How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke. Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away, maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.

"Claude Balls" wrote in message
...

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so
between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke.. . .
No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always
gone right away, maybe it's a dream

Fortunately you can attack this simultaneously from two
directions:
1. Identify and instal the best smoke detector. The
UEL fire research laboratory may be able to advise.
2. Consult a psychologist specializing in either
dreams or aging, to find out whether there is any
reliable research about smell senses in sleep and
how to tell real instances from mental hallucinations.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 8:22:51 AM UTC-4, Don Phillipson wrote:

He could also turn off all non-essential breakers at night and
see if it stops. But when it's happening only once a week,
that could take a while to find out.

I guess a test could be performed at the panel, seeing if there is
any current flowing on circuits when there should not be. Upgrading
to AFCI on the circuits in that area of the house might be a good
idea too.

On 03/29/2015 06:56 AM, Claude Balls wrote:
How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke.


Just wondering if someone in the house might be sneaking a cigarette?


Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts
burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not
like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one
else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away,
maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.

"Claude Balls" wrote in message
...
How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be
overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between
4-5am in a puddle of jiz. Please advise.

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 08:47:33 -0500, philo wrote:

Just wondering if someone in the house might be sneaking a cigarette?

What does the OP do for a living? Dirty laundry nearby.

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 10:51:48 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 08:47:33 -0500, philo wrote:

Just wondering if someone in the house might be sneaking a cigarette?

What does the OP do for a living? Dirty laundry nearby.

Phantosmia - aka olofactory hallucination. Generally nothing serious
but can be a symptom of a brain tumour.
Or possibly parosmia, where a common scent is mis-interpreted. You may
fart, for instance, and smell a rose ;}. Perhaps you sniff your armit,
and smell wood-smoke.

Col. Edmund Burke posted for all of us...



"Claude Balls" wrote in message
...
How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be
overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between
4-5am in a puddle of jiz. Please advise.

What does it taste like? You should be able to differentiate between your
jiz donors by now.

--
Tekkie *Please post a follow-up*

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 15:45:52 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 10:51:48 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 08:47:33 -0500, philo wrote:

Just wondering if someone in the house might be sneaking a cigarette?

What does the OP do for a living? Dirty laundry nearby.

Phantosmia - aka olofactory hallucination. Generally nothing serious
but can be a symptom of a brain tumour.
Or possibly parosmia, where a common scent is mis-interpreted. You may
fart, for instance, and smell a rose ;}. Perhaps you sniff your armit,
and smell wood-smoke.

When I smoke meat, my clothes smell like Hickory. My bride can smell
me. Oh, girls don't fart. They fluff.

On 3/29/2015 4:32 PM, Oren wrote:


When I smoke meat, my clothes smell like Hickory. My bride can smell
me. Oh, girls don't fart. They fluff.


And sometimes the meat tastes better after you wash up and change your
clothes. You become desensitized after a few hours around the fire.

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 17:41:49 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 3/29/2015 4:32 PM, Oren wrote:


When I smoke meat, my clothes smell like Hickory. My bride can smell
me. Oh, girls don't fart. They fluff.


And sometimes the meat tastes better after you wash up and change your
clothes. You become desensitized after a few hours around the fire.

The meat tastes the same.

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 04:56:23 -0700, "Claude Balls"
wrote:

How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

I have something like that.

Once in a while I get a short whiff of an oily smell, and I have oil
heat. But a couple times, including this morning, while I was sleeping
the smell seemed to go on for an hour. I think that's because one can
have a whole dream that seems like an hour, but it only takes a couple
seconds for the dream. When I woke up maybe there was a smell, but a
minute or so later it was gone.


For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke. Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away, maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

One time, it smelled like electrical wires burning. I went to the
bathroom and when I came back and was 15 feet from the head of the bed,
I look at the high intensity light, and could tell that the smell was
coming from it, which is less than 18" from my nose when I'm sleeping,
and not the heating duct like I had thought.

Noses vary widely from one person to the next. Other senses do too,
including the abiltiy to remember smells and pain. Not just to remember
sensing a smell or having pain, but according to people in another
group, they can actually remember the pain or the smell. OTOH, one or
two said they couldn't remember a sight or a sound, but I can.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.

Maybe a remote thermometer or IR thermometer, or whatever you call it.
?? Point at the wall and move it alnong to all the electric boxes.
Shouldn t' be any hot spots.

On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 7:52:01 AM UTC-4, Claude Balls wrote:
How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke. Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away, maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.


may be a good idea to call the fire department. they have sensitive equpitement to locate combustion. as i found out one day when our 3 month old smoke and CO detector alarmed. my GF was very shook up..........

the detector had failed

it would be sad to see a home fire after not getting things checked in a circumstance like this

How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke. Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away, maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.


*Do you have any fluorescent light fixtures in the house? The older ballasts have a burning smell when they start to go bad.

John Grabowski
http://www.MrElectrician.TV

On 3/29/2015 7:56 AM, Claude Balls wrote:
How's the best way to find out if there's any wiring that might be overheating inside a wall?

For the last few months, I have been waking up once a week or so between 4-5am smelling what smells like cigarette smoke. Today it was more like hot wood - like when a dull saw blade starts burning the wood. As soon as I wake up, there's no smell. It's not like it's coming thru a window - more like right next to me. No one else has smelled it and since the smell was always gone right away, maybe it's a dream, but never heard of having a smelly dream.

Anyway, first time I smelled it, I took it seriously and checked all the electrical in the house. All looked OK. No smell at any outlets, cords, electronics, appliances, no hot cords, etc. Most everything is off at that time. No one uses any hot hobby tools, only thing that burns is gas stove and water heater - both fine. No smokers in the house or neighbors. Garage is fine.

Already checked for rat-chewed cables in the attic, pulled covers off receptacles, cb panel, traced all exposed wiring, etc.

Sinuses can do weird things when you change from vertical position to
horizontal (sleeping) position. I have awakened to smell different
smells, some smokey and some like food, etc. When you go vertical, the
problem usually goes away. Just my 2 cents worth.

On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 04:51:14 -0700 (PDT), John G
wrote:

*Do you have any fluorescent light fixtures in the house? The older ballasts have a burning smell when they start to go bad.

John Grabowski
http://www.MrElectrician.TV

The start/run parts on my old freezer, one day smelled like burning
rubber. I could hear a "sizzle" sound near the freezer (fixed for $52
DIY) But that only happened once...nothing to do with sleep

any exterior appliances?

we are over 100ft from the road and still once in a
while i can get a whiff from someone driving by.

and yes, you can have dreams with smells.

as for your specific case, dunno for sure,
but i sure hope it isn't anything dangerous.

make sure your smoke detectors are working...

check all of your fuses and the wires coming
in and out of them in your electrical panel.

when i first moved in here we had many mice
crawling in the walls and some did chew through
some wires. what a mess...


songbird

On Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:12:04 -0400, songbird
wrote:

when i first moved in here we had many mice
crawling in the walls and some did chew through
some wires. what a mess...


songbird

....and then you deal with the poop