Buying a house, Aluminum Wiring?

[Lee Schierer]

Most entrance cables to homes are aluminum wire. ALuminum is cheaper, lighter and conducts almost as well as copper. Back when copper prices were quite high (sort of like now) there was a thought that aluminum would work just as well and many houses were wired with the stuff. Only later did it come out that there were problems due to heating and oxidation. The aluminum would exandwhen hot and deform under the screws on the terminals. When it cooled off some fo the contact pressure was lost, resulting in additional heating the next time the circuit was used. If the cycle repeated long enough the circuit would fail and start fires.

The only options are to remove the aluiminum, install the pigtails or purchase receptacles and switches rated for use with aluminum. The entrance cables should all be coated with the anti-oxidation paste and lugs should be checked periodically for tightness.

I'm not sure I would buy a house with aluminum wire just because I like to do much my own wiring when I can and I'm not sure I would want the additional hassle and concern of dealing with aluminum. I guess i t would depend on the situation and the price.

[Mark Visconti]

So, you're saying that the 125 amp subpanel that I just had installed in my new basement shop area should have had copper and not aluminum wire run to it or is this issue more for individual circuit runs?

[Ryan Myers]

So, you're saying that the 125 amp subpanel that I just had installed in my new basement shop area should have had copper and not aluminum wire run to it or is this issue more for individual circuit runs?

Aluminum is acceptable for use in panel feeders, just not branch circuits supplying outlets, switches, lights, etc.

[Jim Becker]

Aluminum is acceptable for use in panel feeders, just not branch circuits supplying outlets, switches, lights, etc.

Very true and very common...my electrician use it to feed both our main panel and my sub in the shop largely for cost reasons. But it also must be terminated properly...complete with the special "goop" that was mentioned earlier.

[Mark Visconti]

Thanks. I will sleep better knowing I don't have to address this at a later date.

[phil harold]

I had always understood the problem with the aluminum wiring was the heating and cooling of the wire in use cause the wire to expand and contract and the joints to loosen, causing more resistance, more heat and possible fires.

DING DING DING
we have a winner

Just for your info alot houses do have the services wired in aluminum ...
theese connections need to be inspected occasionally, because they do loosen

[Mike Henderson]

Aluminum is acceptable for use in panel feeders, just not branch circuits supplying outlets, switches, lights, etc.

I had aluminum as feeder wire from the meter to my main panel. One day, the main breaker popped. When I checked it, the breaker was very hot. Turns out the aluminum wire connection to the main breaker had developed a high resistance joint because of corrosion. As the current flowed through that resistance, it dropped a few volts and generated heat, which heated the main breaker and caused it to pop. I replaced the feeder with copper.

Personally, I'll never have aluminum wire in my house, not as a feeder, and certainly not as the circuit wiring. You can make it work, but if you don't do everything just right, you can have a fire.

Mike

[Rod Sheridan]

We use aluminum wiring in industry for feeders, however they all get annual maintenance where they're inspected, resistances measured, and an infra-red imager used to locate hot spots.

I wouldn't install it in my house........Rod.

[David Helm]

Just for the record. The aluminum wire that is dangerous is solid (single strand). Braided aluminum wire is safe and is often used by the electric companies for service entry wire. Generally, because of conductivity, for a given amperage, the size of aluminum will be larger than of copper. The proper way for service entry wire to be installed is to use an anti-corrosion paste.

[Myk Rian]

6 year old thread given new life.

Our dryer quit working a couple years ago. The breaker was burned to a crisp.
The only aluminum wiring in the house.

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[Joe Angrisani]

6 year old thread given new life.

By a shill. You missed it.