Ever catch a weird smell in your house that makes you stop and sniff around? If it reminds you of burning plastic or even fish, it could be more than just a strange odour. Sometimes, these smells are signs of electrical problems hiding behind walls or inside outlets. While it might be tempting to ignore it or mask it with air freshener, it’s better to figure out what’s going on before it becomes something much worse.
Strange electrical smells shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially for homes in St. John’s, where many houses still rely on older wires and electrical setups. Whether it’s from heavy appliance usage or hidden damage you can’t see, unusual electrical smells can be an early warning of a serious hazard. Knowing what different odours can mean makes it easier to prevent damage or danger in your home. Let’s go over some of the most common smells and what they could signal.
Common Electrical Smells And Their Causes
There’s a handful of smells you might come across that say something’s wrong. Identifying what you’re smelling and knowing what it likely points to helps make smarter, safer choices fast.
Here are four of the most common ones:
1. Burning Plastic or Rubber
This smell can mean overheating wires or electrical components. When wires get too hot, the plastic coating begins to melt. This often happens in overloaded circuits or where there’s a loose connection. You might notice this smell around outlets, power bars, or appliances that draw a lot of power like space heaters and dryers.
2. Fishy Smell
Yes, a fishy smell can actually come from your electrical system. It’s more common than you’d think. This usually happens when heat breaks down plastic insulation within switches or outlets. It doesn’t smell like fish for fun. That odour is really a sign that something is cooking from the inside out.
3. Sulphur or Rotten Eggs
If it smells like sulphur, your home might be facing something bigger than an electrical issue. This odour can come from a gas leak near electrical equipment or sometimes from arcing, which happens when electricity jumps from one connection to another. Both are serious and should be looked at right away.
4. Burning Wood or Smoke Smell
This one hits the panic button for most people, and it should. If you catch the scent of burning wood or smoke and there’s no fire nearby, it might be an internal fire starting in the walls or ceiling. This often comes from faulty wiring or older outlets that have degraded over time.
One example we’ve seen is when a homeowner plugged a space heater into a worn extension cord. Not long after, they noticed a burnt plastic smell in the living room. It turned out the cord had been overheating for a while, and the plug was partially melted inside the wall socket. That small mistake almost caused a fire.
Smells like these need attention fast. If you ever run into one of them in your home, don’t assume it will just go away. The longer they linger, the more damage they can cause.
Immediate Actions To Take
If you do notice a strange smell in your home, there are a few things you should do right away. Taking no action puts your family, your home, and your safety at risk. These are some basic first steps you can take while waiting for help to arrive:
– Turn Off the Power
If the smell is isolated to a certain room or outlet, flip off the breaker for that area. Don’t try to unplug or tamper with the outlet if it’s warm, sparking, or smelling strongly. Head to your panel and cut the power to that part of the house.
– Ventilate the Room
Open windows and doors nearby. This will help air out any smoke or odours and will also give you a better chance at telling if the smell sticks around once the airflow improves.
– Do Not Use Water
Do not try to pour water on an electrical outlet or appliance that smells like it’s burning. Water and electricity don’t go well together. This can make the situation worse and even create a shock hazard.
– Call a Professional
The most important move is to bring in a qualified electrician. A trained expert can track down the source of the smell, fix what’s wrong, and keep the issue from coming back. Especially in older homes across St. John’s, it’s better to be safe and get an expert opinion sooner rather than later.
Don’t bypass that weird scent like it’s no big deal. When electrical systems let off smells, it’s usually their way of saying they need help. Acting fast and calling someone with proper training can make all the difference.
Preventative Measures To Help You Stay Ahead
Prevention is always easier than dealing with damage after the fact. When it comes to electrical smells, catching problems before they turn serious can save you time, money, and stress. Even newer homes in St. John’s aren’t completely in the clear. Issues like overloading circuits or using cheap cords happen in households of all ages. Taking a few steps to keep your system in good shape can go a long way.
Start with regular inspections. A licensed electrician should review your home’s electrical setup every few years or more often if your home is older or you’ve added high-demand appliances. These checks can pick up on heat damage, loose wiring, or signs of wear you might not see on your own.
Stick with quality products too. Extension cords, plugs, and power bars may all look the same, but bargain ones can break down faster or fail under pressure. Look for cables and outlets that meet Canadian safety standards, especially for high-draw devices like portable heaters or window AC units.
Finally, keep an eye on how many devices you’re connecting to one area. Overloading outlets can cause wires to heat up and insulation to weaken. If your breaker keeps tripping or you’re using multiple power bars plugged into the same space, that’s your cue to make a change.
These small steps work best when done regularly, not just after something smells off. Sticking to a routine makes your electrical system safer and helps avoid those surprise failures nobody wants to deal with.
Why Calling A Professional Makes The Difference
When something doesn’t smell right, it’s better to get to the bottom of it right away. But you don’t want to crack open outlets or panels on your own. Sometimes the issue might be buried deep in the walls or tied to other systems like HVAC or lighting. That’s why bringing in someone who’s trained to deal with it the right way is the safest route.
Professionals are trained to spot invisible damage, test areas that seem fine on the surface, and figure out the root of the problem without guesswork. What smells like burning plastic near your couch might actually be a breaker panel two walls away that’s struggling with load. Without the tools or knowledge to trace it properly, a homeowner might miss the mark and let the issue grow.
Electricians familiar with homes and buildings in St. John’s also understand how different wiring systems were used over the years. That insight makes fixing, upgrading, or replacing components a lot safer and faster. Whether it’s cloth wiring in an older home or faulty DIY jobs from past owners, a local pro knows what to look for.
Safe fixes are never about patch jobs or just swapping out a plug. True repairs focus on making sure your whole system runs efficiently without putting your home at risk. And when it’s caught early enough, professional help can stop a small smell from becoming a bigger mess.
Keep Small Smells From Becoming Big Problems
Weird smells coming from electrical parts around your house are never something to brush off. Whether it’s the sharp burn of plastic, the strange scent of fish, or the lingering smokiness of something overheating, these signs point to a problem. Acting quickly can stop damage before it starts and keep your home and family safe.
While it’s easy to hope that minor smells will fade, electrical issues rarely fix themselves. Professional support makes all the difference. Whether you’re worried about an outlet that feels warm or you’ve noticed lingering smoke smells near your panel, it’s time for trained eyes to step in.
Strange odours are your system’s way of waving a red flag. Don’t wait for that scent to turn into sparks. For reliable, experienced electrical services in St. John’s, reach out to ShockFree Electrical to book an inspection or repair.
If strange electrical smells have you on edge, don’t just hope the problem fades away. Trust the expert team at ShockFree Electrical to ensure your home stays safe and sound. Learn how our electrical services in St. Johns can help you catch small issues before they lead to bigger damage.
