smell at all, could be electrical!!! Do NOT ignore that fishy smell. Electric currents create warm waste. Posted by just now. Required fields are marked *. For people who are unfamiliar with the specific odor or the cause of the problem, it can be easy to misidentify the fish smell as rotting food, leaking sewer gases, algae growth in the HVAC system, or a dead rodent or bird somewhere in the home. Damaged outlets that are arcing or sparking. That fishy smell is the HMTA the crosslinking agent in phenolic resins, not the formaldehyde that you are smelling. level 2. Why it smells like it did is beyond me but I'm thankful I still have a house tonight. My heater smells like burning plastic what should I do? I found your pages about this subject which made me look at the sockets. Thank you. These problems are all relatively minor and do not require immediate attention. One of the most common electrical faults announces itself with a strange fishy smell from a wall socket or switch. 3. I checked the wall outlet after removing its cover and visually looks OK i.e. Leave a Review Now ». Close. Other people notice a distinctive fishy smell. If your outlet is hot, shut off the breaker asap. If you are in need of immediate assistance, please call our office directly. hide. 2 days ago we noticed a burning/melting plastic smell when we ran the appliances for 10-15 mins. If you smell fish with no fish in sight, you could have an overheating electrical component somewhere. Literally. As it turns out, taking a shower just exacerbated the faulty electrical switch because the bathroom wiring was routed through that outlet. Vote. It might be accompanied by a burning or sizzling sound, and may feel hot when you touch it. It smells like a mix of cat food, dead animal, and fish. I have not removed the actual sockets. The ultimate source of that fish smell in your home could be one of many things—an outlet, a switch, an electrical breaker, wiring, even an overloaded extension cord. It was so thick it almost stopped smelling like fish for one and started smelling toxic. It’s pretty likely that if something has been sitting in your home from a long time, all of the formaldehyde that was going to off gas will have already done so. As well as soon as it’s loosened, the power could arc. So I set the usual trap and hoped for the best. This post help diagnose the exact same problem at my house. The plastic used in these components contains a chemical that emits a fish or urine-like smell when it gets extremely hot or burns. As always, if you’re at all unsure se to the best course of action, consult a professional. Its often the case with electric showers, cookers or air con units. They respected me and my home and arrived masked and gloved (much appreciated). Log in or sign up to leave a comment Log In Sign Up. It is important to determine which outlet is causing the problem however, as it could lead to a fire is the outlet is not repaired quickly. share. Generally, such a smell is caused by the arcing of electrical device. Sometimes, burning plastic, wiring, and other electrical components smell like rotten eggs or sulfur to some people. are made with heat resistant chemicals. In other cases, the damage may be more extensive, requiring replacement or repair of wiring, new breakers, or upgraded components to achieve higher current ratings. Great service with high confidence that it's exactly what was needed.”, “We just had our heating+ac units (indoor and outdoor) replaced today, on one of the hottest days of the year, and we received such excellent service from Iggy and Cristian. It crumbled apart when it was removed. Hello We have been running a room heater and humidifier from a bedroom wall electrical outlet for the last 4-5 months with no issue. can my portable electric heater be giving of a ... but don't unplug it). 0 comments. While I’m not certain why this happened, I have a theory. The smell comes and goes. Bam! All information is subject to change at any time without notice. Often misdiagnosed as plumbing, HVAC, or pest problems, fishy odors are a common indication of electrical problems in an outlet, circuit breaker, or electrical wiring. For the last few days, it’s been life at the Marable houshold as usual, except we’ve had a few extra guest in the attic. They were extremely professional, punctual, and demonstrated amazing attention to…”, GAC Services no blackening. Your email address will not be published. I recall, as a child, standing next to the old wall switch in our dining room and flipping it on and off to get a whiff of that unique electrical smell as a tiny spark formed in that switch. Either way, the outlet’s been replaced. The wall above the outlet was warm, too. Fish Smell. My outlet smells like fish. Just plain UGH! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Quite often the smell will resemble the scent of burning plastic and will signal that something suspicious is going on with your electrical work. We just moved into this house 3 months ago and the smell coming from the living room wall outlet is horrible. Contact us for complete details. Hello all – My parents are having an issue with a somewhat fishy odor that comes & goes in one area of the house. How to get rid of the smell of fish after cooking. Microsoft Surface Activation Error 80072f8f. It took us forever to figure out the smell was coming from the outlet. In the circumstances you describe there is likely to be a loose connection inside the accessory. That is why it is important to have your electrical system professionally inspected when you notice a fishy, urine-like, or burnt plastic smell near any outlets or electrical devices. It looks like the outlet melted where heater was plugged in. Every time someone took a shower in our master bedroom, the foulest fishy odor would greet you as you exited the bathroom into our bedroom. Poor electrical connections can cause the coatings on electrical wires to melt, and this can cause the burning plastic smell you may be experiencing. A fishy smell is most commonly caused by the burning or melting of the outer casing of high current electrical cables. It does not constitute professional advice. Call us today at 301-926-3253 or contact us online for electrical service and repairs in Maryland! The odor can be carried throughout the house by the HVAC system, and it may intensify or fade with changing temperatures and circuit usage. Well, likely not. At some point it will certainly loosen up the link. If you smell something fishy, go around your home and look for outlets and other electrical equipment that looks burnt or melting. It happens almost immediately when something is plugged in/turned on and I promptly turn off/unplug every time so I don't know what might happen if left on/plugged in for an extended period of time (and the outlet is in my young daughter's bedroom so I'm not too inclined to find out). There is an electrical outlet in a room in my house giving off a strange smell. But with a TV/DVR combination pluegged into it and running a hair dryer, curling iron, and 12 40 watt bulbs in the bathroom next door, it couldn’t stand up to the pressure over time. That outlet was essentially used as a juntion box for all the wiring of the bedroom and bathroom. It smells kindof burnt? The O3 molecule quickly breaks down throwing off an oxygen atom that is VERY reactive. Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877 The plastic on my heater outlet was completely burnt, and it looks like any more time and I ... Lots of heat. “GAC sales rep and the installers arrived at my home on time and were professional. Burning smells in your house can be scary, especially when you can’t work out where they are coming from. This can make it difficult to identify which room the smell is coming from, or which outlet. You see, most wires, circuit breakers, etc. The Dangers of Misidentification Our outlet looks just like the pictures above. WSSC: 72505 HVAC: 02-7541 Electric: 4172, Read our Reviews on Google+ 4.9 stars and 1,000 reviews on Google I checked the heater and the cord was really hot, so I unplugged it. Every now and again I come across this and it is almost always on a shower circuit. 100% Upvoted. Fishy smell that’s not fish. Ozone and the stench of burning insulation are the most common 'electrical' smells you will find. The fish-like odor of an electrical problem is significantly different from the odors produced by these conditions, and it requires immediate action to avoid a potentially dangerous fire. Get your heater checked over by an electrician before you use it … Some people refer to this as a urine or burning rubber smell. I had a heater plugged into an outlet for a couple hours. Odds are that the outlet that the smell is coming from needs to be replaced. Strong burning smell from an outlet; If you notice a burning smell coming from your outlet, then there’s no doubt that it’s really burning. The most likely culprit is an appliance, such as a … When this occurs the capacity for an electric fire is big. While I’m not certain why this happened, I have a theory.