Residential: Aluminium wiring
Residential: Aluminium wiring
(OP)
I looking at maybe buying a house that was built in the early 60s and it has aluminium wiring. The disclosure form makes mention that something was done with connectors. I think this is for the connection by the outlets but I don't know for sure. How much of a red flag is this? I am not really a hot on the idea of aluminium wiring with it being old and would not meet present day NEC requirements with it not being AA-8000 alloy.






RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
The very last AL NM cable made before being discontinued had an upgraded alloy intended for indoor wiring, but by then it was to late, that black eye was given.
About the only good "fix" for AL wiring are copalum crimp connectors. Purple wire nuts are frequently said to fail- and other methods are not 100% certain.
Personally, I would rip it all out and replace it with copper. In 2017 we can stop every electrical anomaly- that is outside of a glowing connection. A high resistance connection can glow red hot and ignite building material without ever tripping a breaker, GFCI or AFCI.
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
Some wire nuts are a solid spiral.
The better wire nuts are a spring that is able to expand over the wires. The resilient spring type with a small dab of Penetrox is the best fix.
I would just walk away unless the price justifies stripping the walls, replacing all the aluminium and then recovering the walls.
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
Aluminum wiring was marketed hard to contractors doing developments, so if you find one house with it, any nearby similar houses probably also have it.
The copper pigtails installed to compensate are now decades old, so I wouldn't trust them either.
If I really liked a particular house, I'd insist that it be rewired with copper before moving in.
<The 220V range wiring in my house is aluminum. The A/C|heater wiring is copper. I'm not sure about the dryer.>
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
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Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
edit: I was still thinking that copper prices were near they were in 2011.
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
Considering that the improved version of single stranded aluminum came toward the end of the 12 and 10 AWG AL NM fiasco there is a good chance that the wiring found in your potential home is of the old alloy.
Fortunately you would be correct. Copper price has fallen significantly. 250 feet of NM has now dropped to $38 per role where in 2011 it was somewhere around $120 when I had to add a new circuit.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Romex-SIMpull-2...
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
RE: Residential: Aluminium wiring
I wouldn't buy a house with 1960's aluminum wiring, unless I was prepared to replace every last piece of it with copper.
GG
BTW. I have no issues with modern aluminum conductors, and have recommended this to many of my industrial clients.
BTW again. My (1979) house has all copper wiring except for the incoming cable from the meter to my panelboard (which is the old crappy aluminum). Guess what? The termination to my main CB went bad (cold flow?), and melted the CB. I'm surprised that I did not have a fire. I do regular thermal scans now, so far so good.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)