Is There An Electrical Smell In The House? (Possible Causes & Fixes)

Jessica Vaillancourt
by Jessica Vaillancourt

There is a bad odor we never want to catch wind of in our homes: an electrical smell. While hard to place a finger on, you’ll know it when you encounter it. It smells like a blend of metals and something burning. This smell might be coming from a certain room or appliance, or is hard to pinpoint. So what is causing this worrisome electrical smell?

If there is an electrical smell in the house, it might be an overheating appliance. Your home’s electrical wiring may also be faulty. Loose or exposed wires can cause short circuiting and even electrical fires. Signs of an electrical fault include a tripping circuit breaker or burnt outlets. Contact an electrician immediately to diagnose the issue.

You should take potential electrical problems seriously. Neglecting exposed wires or overheating appliances can have costly, dangerous consequences. Electrical fires can happen if these wires spark and catch nearby fabrics ablaze. If you smell electrical burning anywhere in the home, call an electrician.

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What are the Causes of Electrical Smell?

There are a few potential causes of a burning, electrical smell in your home. Try to pay attention to where the scent is strongest. This will help you narrow down the possibilities. The more you know, the more effectively you can point an electrician in the right direction.

So what might be causing this concerning smell? Here are the most likely scenarios.

A Short Circuit

A short circuit is when abnormal electrical connections allow extra voltage to stream through a wire, switch, or outlet. When a wire is frayed or lacks proper insulation, the current often finds a path of least resistance. This can cause the wire or appliance to overheat and lead to an electrical fire.

Common causes of an electrical short circuit include:

  • Frayed or exposed wiring.
  • Improperly insulated wiring.
  • Loose wire connections.
  • Bad appliance wiring.

You should first check to see if the burning electrical smell is coming from an outlet. Do you notice any discoloration or buzzing from an outlet? What about any frayed or loose wiring on your appliances?

Also take note of any spots where the wire’s insulation is bare or chewed off. If an electrical short occurs, the wires can overheat and melt the rubber or plastic components. It’s these burning chemicals that give off an electrical smell.

A Circuit Overload

A circuit overload may be the cause of the electrical smell in your home. Electrical circuits are designed to only handle a certain amount of electricity. If the wiring, breaker, and electrical device run a load the circuit isn’t capable of handling, the circuit overloads.

You can identify a circuit overload when a device, lights, or home electricity suddenly powers off. The breaker box is made with this safety feature. When a circuit overloads, the circuit breaker flips off until you manually turn it back on.

A circuit overload doesn’t always smell bad. But if a burning electrical smell is coming from an appliance or the breaker box, a couple of things could be happening:

  • There is a loose circuit breaker wire. The wire’s insulation might be overheating and burning.
  • A circuit breaker has gone bad. The breaker might be melting due to the electrical overload. The wire insulation might also be burning.

If you’re dealing with a circuit overload, check your appliances. Are they pulling more electricity than the circuit is made for? Also, check your breaker box for loose or exposed wires. You should contact an electrician to look at your breaker box for broken circuit breakers. You may even have to replace your electrical panel.

An Overheated Appliance

Do you have an old lamp, TV, or radio? Maybe it’s time to upgrade or take a trip to the dump. Appliances naturally degrade with time and use. The wiring can become faulty, or the components can begin to fail. With poorly functioning appliances comes short circuiting and overheating.

The plastic components or wire insulation often melt from overheating. These melting chemicals give off a burning, electrical scent. If you smell burning from an appliance, check the outlet for buzzing noises or discoloration. There might be a short circuit within the outlet’s wiring.

An HVAC Issue

Wiring issues are not exclusive to appliance wiring or electrical wiring in the walls. A common cause of an electrical smell is a problem with the furnace. Plenty of things can happen with an HVAC system, including these:

  • Faulty electrical wiring. Your HVAC system might have loose or exposed wiring, causing overheating electrical components and melting insulation.
  • An overheated motor. If your motor is overheating, you should immediately power down your furnace and contact a technician.
  • Burning dust. Is it your first time using your heater for the season? You might be smelling burning dust on your furnace. This should only last about 20 minutes.

Signs You Have Electrical Problems

So, you notice an electrical smell in your home. Maybe you suspect there is faulty wiring somewhere. But how can you know that based on smell alone? If you have an electrical wiring issue, other signs of this will often show up. Here are a few other signs you have an electrical problem on your hands:

  • Circuit breaker keeps tripping. A circuit breaker is made for the safety of you and your home. When something goes wrong with the electrical current, it is designed to cut the power from that problem circuit. When this happens the circuit switch flips OFF, and will need to be manually flipped on again to open that current. If your circuit breaker keeps tripping, you have either a circuit overload or a short circuit in your home.
  • Discolored, buzzing, or dead outlets. Have you recently noticed there is discoloration on one of your outlets? It may be blackened or brown. This usually indicates the outlet was burned by a short circuit with the wiring. These short circuits can burn the outlet. Dead or buzzing outlets are also tell-tale signs of an electrical fault. You can cover any dead outlets with plastic outlet covers.
  • Home wiring is 50+ years old. If you live in a house built before the 1960s, this one might be for you. Homes that are over 50 years old and haven’t had their wiring replaced are long overdue. Old electrical wiring is highly susceptible to circuit overloads, short circuits, and electrical fires. You should call in an electrician to assess whether you should rewire your home.
  • Sparking breaker box. What does it mean when a breaker box sparks? What if it crackles, pops, and lights up to the touch or on its own? This is usually indicative of power to a circuit not being received. This causes the circuit to fail. If the electrical panel or circuit breakers spark, you should immediately shut off the main circuit breaker.

What Is an Electrical Fire?

An electrical fire is a fire that originates in electrical wires, circuit breakers, and appliances. It is caused by a failed or overheated electrical component, short circuit from faulty wiring, or a circuit overload on an electrical panel.

Electrical fires usually happen when circuit breakers are not properly maintained, or bad wiring is left unchecked. A sparking wire or overheated electrical appliance can even set nearby flammable objects ablaze.

Can Electrical Smell Like Fish?

Believe it or not, if you smell something fishy in your home, it could be electrical in nature. If a room smells like fish, we can easily mistake it for a dead animal or sewage. But don’t be too certain.

Overheating electrical components in outlets, appliances, or circuit breakers can melt. These melting chemicals emit a fishy scent. Left untreated, this can leave your home susceptible to an electrical fire. Call an electrician if you rule out any plumbing or animal infestation issues.

What You Should Do About an Electrical Smell

If you notice an electrical smell, the first thing you should do is unplug appliances in the area. If the smell is coming from an outlet, head to your breaker box. Then switch off the power supply to that outlet.

Make sure you move anything flammable away from the outlet or appliance. Have an electrician come over to check the outlets, breaker box, or possible overheated appliance.

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Related Questions

Is Electrical Smell Dangerous? 

Electrical smells, particularly those accompanied by a burning smell, can be toxic. A melting wire or electrical component will release burning chemical vapors into the air. The gases can contain PCB byproducts like polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. These are extremely toxic to inhale, and have been linked to cancer.


Why are my outlets not working?

Your outlets might not be working for a number of reasons. The outlets may be connected to a tripped circuit breaker. They may also have faulty or loose wiring.  There might also be a blown outlet due to a short circuit or overload.


What are the types of circuit breakers?

There are four main types of circuit breakers: Standard, GFCI, AFCI, and CAFCI. To know what type of circuit breaker you need, you need to know the circuit load. Figure out the amp size of the circuit breaker, based on the overall circuit load. Also ensure you purchase a compatible brand of circuit breaker for your electrical panel.

Jessica Vaillancourt
Jessica Vaillancourt

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