On Fri, Jul 06, 2007 at 11:52:44AM +0000, mark@noakes.com wrote:
> I'm getting a very unnevering burnt wood smell in my family room that I
> cannot find the source of. (I haven't run the table saw or the
> fireplace in quite a while.) It's very faint and not continuous. While
> I do have a gas water heater in the basement/garage, I'm worried about
> something electrical. The house is 19 years old.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can find the source
> before it becomes disasterous? I guess I'll pull all the outlets in
> that part of the house this weekend to see if there are any issues.
If your local fire department is unwilling to let you borrow/rent their
thermal imaging camera, you can use a stethoscope to find tiny arcs in
the wiring inside the wall. A few years ago I used one to chase down what
turned out to be a loose wire nut in a junction box.
You mentioned that you have a fireplace. Are you smelling burnt/burning wood
or are you smelling the typical ash smell of a chimney with a downdraft? In
my experience they are very different smells (the latter of which quickly
gives me a headache).
Jimmie
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