Does your home have a 'fishy smell'?
The smell: A “fishy” odor in your home.
Now, we know— chances are, you’re not experiencing this problem right now but for the love of your home, your family’s safety and your wallet, keep reading.
Why?
Well, reading up on this issue now can prevent 2 future problems:
- An electrical fire in your home
- Thousands of dollars wasted on exterminators/air-duct cleaning/
- AC service calls (due to misdiagnosing the smell)
We’ll explain why fishy smells mean electrical danger and what you should do if and when you ever come across this common issue.
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.).
You see, most wires, circuit breakers, etc. are made with heat resistant chemicals. But if those wires/outlets/breakers overheat, the chemicals they’re made of release a weird odor that smells exactly like… fish.
So why would your home’s appliances start overheating in the first place? Well, several electrical hazards can cause overheating, including:
- Incorrectly sized breakers/fuses
- Overloaded circuits
- Loose wires
- Frayed cords
- Wire insulation breakdowns
- Older homes with electrical systems that aren’t up to code
What to do if you smell a fish odor in the house
The bottom line? Call an electrician right away.
A licensed and experienced electrician will quickly find and repair the source of the ‘fishy smell’. They can also check for other potential overheating problems.
The longer those wires/devices overheat, the more likely it is that the heat being produced will cause a fire—especially if the device is near flammable objects such as wallpaper, cellulose insulation, paint or wood.
The scary part is that most homeowners misdiagnose that smell as either a sewer gas, mold or a dead animal in the walls, attic or basement. That means they waste valuable time (and lots of money) trying to fix a problem they don’t have.
We’ll save you some time: sewer gases, mold and dead animals will never give off a fish odor.
Note: Sewer gases smell like rotten eggs/sulphur while mold is often described as a sweet/musty/rotten wood smell. A dead animal will smell more rotten than it will “fishy”.
Prevent this “fishy” issue with an electrical inspection
Tron Electric has been in business for over 40 years are fully licensed and insured, and are registered with the ESA (#6015080) Call us at (905) 856-3661 or email: [email protected]