A burning smell from your fuse board can be a very serious issue. If you smell burning or a fishy smell coming from your fuse board, you need to contact an electrician urgently. 

Burning Smell from Fuse Board - The Lady Sparky, Liverpool

Burning Smell from Fuse Board - The Lady Sparky, Liverpool

What to do if you smell burning?

If you smell burning from your consumer unit in your Liverpool home, it is important to turn off the power to your fuse board immediately. This can usually be done by turning off the main switch which will be located on either side of your board. They are often a red or blue double switch that can be push down. Some older fuse boards have a black switch that will display an ON sign, push this in the opposite direction until you see the OFF sign. 

Next you need to call an emergency electrician to come out and investigate the cause of the smell. DO NOT attempt to remove the fuse board cover yourself. Even though the main switch is off, there can still be live parts within the board that can cause serious harm to you. 

I aim to attend a call out of this nature as soon as possible, usually within 2 hours of your call. Call me on 07521 736 230.  

Leave the power off until I arrive on site, and I will investigate, safely, what the problem is.

What could cause the burning smell?

On arrival I will check the board has been isolated correctly then remove the cover. Loose connections in MCB breakers or RCBOs can often be the cause of a burning smell. When cables carry current, they vibrate, expand and retract with the heat of the current. If the cable is not secured properly in its correct terminal, the cables can slowly over time wiggle out of the terminal. The heat from the cables will eventually melt their insulation case. This causes a fishy burning smell. 

Sometimes the damage can be quite minimal, and the cables can be safely cut and re-terminated but that depends on the degree of thermal damage and the length of the cable itself. More serious issues arise when the cables heat up so much that they damage their breakers and neighbouring cables. 

Depending on the age of the fuse board, breakers can sometimes be replaced. We try to keep spare breakers in stock but with the number of different manufactures and fuse board models it is sometimes difficult to replace a part in the initial visit. 

I will always try to source a replacement part where necessary but if the board is severely damaged or the breakers are unattainable, the only solution may be to replace the whole fuse board

Thermal damage to a fuse board can be problematic if it is not safe to turn the power back on due to considerable damage, and I understand this can cause great inconvenience to your property and life. I will always aim to get power restored to the property as quicky and safely as possible. Sometimes it is important to leave the affected circuit turned off until a repair can be carried out. I will always aim to leave some power in the property to be able to power fridges and freezers. If this is not possible then asking friends, family or neighbours to help store your frozen goods may be a good option. 

Advise After Burning in a Fuse Board    

If thermal damage has occurred in your fuse board it is recommended that an EICR is carried out. This is an Electrical Installation Condition Report that will determine if any unseen issues have occurred due to the thermal damage. It is also important to conduct this type of testing if a new fuse board is required. This report will identify any underlying issues that can cause problems for newer fuse board technology.

If you require assistance with a burning smell in your fuse board or more information on EICRs, then give me a call on 07521 736 230

The Lady Sparky is your local, qualified electrician covering Liverpool, Warrington and the surrounding area. If you need help with your electrics, contact me today.