Aluminum is a fine conductor of electric.  It is much cheaper than copper.  Just about all the exterior wire on utility poles (all in most areas) is aluminum.  If it were copper people would be climbing the poles to steal it and sell it for scrap.

The problem with single strand aluminum wiring is the connections oxidize develop high impedance connections and get hot.   Connections can get so hot they can allow a house fire to occur. Even connections that do not get hot enough to ignite wood can get hot enough to lower the ignition temperature of wood by a process called pyrolysis.

Copper to aluminum connections must be made a certain way in order to avoid creating an even greater hazard.

One of the problems faced by home owners who wish to make their aluminum wiring safer is a lack of qualified and willing contractors.  Most electrical contractors do not wish to take the risk of working on homes with aluminum wiring. 

 

While training a home inspector I saw an electrical contractor's apprentice look right at a panel wired with aluminum wiring and not even notice it. 

Why?

He did not think to look for it because the home was "too new" to have aluminum wiring.  He was correct, the home was built long after aluminum wiring was commonly used. Someone must have found an old coil or two around when the addition was added.

What does aluminum wiring look like?  How would most home owner's or Realtors know the home had aluminum wiring?


If the home has BX (metal exterior wiring) it does not have aluminum wiring.  I have never seen aluminum wiring in BX and have never heard of it being made.  There is a tin coated copper wire in BX that was very common.  It is NOT a hazard at all. 

If the home has Romex wire (plastic or cloth covered) look at the writing on the wire.  If it says CU or copper it is not aluminum.  If it says AL or aluminum it is aluminum.  

Removing electric panel covers is NOT a job for those who do not know how to do it.  There is enough power inside the average electric panel to kill you and a few others.   

 

 

The simple way to test an air conditioning system to determine if it is functional is to wait for a 24 hour period when the exterior temperature is above 65 F degrees.  Testing air conditoinig units when it is much cooler out can eitehr burn out the compresser as it tries to compress liquid referigerant or yeild a false result.

If they system is not producing a 15 to 20 degree difference between the air coming out the registers and that going back into the return the system is not functioning properly. 

Contracry to what you may hear adding refrigerent to a system is not normal, it is a sign of a potentially serious leak that can be very expensive to cure.

If you do not get the 15 to 20 degree F temperature drop the next step is to have the air conditioning system   cleaned, adjusted, repaired and tested by a qualified person.  The service person must be asked to provide certification no refrigerant leaks exist, that the system is operating effectively after the necessary corrective action has been taken, or perform the necessary replacement(s), prior to expiration of your inspection contingency.

Single strand aluminum wiring was used mostly in the late 70's and early 80's.  The widespread use of single strand aluminum wiring was discontinued after there was a huge spike in house fires in homes that had aluminum wiring.

Today there are several methods used to make homes with aluminum wiring safer.  The long term success of these methods has not yet been determined.

Most home inspectors will find aluminum wiring and report it to their clients as a concern.  A few states such as New Jersey mandate inspectors disclose single strand aluminum wiring to their clients and the hazards posed by it.

While removing and replacing every wire in a home is seldom a viable option it is the only way to make sure a future transaction does not run into the same problem that is occurring during this transaction. 

Accurate Inspections, Inc., 973-812-5100 is one of ten home inspection companies in the state who 
have signed a "No Conflict of Interest Pledge" Only inspectors who do not solicit 
referrals from Realtors can be 100% candid with our client. 70% to 80% of most home 
inspectors business comes from Realtors. Those inspectors must tread a fine line when 
writing your report. Inspectors who provide too much information to clients can lose 
future Realtor referrals. All we care about is you!

Let's put things in perspective: If you're buying a $350,000 home and the inspection fee is $600, that's .172% of the cost of the home!  The cost of a New Jersey home inspection is a bargain! If the inspection turns up little wrong with the home (few do), you've bought some relatively inexpensive peace of mind.   If the inspection finds serious problems (most do), then the few hundred dollars you invest in our home inspection could end up saving you many thousands of dollars.

Many people without specific home inspection credentials offer services. Likewise, credentials are not always what they seem. Engineering and architectural credentials alone do not prepare anyone to competently inspect homes and communicate the findings. A helping attitude, good communication skills, and mature judgment must supplement technical competence.

 

In New Jersey Engineers and Architects are supposed to obtain the same license I did to legally inspect homes! 

Like any other professional,  home inspectors (even those with licenses) have varied degrees of expertise.  All home inspectors should be carefully screened.  Inspectors learn from experience.  It takes a few thousand inspections and a more than a few complaints for a home inspectors to LEARN what it takes to satisfy clients.  I spent seven years as a construction contractor prior to becoming a home inspectors in 1993. I have taught the New Jersey home inspection training class to new inspectors since 2002.   I still see things I have never seen before. Would you want the biggest investment of your life inspected by a person who took a three week training class?

Home owners who are planning to make improvements to their homes in order to increase its market value would be well advised to have it inspected first. A home inspectors can help prioritize home improvements and offer advice on the best ways to approach repairs. More importantly, an inspectors can help the seller identify potential or undiscovered problems before those problems become material for contract contingencies. By taking a pro-active approach one can avoid the frustrations many owners encounter when they are asked to re-negotiate their contracts because of unanticipated problem areas.

This may sound out and right silly but the best home maintenance you can perform on your home is obvious to any home inspector.  Ready for this. Keep it dry.  That is right keep water out of the outside of the home and within the plumbing pipes on the inside and fix what breaks as soon as it breaks and odds are your home will be trouble free.

As a home inspector I see it all the time. The owner does not replace the roofing when he or she should.  Water stains start on the underside of the roof shingles, progress down the roof rafters where latent damages within the walls start, then the carpenter ants come to nest in the wet wood.  Now we have a roof leak, insects, then mold and mildew in the walls followed by .... thus a small roof leak now cost thousands or tens of thousands to cure.

Next is the person who does not paint exterior wood surfaces.  First to go are windows and exterior window trim, next is the siding, fascia and soffits.  Water stains start where trim sections meet, progress down the walls where latent damages within the walls start, then the carpenter ants come to nest in the wet wood.  Now we have a  leak, insects, then mold and mildew in the walls followed by .... thus a small roof leak now cost thousands or tens of thousands to cure.