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Beer Cans and Electricity

By
Home Inspector with JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC HOI 394

I wonder how many people remember the old drink cans with the pull tab tops. The tab comes completely off the can and has to be thrown away. Anyone old enough to remember that has probably stepped one of those tabs and gotten a nasty cut.

Those old cans were made from steel. Then along came the new and improved aluminum can with various types of non pull tab tops. Aluminum has many desirable properties which make it great choice for making cans and many other products. One product it is used to make is electrical wires. Many homes have at least some aluminum wire in their electrical system.

But there is a problem with aluminum wire or more specifically with one type of wire, single strand branch wire.

There are basically two kinds of wire in your home, single strand wire and multi strand wire. Single strand as the name implies is one solid piece of wire. It's the most common and is essentially used for wiring all the outlets and lights.

The multi strand wire is many strands of wire. This type of wire is usually thicker and used for larger appliances and the main feed wire into the home. Having many pieces of wire woven together makes it more flexible. This is a very desirable characteristic when trying to bend a large diameter length of wire.

Single strand or solid aluminum wire was used to wire homes from about the mid 60s into the 70s. It is no longer used because it has one very undesirable trait; it starts fires.

Aluminum is very thermally conductive and expansive. When a wire is under load, like when you turn on the TV to watch a game with a chilled beverage in your aluminum can, it gets warm. The more stuff on the warmer it gets. Heat makes stuff swell or expand, especially metal.

Why is this bad? Because over time the connection points, like those on plugs and switches, can get loose. Loose connections cause the wire to get hot and arc (spark). The rest is easy to figure out.

So you see you should never use beer cans for making house wiring or wire a house after consuming beer in cans.

James Quarello
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

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Posted by

James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
Former SNEC-ASHI President
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

 ASHI Certified Inspector

To find out more about our other high tech services we offer in Connecticut click on the links below:

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Serving the Connecticut Counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London.

Comments (8)

Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

So, what is the solution for older homes? I understand the problem.

Jul 17, 2009 03:35 AM
Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573
MOOERS REALTY - Houlton, ME
Northern Maine Real Estate-Aroostook County Broker

I think Jimmy Buffett stepped on one of those pull tabs, cut his foot too and had to cruise on back home didn't he?

Jul 17, 2009 03:58 AM
Robert Schwabe
Herron Real Estate - Orange Park, FL
Orange Park Real Estate

James  - I'm happy my home does not have any aluminum wiring. I would always worry that I was overloading the circuit.  

Jul 17, 2009 04:29 AM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Mr James,

I fully support Ohms law and understand resistance, inductance, amperage and voltage. Therefore, I approve this message.

Nutsy

Jul 17, 2009 06:23 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

I remember those pull top pull tops very well!  We used to pull them off and stick them back into the soda.  They changed them because in taking a big gulp (and that was before Big Gulp cups...) the tab could float out and into your mouth and could accidentally be swallowed!  It got them in my mouth more than once, but fortunately never actually ingested one!

As to aluminum wiring, can you say Federal Pacific Stab-lok?

P.s.  I have not seen a Blatz beer can in some time!

Jul 17, 2009 10:03 AM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Mr James,

Have a few Blatz on tap from me.

Nutsy

Jul 18, 2009 07:52 AM
James Quarello
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC - Wallingford, CT
Connecticut Home Inspector

Gary, The most common solution is to splice copper wire to the aluminum wire with a specially designed crimp connector. AFCI breakers on the circuits is another level of protection.

Andrew, Yes he did as immortalized in the  song, Margaritaville.

Robert, Most homes do not have solid aluminum wire

Nutsy, I would like to test your resistance to high voltage.

Jay, We used to do the same thing with our sodas. I have never seen or heard of Blatz.

Nutsy, Anything named Blatz can't be good.

Jul 19, 2009 06:28 AM
Jay Markanich
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC - Bristow, VA
Home Inspector - servicing all Northern Virginia

Dey usem downde Balmer!

Translation:  They use Blatz over in Baltimore.

Jul 19, 2009 07:19 AM