Smell Coming From Electrical Breaker Panel Causes

1) What is an Electrical Burning Smell?

When plastic insulation, PVC sheathing or electrical components begin to overheat and smoulder, there is a distinctive strange smell that can be described as any of the following:

• Urine-Like Smell
• Foul Smell
• Fishy Smell
• Plastic smell
• Burnt Electrical Smell

The smell indicates that excessive heat has developed in part of the electrical system and toxic fumes are being released as high temperatures are causing potential fire hazards. The burning smell is very pungent and immediate attention should be paid to the origin of the smell.

2) Melting Electrical Wires

Worn-out wires can be the start of a strange odor as the wire's insulation begins to overheat. PVC insulation on wiring, when heated beyond its design limits can start to emit a burning odor. Faulty wiring is one of the major causes of house fires yet potential hazards like this can easily be avoided through regular electrical inspections by a professional electrician. 

Older homes can be more susceptible to melting electrical wires as wiring that has not been replaced, or fully replaced breaks down over time.

3) Electrical Panel Smell

A burning electrical smell coming from the meter box, fuse box (electrical panel) or other mains equipment is a time for immediate action. The burning smell is one of the signs of an electrical fire occurring and should not be ignored. Likely causes of the smell coming from the panel are:

• Burnt Circuit Breaker
• Main Switch Burnt Out 
• Loose Connections on the Neutral Bar

• Burnt out wiring inside

  

4) What is a Circuit Breaker?

A circuit breaker is a device that prevents a short circuit and an overloaded circuit. The device monitors the amount of demand of the circuit that it protects and circuit breakers trip if there is excessive load drawing too much power OR where bad wiring has caused a short circuit fault. These devices are susceptible to burn out when subject to prolonged overloading, loose connections, or constant resetting after tripping. 

​If a circuit breaker is tripping then it should not be continually reset. The electrical issues that are causing the tripping should be investigated by an experienced electrician to determine the possible causes. Damage can result to the circuit breaker, electrical panel, and home's electrical system if faults are not promptly investigated.

5) What is a Main Switch?

The main switch or main linked switch is a device capable of isolating the power supply to the whole electrical panel or whole installation (where there is more than one panel). The device should disconnect all live conductors (including the neutral) simultaneously. These devices are also known as a 'Main Linked Switch' in that they are mechanically linked across all poles so simultaneous disconnection is achieved when switched off. 

These devices have all the electrical current demand for the installation flowing through them and as a result, minor faults within the switch, slight damage or loose wiring can be quickly exacerbated into burn out and ELECTRICAL PANEL SMELL that causes concern!

6) What is the Neutral Bar?

​The neutral bar is the part of the consumer unit or electrical panel where all the neutral cables connect back into. A burnt-out Neutral bar is a common discovery when attending an electrical breakdown emergency situation. One of the most common electrical problems in older fuse boxes is loosening of the neutral wiring in this bar and resultant burn out. See picture.

7) Other Equipment

The electrical panel is often installed at the origin of the electrical supply meaning that there are other pieces of electrical equipment nearby. Whilst there may be an ELECTRICAL PANEL SMELL the smell may be originating from other pieces of electrical equipment belonging to the supplier rather than from your fuse box, consumer unit or panel.

At the mains position there is often:

• The Electric Meter
• The Supply Cut Out
• The External Isolator

• Power Dividing Blocks

  

8) The Electric Meter

Part of the main power supply and electrical services is the electricity meter. This piece of equipment monitors how much electricity you have used and shows a figure on the display. In older meter equipment there would be a number of dials that turn as electricity is used to present different numbers. In newer metering equipment everything is done digitally and information sent direct to your electricity supplier. 

As the electric meter monitors the entire usage of the home's wiring, there can be a large flow of electricity massing through at any one time. This makes it susceptible to burning out if connections are not tight or if there is tarnishing to the internal metal work.

9) The Supply Cut Out

​The supply cut out is usually a black or grey colour and is around 10 inches high and 6 inches wide. It contains the main fuse for the wiring installation and prevents the incoming mains cable from being overloaded. As this equipment is rarely checked or swapped, loose connections can easily develop over several years and cause problems at unexpected times.

10) The External Isolator

Some electrical systems only have an isolator (Main Linked Switch) inside the panel itself whereas others will have an additional external isolating device AFTER the electricity meter and before the mains cables enters the electrical panel. Again, as these devices have all the electrical current for the installation flowing through them, any weak spots within the switches or loose connections can quickly cause burnt out wiring and be mistaken for ELECTRICAL PANEL SMELL​.

11) Power Dividing Blocks

These blocks are usually installed after the electricity meter, after the external isolator and before the main electrical panel. Their main purpose is to split the mains feed to supply additional electrical panels or equipment. They are particularly useful when additions to the wiring need to be made and where the original electrical panel is very old, has no space for additions or no further capacity.

12) Summary

Ignoring an ELECTRICAL PANEL SMELL​ is not wise. The distinctive fishy odor and pungent smell are unmistakeable. Where you have a smell like this in your home, you have a serious problem that requires electrical inspection in order to determine which of the electrical circuits are affected. Without immediate investigation, further damage is guaranteed to occur and as such the best way to limit the cost of necessary repairs is to call an emergency electrician as soon as possible.