Help!! My family and I moved into a brand new house 6 years ago. Within a couple of years we started noticing a slight strange fishy smell in the hallway. Never have been able to locate it. It usually goes away in the winter and comes back in the summer. This year it is terrible!! you can smell it all over the house. We have no idea where it is coming from.
strange fishy smell
- Thread starter brandy123
- Start date
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too.................. many............................. jokes........................!!!! 
anyway, got air con?
really in the USA?
fishy smell = hot / burning paxolin type plastics ( used for electrical insulation, back of sockets etc.. )
anyway, got air con?
really in the USA?
fishy smell = hot / burning paxolin type plastics ( used for electrical insulation, back of sockets etc.. )
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some paints give off a smell, some floor coverings give off a smell..
do you have air con? / central air etc?
do you have air con? / central air etc?
too.................. many............................. jokes........................!!!!
anyway, got air con?
really in the USA?
fishy smell = hot / burning paxolin type plastics ( used for electrical insulation, back of sockets etc.. )
fwiw im with you on this cj
the standard of construction over here leaves a lot to be desired
they would be strung up in england
J
Johnmelad502
Have a look here, some suggestions and possibly an answer.
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/disaster/msg0511092410993.html
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/disaster/msg0511092410993.html
J
Johnmelad502
She has been in the house 6 years so possibly still needs an answer.
That said I have seen a few posts on this or very similar subject but not by this person who only joined the forum recently...
a strange fishy smell is most often caused by an overheating electrical accessory, such as a socket, switch or junction box
apart from electrical faults, it can also happen if you have a high-wattage lamp in a lampholder that is designed for lower power, or where a lamp is enclosed e.g. in a dowlighter and the heat can't get away/
if you turn off the power for a few hours and the smell goes away, you have a clue. if the smell occurs in winter it may be to do with a heater; if in the summer it might be with a fan or air con; if at night it may be lighting; if when cooking it may the stove.
to find out what a hot electrical accessory smells like, buy a cheap electrical item such as a brown junction box, and put it on the stove. They are made of thermosetting plastic which does not melt when it gets hot, but it discolours, chars and smokes. See if the smell is the same.
if you can't find an overheating electrical accessory, there might be a junction box hidden in a wall or ceiling; if it has a poor connection inside it, that can cause overheating. Here in the UK junction boxes are not permitted to be hidden in walls or ceilings in case this sort of problem arises. An ionising Smoke Detector alarm may go off if placed close to the source, or above it.
apart from electrical faults, it can also happen if you have a high-wattage lamp in a lampholder that is designed for lower power, or where a lamp is enclosed e.g. in a dowlighter and the heat can't get away/
if you turn off the power for a few hours and the smell goes away, you have a clue. if the smell occurs in winter it may be to do with a heater; if in the summer it might be with a fan or air con; if at night it may be lighting; if when cooking it may the stove.
to find out what a hot electrical accessory smells like, buy a cheap electrical item such as a brown junction box, and put it on the stove. They are made of thermosetting plastic which does not melt when it gets hot, but it discolours, chars and smokes. See if the smell is the same.
if you can't find an overheating electrical accessory, there might be a junction box hidden in a wall or ceiling; if it has a poor connection inside it, that can cause overheating. Here in the UK junction boxes are not permitted to be hidden in walls or ceilings in case this sort of problem arises. An ionising Smoke Detector alarm may go off if placed close to the source, or above it.
I had something like that once upon a time. Everytime I put the immersion heater on the smell got worse. The house had just beem re-wired and the electrician hadn't secured one of the big mains wires properly, it wasn't making a good connection and the plastic was getting hot.
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