Outdoor Christmas lights are on. There is a "fish" smell coming from the electrical panel -- no circuit breakers are tripping -- the top of the panel above the breakers is warm to the touch. Is it possible to "overload" and not have the breakers trip? Is this just a normal situation when the circuits are all in use? Thank you for all replies.

This is NOT normal. You have a dangerous situation. It is quite possible with the cold weather that you have a mouse or some such critter that came in contact with the main line entering the breaker box. If so the critter is fried and you might possibly lose electricity to part or parts of your house. In my case is was the dyrer.

However, if it just started with the christmas lights, then turn them off immediately. As the warmth/smell is NOT normal.

The biggest concern is overloading the circuits. The breakers are designed to trip at a certain point. Whether its before or after a electrical fire starts is the problem.

If any work has been done to the electrical panel/breaker box, then the thing to look for would be lose connections and weak breakers. Turn all power off to the house before checking. All lugs should be tight, tight, tight. Lose connections let the smoke out-- not a good thing. Weak breakers are made weak by tripping many times. Any weak breaker should be replaced for safety's sake.

Now if it is not caused by the christmas lights. Then the critter scenario comes into play. To investigate it further you will need to remove the outer cover of the electric panel/breaker box. Usually 6 screws holding it in place. Power to the panel must be off. Be very careful removing this as it could short against breakers/lugs an very likely kill you. When taking panel off have someone help hold panel while removing screws, then pull panel straight off. In my case a mouse had crossed the two main wires leading into the main 200 amp breaker.

If none of this is the case, you will need to call an electrician trained to fix these problems.

Heed the warnings. Odors from the electrical panel need immediate attention. Very often breakers will fail with overloading, and begin deteriorating internally WITHOUT TRIPPING. It tends to happen on overloaded circuits (such as Xmas lights) and it's very common.
If your not comfortable opening up the panel... get someone who is and check things out. And don't wait.

Dear Kamots & Missouri Bound: Thank you for your replies -- I immediately shut down all the Christmas lights yesterday morning and although the "smell" is lingering, the box is not getting warm. In any event, "useless" is being used for a reason -- which is why I have calls into a licensed electrician. Both of your answers have been most helpful.

Please let us know how it goes. So we know it turned out all right for you. And it might help others to know what it was causing the problem.

Good morning -- 2 electrians came this morning (both working for the same company) -- the main breaker had burned out -- a portion of it was melted and caused the smell. The panel was not damaged, although one of the electricians offered a "deal" on a panel plus the breaker. When he went to his truck to get a new breaker, the other electrician said the panel was fine and he would not put a new one in. Then the electrician who went to his truck opened up the meter and said water was getting into it because the bolts and screws were rusty -- I took a look at it and it was as he described. I'm going to get a second estimate and opinion on the meter. I asked about the problem being caused by the Christmas lights and the response was negative. Sometimes it is tough being a 60 year old woman! I appreciate all the help given on this website. Thank you again.