Aluminum wiring was used in the mid 60’s and 70’s, mainly in
residential homes, because copper wiring was in high demand. Manufactures couldn’t produce copper fast
enough. With the Vietnam War going on, copper was going more towards military
needs. They thought of an alternative
and it was aluminum wire, which is a little bit softer than copper, but still approved by
the underwriter’s laboratory (UL). The
only downfall was it had to be increased in diameter one size to meet current
code for individual branch circuitry.
In the
electrical industry when customers hear that they have aluminum wiring they
aren't sure exactly what that means, but assume it's not good. Also, when
they’re considering buying a house with aluminum wiring in it, they
automatically become concerned. In my
opinion, as long as the home has been maintained by a licensed electrical
contractor the home will, more than likely, be safe. Usually when an unqualified person attempts
to fix a problem with aluminum wiring is when it becomes a potential
problem.
Issues with aluminum wiring usually arise when home owners attempt to replace a device
(receptacle/switch). Most of the big box
stores mainly carry copper rated devices. You have to be careful when you purchase them. One thing you need to look for is what kind
of wiring the device is rated for. Copper
devices will have a marking on them reading (CU) and an AL with a slash through
it. That means it is not rated for
aluminum. You will have to look for the
devices that have AL with a circle around it, signifying it is OK to use with aluminum, to properly replace them.
Splicing
is another big issue if not done properly. No one carries
aluminum wiring anymore so you will have to splice with copper wires. You cannot just splice them together and put
a regular wire nut on them. A special purple wire nut/king alumiconn
connector needs to be used to correctly connect them together. The connectors have a dioxide gel in them that oxidizes the two
dissimilar metals together. This is the
correct way to splice. At this point you
are able to install a copper rated device.
The
very best way to solve any of your electrical needs is to contact the
professionals at Wireworks Electric.
-Rob
