Why does my electrical appliance smell like fish or burnt rubber?
Power surges can cause components like ceiling fans and lights to overheat and melt their insulation, producing a distinctive fishy or burnt rubber odor. Continuing to use the appliance poses a safety hazard, which is why people prefer to keep it unplugged until the underlying electrical issue is identified.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Turning off the room's circuit breaker
- 2Waiting until Monday to call an electrician
- 3Assuming the smell is from poor HVAC circulation or a dead rodent
- 4Turning off the power and inspecting the outlet for burn marks and loose wires
- 5Ceasing use of the outlet until the issue is diagnosed
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
r/homeowners1 person · September 2026
“My parents had an electrical surge 3 weeks ago. In one of the rooms, a ceiling fan and ceiling light appliance have been emitting a fishy odor ever since.”source ↗
KawaiiGeorgiaPeach · r/homeowners · 5 upvotes