If improperly installed, aluminum wiring can raise the risk of a house fires! From 1960’s up to the mid 1970’s aluminum wiring was sometimes used for branch circuit wiring instead of copper wiring. During this time period copper prices were very high and aluminum wiring became a cost effect alternative to copper wiring. Was aluminum wiring found to be as good as copper wiring? Not even close! Aluminum wiring quickly became a fire risk if not installed properly. At the time aluminum wiring methods were exactly the same for copper. Over time it was found that improper installation methods and electrical devices not designed to accept aluminum conductors could lead to fires.
If was quickly found out that aluminum wiring could cause flickering lights, hot electrical connections and even burned or melted insulation on the wiring. There was a severe problem with overheating which can lead to fires.
1. A Softer Metal. Aluminum is a much softer metal when compared to copper. During the stripping process from aluminum it can be easy to nick. These nicks can cause hot spots in the conductor causing overheating and the potential risk of fire. Electricians had to develop different methods of stripping the insulation off of the aluminum wiring to avoid damaging the conductor.
2. Aluminum Expands. When an appliance demands electricity on the circuit the conductor heats up. While this process takes place with copper conductors too aluminum expands at a much greater rate than copper. This expansion and contraction of the aluminum wiring caused the the conductor to creep out from under the terminal screws on breakers and electrical devices such as plugs and switches. This creeping of the wiring resulted in a loose connection which lead to sparking and potential fire.
3. Corrosion or Rust. When steel rust it becomes red, on copper rust is green, and on aluminum it is white. When copper wiring rust it’s not as big as problem when compared to aluminum, copper rust is actually electrically conductive. This rust on copper still allows the electricity to flow and doesn’t create as much resistance of the electricity or simplify put it doesn’t interfere as much. However, when aluminum rust it forms a white oxide which is not a good conductor of electricity. This creates resistance or reduces the flow of electricity. This resistance interferes with he flow of electricity, and can cause overheating leading to fires.
There are several options for you if you have aluminum wiring in your home. We can evaluate your homes wiring and come up with several effective methods and affordable price ranges. It’s important to have your homes wiring thoroughly evaluated so you can know the truth about its condition so you can make the proper decision.
Solution 1. Rewire the entire house with copper wiring. This would be the safest long term solution for aluminum wiring. This method would require reduced maintenance and reduced inspections needed when compared to aluminum wiring. Rewiring the home is the safest long term solution to aluminum wiring when compared to other methods. This solution can be expensive when compared to other solutions. However, we have a variety of financing options and payment plans available for almost every budget.
Solution 2. Check all connections in home and repair as needed. Then re device the entire home with aluminum rated devices. This short this method entails replacing all the homes plugs and switches with ones that are designed to accept aluminum conductors. It’s important to note aluminum rated devices can be hard to find at the big box stores. When these devices were first introduced they simply had a larger screw or terminal for the aluminum conductor to fit under. Unfortunately, these CU/AL devices failed to work good enough and was not an effective solution. New devices CO/ALR are created out of a similar metal which shares a similar expansion and contraction rate as aluminum which reduces the creeping of the conductor.
Solution 3. Pigtailing. Pigtailing simply means taking the aluminum wire connections that go to the device and splice on or pigtail on a copper conductor to go to the device such as a plug or a switch. It is important to note that it does take a specially designed wire nut or twist-on wire connectors to to perform this method. While this method is the cheapest it is important to make sure that routine safety checks and inspections are performed on your homes wiring to reduce the chances of future problems.
Even with all the disadvantages, aluminum wiring still has its advantages under certain applications. It’s important to note even with these advantages you should not use aluminum wiring in your home for standard 15 or 20 amp branch circuits.
1. It’s Light Weight. Aluminum is lightweight in nature. Being lightweight is an advantage when conductors are used over long distances. This lightweight property is most beneficial for aerial applications were the aluminum wiring is suspended between poles. This wiring method is most commonly seen in utility company applications and telecommunication lines. Being light weight also makes the aluminum wiring easier for the installer to work with. This makes the cable less physically demanding to install.
2. Aluminum Wiring is Cheaper. Aluminum wiring can be half the cost of copper wiring. When a large amount of wiring is needed saving half the cost can be a huge benefit over copper wiring. This method is mainly seen in feeder circuit applications in commercial buildings as well as sub panels and 220 circuits in residential applications. It’s important to note this practice of using aluminum wiring for sub panels, services, and 220 circuits in residential applications has been deemed acceptable when properly installed and connected.
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