can't find the source of a burning smell

[yangersh]

Hi, I've had a burning smell in my apartment for two months now and 3 electricians who have come have not been able to diagnose the problem. My apartment is in the Bronx, NY. I bought it 1 and 1/2 years ago. I has a fuse box. Last summer, my first summer there, no issues. I ran my AC and other appliances with no issues

 

[telectrix]

you need an electrician with a better sense of smell and a logical approach. could be as simple as dust in a heater, although a burning smell can be traced, but could be a potential fire risk, so get it sorted pronto.

 

[Vortigern]

Get a female electrician in, their sense of smell is legendary.

 

[Megawatt]

Hi, I've had a burning smell in my apartment for two months now and 3 electricians who have come have not been able to diagnose the problem. My apartment is in the Bronx, NY. I bought it 1 and 1/2 years ago. I has a fuse box. Last summer, my first summer there, no issues. I ran my AC and other appliances with no issues

Do you have any fluorescent lights, if so it could be the ballast heating up and with my experience ballast will get so hot it will start burning and get so hot that you would have to wear gloves to replace it. Good luck

 

[yangersh]

Do you have any fluorescent lights, if so it could be the ballast heating up and with my experience ballast will get so hot it will start burning and get so hot that you would have to wear gloves to replace it. Good luck

Hi, thanks so much. No, I don't. I reached out to another electrician who suggested that there is a splice in the junction box behind the light fixture in my living room. He said that was what he found in his experience that caused the type of thing I described. I have to research these terms to try to understand.

 

[Megawatt]

Hi, thanks so much. No, I don't. I reached out to another electrician who suggested that there is a splice in the junction box behind the light fixture in my living room. He said that was what he found in his experience that caused the type of thing I described. I have to research these terms to try to understand.

Yes you have splices behind all your lights and receptacles in the boxes and I don’t think that is your problem with your light. If it was in fact in your light it would either stop working or be flickering.

 

[yangersh]

Yes you have splices behind all your lights and receptacles in the boxes and I don’t think that is your problem with your light. If it was in fact in your light it would either stop working or be flickering.

Thanks so much. The electrician suggested that both circuits that run through my living room run through the junction box (where there is a splice), which is behind the living room light fixture in these old buildings. I smell the burning smell when I use both of those circuits but one circuit moreso. Yesterday, I got the burning smell going and smelled the light fixture and it did not smell stronger than anywhere else. I can't seem to isolate the smell to any particular area at all. It doesn't smell like plastic burning, just a burning smell. Also, since this pungent smell has been going on, no fuse has blown. This is such a mystery. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[OnlQQker]

Could be from an air conditioning duct and travelling through from another apartment?

Or through voids in the floor from below/above/side apartment

Any chimneys or extraction tubes running up the side or outside of your apartment near a window/air brick?

Might be worth asking the neigbours if they smell anything from inside there apartments...

 

[Megawatt]

Thanks so much. The electrician suggested that both circuits that run through my living room run through the junction box (where there is a splice), which is behind the living room light fixture in these old buildings. I smell the burning smell when I use both of those circuits but one circuit moreso. Yesterday, I got the burning smell going and smelled the light fixture and it did not smell stronger than anywhere else. I can't seem to isolate the smell to any particular area at all. It doesn't smell like plastic burning, just a burning smell. Also, since this pungent smell has been going on, no fuse has blown. This is such a mystery. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

With you living in the Bronx and your building is old it could possibly be rodents chewing on the wire where it is not possible to get to. Could it possibly be coming from another apartment adjacent to your apartment? Good luck and make sure you have working smoke alarms in all rooms.

 

[Other_Tucker]

It took our office full of electricians 3 days to track down the electrical burning smell to a ball point pen someone had dropped in the toaster. It could be anything, pay attention to what you're doing when the smell occurs

 

[Mike Johnson]

A few questions to narrow this down:
1. Is the burning smell constant or intermittent?
2. If intermittent Is it at a particular time of day?
3. What are you doing when the smell occurs?
4. Have you tried turning off individual circuits and see if the smell dissipates?
5. Are you windows open when the smell occurs?

Answering these question could help.

 

[yangersh]

A few questions to narrow this down:
1. Is the burning smell constant or intermittent?
2. If intermittent Is it at a particular time of day?
3. What are you doing when the smell occurs?
4. Have you tried turning off individual circuits and see if the smell dissipates?
5. Are you windows open when the smell occurs?

Answering these question could help.

Mike, thanks so much.
1 and 2. Oddly enough, its both constant and if I am not mistaken, it is worse in the evening, or close to the evening.
3. I am at home either working on my laptop (connected to the internet) or simply trying to rest (watching TV, music, etc.).
4. Yes. It seems to occur using 2 out of the 4 circuits, and when I am using particular outlets within those circuits.
5. The smell happens when the windows are either open and closed.

 

[Mike Johnson]

It sounds as though you have a loose connection on one of the sockets you use in the evening, I suggest you move your laptop to a different room/circuit for one evening and see it the smell persists, if it does not you have isolated the circuit fault and should be able to identify what particular socket/room the smell emanates from, why any electrician can't find this fault tends to indicate they are nor real electricians.

 

[littlespark]

Could it be the laptop power supply itself?

Check for heat coming from the outlet being used…. Black marks around the pins etc…

 

[jozefbehr]

Please check from the heating side...

 

[yangersh]

Do you have any fluorescent lights, if so it could be the ballast heating up and with my experience ballast will get so hot it will start burning and get so hot that you would have to wear gloves to replace it. Good luck

No. but, thanks.

 

[yangersh]

Could be from an air conditioning duct and travelling through from another apartment?

Or through voids in the floor from below/above/side apartment

Any chimneys or extraction tubes running up the side or outside of your apartment near a window/air brick?

Might be worth asking the neigbours if they smell anything from inside there apartments...

To be honest, the air conditioning duct theory sounds logical. the smell is intermittent throughout the day and gets really strong starting at about 5 pm, when folks are coming home (and on the weekends). Similarly, the voids in the floor theory sounds logical for the same reason. It looks like there is a chimney or extraction tube in the building but there is an apartment separating mine from it. I have no idea how to potentially stop it though. Would you? thanks.

 

[OnlQQker]

To be honest, the air conditioning duct theory sounds logical. the smell is intermittent throughout the day and gets really strong starting at about 5 pm, when folks are coming home (and on the weekends). Similarly, the voids in the floor theory sounds logical for the same reason. It looks like there is a chimney or extraction tube in the building but there is an apartment separating mine from it. I have no idea how to potentially stop it though. Would you? thanks.

Not knowing the layout of your flat then it's not easy.
If you have a loft/void above you then I would have a look up there, if you have vents in the floor or around skirting height then you'll need to keep and eye on them at times when the smell is at its strongest.
Is there a chip shop below you, or pizza parlor. You will need to turn detective.
Even soilsacks can cause smell if the air admittance valve has jammed up or a pigeon has nested in an open vent, these can be stronger smelling as well when more people start using the bathrooms/toilets etc