White smoking and burnt plastic smell

[FliP0x]

Hello,

I've head this burnt plastic smell in a room for a couple of days until I noticed ocassional thin Lasers of white smoke every now and then. So I came to the conclusion that it must come from my PC, as it is unlikely that the monitor is smoking and there is nothing else on my desk.

I opened the case and smelled each part and wire, but I could not find where the smell is coming from. I left the PC on with the side panel open to see where the smoke comes from, but it would not smoke this time. I could still lightly smell burnt plastic though.

I read all the "my PC is smoking" threads on this forum, but couldn't find a conclusion. Nothing on the mono looks burnt or is swollen, so I really have no idea what is causing the smoke and the smell.

 

[Sohom]

ok, you can try a smoke detector test... But again i guess that would be complicated and expensive... Aren't there any portable smoke detectors...?

 

[FliP0x]

I'm still trying to troubleshoot where the smell is coming from. Not the PSU, no smell at all and if it did smoke, the smell would surely be noticeable in the PSU box.

Temperatures are normal, so it is not the CPU or GPU either.
Didn't notice any smell on fans as well, cables also aren't burnt.

I did get some USB errors though. The sound as when I plug something in pops up and a notice afterwards that the plugged in USB drive is not working properly.
Maybe a USB port died?

 

[SoggyTissue]

wall socket plugs (if old) can have substantial wire covering wear (melting plastic insulation), after many years of putting out. you have to turn off the power to your plugs in your saftey switch main box before fiddling with wall sockets. Thats the main jumper/fuse box to your house.

this can be an issue (i had this issue a few years back) thats hard to locate because your computer is drawing current so you think its whats being powered, not whats supplying the power. - best check anyway.

 

[FliP0x]

The wall sockets shouldn't be a problem as the house was finished 13 years ago so the plugs are relatively new.
This gave me an idea though, as I am using a plug extension to power my PC and monitor, and I also use it for other things like my phone charger.
So the plug extension could be broken, I didn't try to smell it yet.

Even though my PC is currently disassembled, my room still smells like burnt plastic. Makes sense if the plug is actually causing the smell.

Edit:
Did a smell test, its not the plug

 

[Sohom]

Televisions, lights, fans, air conditioners check everything thoroughly; Its a serious Fire hazard... If possible get a helping hand and check everything, even wirings; dont assume anything...

 

[lumineZ]

Call an electrician buddy... You are talking about a fire hazard... not really something to go to a forum about since we cant check this for you and if you are unlucky not really the time to wait for answers. And if you ask me this is something that REALLY cant wait and should be fixed ASAP!

 

[FliP0x]

The only electrical devices in my room is the monitor, my PC and phone chargers.

I checked all the plugs and they are fine. It's not the light either as I usually game with lights off.

It can only be a PC part, but the PC smells clean. I took everything out of the case for now and will assemble it again tomorrow. I'll keep the side panel off to where exactly the smoke is coming from, if it happens again

 

[lumineZ]

Go and hire an IR camera once the computer is up and running and see if you can see a hotspot with it. Best advice I can give you since you dont want an electrician

 

[FliP0x]

IR cameras and electricians are not much of an option where I live, especially on weekends.

I guess I pretty much narrowed down what is causing the smell.
I've been playing the game I usually play (which likes to heat up the GPU) and once the GPU reached 70C I occasionally started smelling burnt plastic, but not when I smelled the GPU.
It was nothing like yesterday and it didn't smoke, but I got small hints of burnt plastic smell while playing.

Now I've kept my PC idle for a while - no smell whatsoever.

So I guess the GPU is causing the smell and probably started smoking for staying hot for too long. I'll what I can do about cooling then, I need a better case anyway.