# Rotten onion smell coming from electrical panel and outlets.



## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

I'm trying to identify the source and solution to a rotten onion smell coming from the light sockets, receptacles, and electrical panel only when it's warm outside and the sun is out all day. The smell is very strong and takes over the whole house. I live near Nashville in a ten year old two story townhouse. The weirdest thing is that we had the exact same smell under the exact same circumstances in our third floor twelve year old apartment before we bought our townhouse. This makes me think it has something to do with how they run the electrical wires, pulling lube, or maybe it isn't electrical at all but just comes out of those sources. The smell is very strong and acrid - the best way I can describe it is rotten onions or onion soup. I've never smelled it under any other circumstances and I've lived all over the country in houses and apartments. Just twice, in a townhouse and apartment three miles apart. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions I would really appreciate it - it's horrific!


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Do you store a lot of onions in the house?
That's an odd thing. Odder that it follows you around wherever you go.
I've never had that complaint from a customer.
Is there any oily residue on the panel?


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## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

No onions at all in the house.
No oily residue or residue of any kind in the panel or behind the breakers.
I've only smelled it in these two homes - wondering if it is some product used in building locally? My husband smells it too so it isn't a tumor


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Ceela said:


> My husband smells it too so it isn't a tumor


I was thinking psychological. Now with the hubby, Mass Onion Hysteria.
You guys live near farms or food processing plants.


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## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

No, we're not nuts.
The smell isn't coming from outside. We've checked all around the house and we both run in the neighborhood and have never smell anything like this. It is definitely coming from the outlets etc or at least inside the wall. It is strongest at the panel. It popped up again yesterday, very sunny and warm, and we checked all the rooms. We have two closets with no lights or outlets etc and no smell in those. All other rooms you could smell it. It literally seems to be blowing out of the outlets. It just keeps getting worse until we open one of the doors for a few minutes and then it's like the draft through the electrical system stops when the pressure equalizes and the smell fades away.


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Both circumstances arose in MF housing. What are you neighbors cooking when you notice the odor?


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## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

We've checked with neighbors (usually they aren't home) when we smell it but no luck. It is the exact same smell in both homes - different neighbors - and if they are eating something that smells this bad they could only be French


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Try leaving some notes and your info Maybe they'll get back to you.


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## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

We've checked into it at both places. It isn't related to the neighbors.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Ceela said:


> We've checked into it at both places. It isn't related to the neighbors.


So your apartment is the only one suffering from this in the whole complex? Have you checked with management about this?


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## Ceela (Aug 27, 2015)

Ron6519 said:


> So your apartment is the only one suffering from this in the whole complex? Have you checked with management about this?


We don't live in the apartment anymore. I don't know if anyone else ever smelled it there. We did complain to management and they just said who knows, smells come and go. At that time we hadn't narrowed it down to the outlets etc because we thought it was just in that apartment and were looking for something rotten in or under the fridge or chimney etc. It was in every room there when it happened but it never occurred to us that it might come through the electrical system. When we moved we didn't smell it all winter but now can smell it again in the new townhouse. It is something common to two separate homes, not related to neighbors because they are different, only happens when it is warm and the sun it out all day, isn't in our belongings because they are all in storage while we remodel, and is definitely coming through the electrical outlets, fixtures, and panel.


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## dmxtothemax (Oct 26, 2010)

Could just be air flow within the building structure
Thus picking odours with in the buildings frame.
Could be glue/resins/paint or vermen.


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## Seattle2k (Mar 26, 2012)

This happens to me to, but only after a hard workout :laughing:


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## dmxtothemax (Oct 26, 2010)

Examine the electrical cables
Look for corrosion or any ooze
Coming from within the cables ?


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## InPhase277 (Feb 9, 2008)

Some thermal insulation has a funky smell. Maybe both of these places were built using the same batch of particularly smelly stuff.


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## ritelec (Aug 30, 2009)

There is joking about spooks sometimes here. 

BUT 

You may have them. They may have followed you


Google smells onions. Spirits. Ghosts.


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## ritelec (Aug 30, 2009)

http://www.psychic-experiences.com/real-psychic-story.php?story=4009


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## dmxtothemax (Oct 26, 2010)

Some of the older types of cables used a lubricant in the manufactering process
This lubricant over time will ooze out of the cable
It will look greenish
And have an acrid smell
You can usually see it


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