Fishy smell - overheating electrics?
Discussion
yesterday I got a strong fishy smell in one room, this started suddenly and hadn't been there before. Did the usual checks for dead mice, food discarded by the kids etc....but nothing.
Smell has now disappeared and hasn't come back.
Speaking to a friend he suggested that I might have an electrical fault and the overheating could be causing the smell.
What's the best way of diagnosing this....? Is it a case of removing wall sockets, light switches etc....and checking for any suspicious signs of overheating etc? Could the smell be coming from something like the plug on an appliance??
Any advice welcome....nervous that I'm sitting on a potentially catastrophic problem.
Smell has now disappeared and hasn't come back.
Speaking to a friend he suggested that I might have an electrical fault and the overheating could be causing the smell.
What's the best way of diagnosing this....? Is it a case of removing wall sockets, light switches etc....and checking for any suspicious signs of overheating etc? Could the smell be coming from something like the plug on an appliance??
Any advice welcome....nervous that I'm sitting on a potentially catastrophic problem.
I had this and it was the switch for my electric shower. When I took the switch off the wall it was obvious there was a fault with it so I changed it out and the smell went away.
You could try using various different electrical devices with everything else turned off to try to trace where it is coming from but by the time you can smell it there is already a problem so be careful!
I would be looking inside switches and sockets first I think but try to think about when you notice the smell. For me it was obvious as it was after having a shower.
You could try using various different electrical devices with everything else turned off to try to trace where it is coming from but by the time you can smell it there is already a problem so be careful!
I would be looking inside switches and sockets first I think but try to think about when you notice the smell. For me it was obvious as it was after having a shower.
guindilias said:
It tends to be the older, more Bakelite-y switches etc. that smell of fish when they are overheating - my immersion heater switch did the same thing!
If its the old Bakelite switches it may not be over heating. The Bakelite starts to degrade with age and even normal wiring heat can make it smell. According tou sparky anyway. Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff