If the ceiling around the light fixture is hot, the first thing I suspect is the lamp (light bulb) is too high of a wattage. Also I now suspect that the wiring may be damaged, as in the wiring is dried out and very brittle.

You can try to replace the wiring, if need be, along with a new fixture, but I would definately pay an licensed electrical contractor to check it out and probably to make the repairs.

I never though that overheated electrical was 'fishy' smell, but that is hard to define.

And it would have to be very, very hot to give off that much smell. And how long has this been happening.

"My best guess in this is a plumbing problem, but maybe not.

Every night, from about 9:30 to 10:00 or so, we get a fishy smell in our upstairs hallway, which is near our bathroom. It's very difficult to locate where exactly it's originating from.

Help! I have no idea what this is. A clue might be (hopefully not a red herring) that the water to our downstairs bathroom is shut off b/c of a leaky toilet.

Any ideas what this might be?

Thanks!"

What do you do that that time? What can you do to change the pattern. And see what change change the smell.

One thing is to keep the light off. Use a couple of night lights in receptacles in the hall for a couple of days.

Try bathing at different times?

My guess is still on the plumbing, but again it is hard to know what a "fishy smell" is.

We narrowed it down.

It was the overhead ceiling light in the hallway.

Thank God our house hasn't burned down over these past 2 months.

Thanks again!

Glad U didnt have to depend on Billhart, by the time he got done condescending, belittling your question, and spouting technical (and often wrong) code jargon at you , your house probably would have burnt down.

Jack, from that response, I would say the "El" is back under a different name. I thought you were gone for good!