I've seen some information indicating that it could be "sewer gas" coming in from one of the faucets that isn't used on the double sink in the bathroom, but wouldn't that have more of a "sewer" odor?

They're about at their wits end with it, especially since they're attempting to sell the house and prospective buyers have noted that they've encountered the smell. I beleive that this is something that has only come about in the last year or so. They've lived in the house for 10 years & it was never a problem before now. They have not painted in that area recently or had any other major work done. They did get the water heater replaced a few years ago, but I can't recall if the smell began before or after that, I'll have to ask.

Any ideas or suggestions? They really don't want to have someone start knocking holes in the wall to figure out where it's coming from, but it's starting to look like they might not have a choice. Is there such a thing as a "Smell Detective?" (Hehe!)

I really appreciate any feedback you guys have to offer! Thank you!!!

This smell has gone on for months and seemed to be really bad one evening. I decided to google it and found this forum along with another one that all basically said the same thing. One thing stood out though...the comment that said..."Check the electrical, nothing smells as bad as a burnt down house".

My neighbors electrical panel is in that closet.
Sure enough, her husband discovered a hot wire that night. Upon pulling the breaker, he dicovered that the back of the breaker had actually melted inside the panel.

Thanks for the heads up!!!!

I do have to laugh about the smell of fish/electric. Many years ago I had a friend that was married. She and DH started having marital problems and it turns out he had a mistress- and a child with her. When my friend found out she immediately packed everything, while packing revenge of a scorned woman set in.
She took all of the wall plates for the outlets off and stuck sardines from a can into them and put the plates back on - with liquid nails.

It was an ugly divorce but she took some satisfaction when he called her asking about the odor- she told him it was the stench of infidelity and lies.

Moral of the story- smell something fishy and you can't get the wall plates off- you've got bigger problems

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases.
On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of
spring-water.
When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days.
Then slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping and airing the place out.
Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned.
Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool
carpeting. Nothing worked!
People stopped coming over to visit.
Repairmen refused to work in the house.
The maid quit.
Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move.
A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they could not find a buyer for their stinky house.
Word got out and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.
Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going.
He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.
Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day.
She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork.
A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home.........
And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods!!!!!!

We are in a new home and have had this same problem for three years. The fishy odor only occurs in the summer months and tonight was the first time we smelled it this year. It is usually at the end of the day. I had the builder replace all the flex pipe in the upstairs HVAC system but no one has ever discovered the cause. The electric socket / fixture idea is a new one on me and apparently solves several posters' issues but doesn't explain why my (our) smell only occurs during the warmer months.

I had an inspector out at the end of last summer who ran $1,000 worth of tests just to tell me it wasn't mold or any other health or environmental issue. That provided some relief since we have two young children.

Although I don't have a solution yet, you may want to try this: take some insulation -- I used a bit from the drop down attic staircase -- and moisten it in the sink. Then seal it in a plastic bag and leave it in the attic during the day, where it will heat up. When I opened the (hot) bag, I smelled the same odor that is driving me crazy. Wet insulation puts off a fishy smell. I'm convinced I have a leak somewhere in my walls where the leaking moisture keeps wetting insulation, which puts off this smell behind the drywall. Because it only happens during the hotter time of the year, the moisture is probably in the condensation line (pipe) leading from the A/C system. I felt like I was getting closer last year and then the weather cooled to the point that the odor went away. So here I am in year four, fingers crossed that I finally get this thing solved.

Please keep me informed if either of you get anywhere. You two are the first posters that seem to be having the same problem as my family.

BTW, I'm really surprised at how many "professionals" are baffled by my problem yet so many people are posting about similar problems. I've had at least 10 inspectors, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC guys say "Wow, I've never heard of anything like this."

I am having a fishy smell in my basement now for the past two mornings. It seems to be centered around a hallway a basically empty room and a bathroom. It is extremely strong in the early morning, so it seems unlikely that it is a light fixture since they're off all night. It's an older home with no changes in the last couple of years... In the basement bathroom I've snaked a drain and poured water and drano down the sink and shower, but that didn't help as today it was just as bad.

The floor drain is in the laundry room and it doesn't really smell bad in there.

Any other suggestions?? Thank you!!

Note, I noticed the smell a day or so after I painted the living room. Is it possible that it is the paint that I used? I bought it from Lowe's the brand is Valspar, it is not cheap paint. Has anyone had a fishy smell come from paint?

I smelled a strange fish smell in my basement, decided to google it one night. Found this thread, went and checked the room with the strongest odor and low and behold one of the outlets was close to burning the house down. Outlet was halfway melted and the wiring was charred several inches into the cabling.

Check your outlets if you smell a sudden fish smell in your home!