Fishy Smell in House

[psticks]

Ok guys, not quite a DIY disaster but I wanted to post this as info for other folk to avoid a disaster as I just have.

Long story short - Fishy smell in utility room in old house when using tumble dryer. I thought the dryer might be pulling air from under wooden floor and we might have some sort of damp. Got fed up of this after a couple of months and went on line to see if I could find any info. Several forums mentioned plastics from electrical sockets and lighting and cable sheathing overheating and giving off this type of smell. As I was using the dryer, I went in and felt the plug. I couldnt bear my hand on it as it was so hot. I pulled the plug straight away and the pins sparked as it came out. The socket also showed signs of overheating and the plug is partially melted.

So the moral of this story is - if you have any fishy smells in your house I seriously recommend checking any wiring in the vicinity.

I cant believe how close we have just come to a disaster all but for a chance search on line.

Just going to have a lie down while my heart slows down.

PS - the electrician appointment is booked for tomorrow.

 

[wotan]

Pulling the plug on any appliance while it's under load is not a good idea, you should always switch off first.
The socket contacts if they overheat, lose springiness to grip the plug contacts causing poor contact, and local heating'
Renewing socket, and fitting a new plug should get things back to normal.

Wotan

 

[peterperfection]

Pulling the plug on any appliance while it's under load is not a good idea, you should always switch off first.
The socket contacts if they overheat, lose springiness to grip the plug contacts causing poor contact, and local heating'
Renewing socket, and fitting a new plug should get things back to normal.

Wotan

Fishy smells are usually/ always electrics. Always check the fuses to make sure they are correct fuses for the load .
It's surprising just what is sometimes put in- in place of a fuse .
I have even seen a cut off piece of a nail.

 

[Cigaro]

I wonder just how common badly wired rewirable plugs are with appliances?

I remember we had a similar problem at my parents' place a few years ago. They phoned me up - "The dryer's stopped working - could you have a look? Oh, by the way, the plug's been getting hot for months now."

Sadly I didn't take a picture at the time, but at a guess whoever wired the plug at the factory must have got about one strand in the live terminal and the rest were just sitting there, meaning that one strand must have been glowing red hot passing 10 amps or whatever a tumble drier pulls. The plug was black and melted inside and the single strand of wire sticking out of the live terminal had obviously melted through, which made the thing eventually stop working.

Could have so easily started a fire.