Identifying Aluminum Wiring -- And Options For Correction

Identifying Aluminum Wiring -- And Options For Correction

You may be interested in Part I -- Fire Hazards: Aluminum Wiring and Your Electricity.

So, what does aluminum wiring look like? You can see it clearly in this picture (along with some copper wiring):

Sometimes the color of the metal isn't visible, so what can we look for to determine if we have aluminum wiring?

Here are some clues:

• Houses built between the mid-1960s and mid-1970 are more likely to have aluminum wiring than houses built before or after those years.
• Additions built, and electrical work processed, during from the mid-60s to mid-70s are more likely to have aluminum wiring than houses built outside of that range.
• Look at the wire jacket. Many have the word "aluminum" or the more cryptic "AL" printed or embossed on the jacket, or even a brand name.
• Wiring-device binding terminals for use with aluminum wire are marked "CO/ALR," which stands for “copper/aluminum revised."

The Consumer Product Safety Commission Recommendations for Correction

Aluminum wiring should be evaluated by a qualified electrician -- and note that not all licensed electricians are properly trained to deal with defective aluminum wiring.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends the following two methods for correction for aluminum wiring:

Option 1) Rewire the home with copper wire.

This is the most effective method. But unless you have a bank vault in the basement, or a money tree growing the backyard (unfortunately, my house came with neither), this is financially not a realistic option.

Option 2) Copalum crimps.

This repair uses a specially-desigend sleeve to attach a piece of copper wire to the existing aluminum wire branch circuit. Although this option is effective, it too is expensive (typically greater than  $50 per outlet/switch/fixture).

Options Not Recommended By The Consumer Product Safety Commission (But Cheaper)

These methods of permanent repair for defective aluminum wiring are not recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission... but due to the less expensive cost, they may be considered:

Option 1) Anti-oxidant paste.

Option 2) Pigtailling.

This method involves attaching a short piece of copper wire to the aluminum wire with a twist-on connector, and is only effective if the connections between the aluminum wires and the copper pigtails are extremely reliable.

Pigtailing with some types of connectors, even though Underwriters Laboratories might presently list them for the application, can lead to increasing the fire hazard, and will increase the number of connectionsthat must be maintained.

So this can be useful as a temporary repair.

Option 3) The CO/ALR connections mentioned above.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission states that these devices cannot be used for all parts of the wiring system, so they can't constitute a complete repair.

But they are a shorter-term option.

Option 4) Replace certain failure-prone types of devices and connections with others that are more compatible with aluminum wire.

The best option of all is discussion any concerns with a licensed and qualified electrician that is trained to deal with aluminum wiring.

See more at www.HouseSleuth.com.