gas or electric metre smells of fish

dooj

my gas and electric meter is located in a small lobby near my front door, have noticed a few times that the area (between the two lobby doors) occasionally smells of fish! it seems to be stronger when the hob (gas) and electric oven have been on, does anyone know any reason for this?

matphil

There was a thread on here recently covering this. I think it turned out to be the electrical wires were melting. You should get your electrics checked as soon as possible.

dooj

oh my god who do i get to look at it? what is the thread? is it really dangerous?

silvercar

dooj wrote:

oh my god who do i get to look at it? what is the thread? is it really dangerous?

You need a qualified electrician. It may be dangerous, particularly if it is coming from your meter cupboard. How modern is your fuse board? It could be as simple as an old cupboard light, on the other hand it could be a bigger problem.

Mr_Warren_2

The obvious answer is to call an Electrician. I had exactly that same problem some months ago. Turns out that screw connections to wires work themselves loose and start creating a small electrical arc, thus heating the plastic around hence the @fishy smell@ if you think you are up to it (and I personally don't see any reasons why I should not do it next time), get a strong flat head screwdriver with insulated handles (any good brand will do), remove the protective cover of your fuse box and tighten all screw 9top and bottom) were cables enter and exit. This should stop the smell.

WestonDave

I would call out an electrician - most will do a full test of your whole house circuits for a relatively modest sum (£100 ish). If that hasn't been done since you moved in it would be worth it for peace of mind, and will also highlight any issues that need addressing for safety.

Given the tone of your second post I would strongly suggest this is something you are not confident enough with to attempt DIY - get someone in - if it turns out to be something simple be thankful that you can go forward in certainty - if it is something serious you will know in time to avoid a disaster.

silvercar

please don't mess around with connections in your main consumer unit, unless you know what you are doing.

dooj

thanks everyone, i have rang electricity man who is coming round in the next few hours, i dont even want to look at it myself as i have no idea what im looking for and im 8 month pregnant so wouldnt even get up a pair of ladders let alone mess about with electrics,