If repairs are necessary, remember that if you hire someone to do electrical work in your home, it must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor by law. You should check with your insurance company for their requirements. Homeowners today are finding many insurers might not provide or renew insurance coverage on these houses unless the wiring is inspected, repaired, or replaced as needed, and a copy of the Certificate of Inspection is given to the insurer. If the aluminum wiring is in good condition and you are trying to delay the repairs for a while, have an electrician with experience in aluminum wiring repairs inspect some heavily used circuits, then go over the process once a year. *Even if no signs of trouble exist, periodic inspection by an experienced electrician is recommended. If the home is properly wired and does not show signs of fire risks or faulty wiring, you can rest easy knowing your home is safe. You might not need to have any aluminum repair work done at all. Once you know the state of your wiring you can determine whether you need the implementation of safety measures or a complete rewiring. The first step you should take in ensuring the safety of your home’s wiring is to have a licensed electrician perform an electrical inspection. Special measures can be taken to make aluminum wiring safe, and some homes may already have these measures in place. My house has Aluminum Wiring, What should I do? This is a considerable cause for concern because having been built in the 60’s and 70’s homes with aluminum wiring are already quite old and may be at risk. Aluminum wire might become dangerous because the issues that make it inferior all contribute to it wearing down. The issues are caused by oxidation and other factors that lead to overheating where the wiring is connected at splices, outlets, and light fixtures. It can overheat more easily than copper and start electrical fires by slowly damaging its insulation and heating things around it. This is how aluminum wiring can cause fires.

The symptoms of problems with aluminum wire include flickering lights and signs of overheating, such as burned insulation or oddly warm cover plates. What makes aluminum wiring dangerous? How does aluminum wiring cause fires? There are other ways of checking for aluminum wire, however, none are as safe as looking for labeling on the cable jacket, and we recommend having an electrician do an inspection in your home. The cables may be marked AL, ALUM or ALUMINUM, indicating aluminum wire. You can tell if you have aluminum wire in your home by checking your electrical panel or looking at cables running through the basement or attic. The layer that forms on copper conducts electricity easily, but aluminum oxide is a bad conductor of electricity, which can lead to overheating. Another difference between aluminum and copper is oxidation. The expansion and contraction of the wire can lead to wire creeping out from its place under the screw holding it in place, causing loose wires and overheating. Aluminum is a softer metal than copper, and besides being prone to damage during installation, it also expands more when heated.

That fact might have gotten you wondering if it’s cheaper, why isn’t it still used? What’s wrong with aluminum wiring?Īluminum has several properties that make it inferior to copper for wiring. In the 1960’s and 70’s, aluminum wiring was used as a cheaper alternative to copper wire. And with the number of connections that a typical home has, that’s a lot of potential fire hazards. While a continuous run of AL Wire does not necessarily present a problem, when that wire is connected to outlets and light switches - and even to other wires in junction boxes - the connection can deteriorate and develop into a fire hazard. For the most part, homeowners have no problems with aluminum wiring, but when incorrect receptacles or conductors are installed, the threat of a hazard is likely. Aluminum Wiring is mostly safe, although there are some special considerations to be made when dealing with aluminum wiring.

This is a question that is often asked and that has some misinformation regarding its answer. With a focus on delivering highly decorative bent tubing and tubular products, an emphasis is placed on delivering precise, clean radius bends ready for polishing and/or chrome plating.Aluminum Wiring in Homes – Answers to Common Questions Are homes with aluminum wiring safe? Bent tube products of the highest quality and standards.

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