Aluminum Wiring - What are the Dangers?

[@shannonsloan7246]

As a licensed electrician I have pigtailed a few houses and have become familiar with aluminum wiring and the issues that it comes with. Through experience I knew a lot of what was said here but this video was very well put together, they qualified person Spoke well and I learned some things I didn’t know as well. Thank you very much.

[@dtrrtd774]

what was the concept behind the CU-AL receptacles that didn't work? was it that the screw connections didn't maintain a secure connection from the repeated heat cycling?

[@mobilechief]

My house burned down in 1973 because of that crap, one reason I decided to study electricity, a family of 7 people almost died due to aluminum if it hadint been for our cats waking us up.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

Oh that's very sad. Sorry for your loss.

[@LakeNipissing]

Several times while watching TV in the living room in the evening, a friend's Siamese cat was acting strange and hissing and swatting an electrical receptacle on the wall with nothing plugged into it. After a few days of this behavior of the cat, he became curious and checked out the unused receptacle to find power was passing through this receptacle to additional circuits. The aluminum wires had become loose on the receptacle screws and the cat could hear the arcing!!!

[@gregorylyon1004]

We had a mobile home that was built in 1972. Every wire in the house aluminum. The lead wires and all the receptacles were all aluminum. I couldn't believe it. But the only circuit breaker that would trip was the air conditioner. The AC was too big for the circuit

[@nastrom100]

Great video ! Very informative. Great Q&A. Kudos.

[@andystitt3887]

Is the where arc fault risk comes from?

[@williamcorcoran8842]

The problem with aluminum wire is that it corrodes (oxidizes) when connected to copper wire. The corrosion causes arcing over time that can lead to fire. Also, when aluminum connects to copper they expand and contract at different rates. This causes connections to loosen over time. This, too, can cause fire.

[@chasgarza3960]

What about the circuit breaker box. Does it have to be pigtailed also if its aluminum to aluminum or only if the circuit breakers are or where changed to copper. If its hasn't been touched and it is all aluminum will it safely power the pigtailed wires outlets inside the trailer without danger? We have no money to hire an electrician but I understand exactly what to do. The outlets need to be replaced but I can't just put a copper outlet on without pigtailing the wires with the noalox and #63 wire connectors. I am scared for my family. My mom, me and my son and two puppies have no choice but to live in this beat down trailer.

[@heroknaderi]

Good information ℹ️

[@ehill5638]

You mentioned cu-al but you didn't mention co/alr.

[@LakeNipissing]

CO/ALR (ALuminum-Revised) is the good one.

[@williamhaines7752]

Except. For ac disconnects. Range. Outlets and setvices. Branch. Circuits. It was diisconected

[@shabutir1820]

We bought a 1982 Holiday Rambler camper that Im pretty sure uses aluminum. The breaker box is copper coming from the main power wire, but the lights at least are aluminum. Wont know for sure if its throughout until I pull out an outlet. But we had a 1978 park model camper that was all copper.

[@dtrrtd774]

shades of really, really zoolander- FLIR image was interesting, good way to quickly identify high resistance connection issues.

[@alphaomega8373]

Good stuff!

[@bimil8724]

Wrong about insurance I got it no problem with a mainstream company. I got 600k rebuild too.

[@qualityrenov]

@fairbairninspections I'm buying a house that was built in 1973 in western Quebec, with Aluminum wiring all over. Can get away with just re-wiring the Stove, Hot water tank and Dryer to Copper, and the doing those pigtails with the special anti-oxidant paste in all outlets and switches, and redoing the electrical panel? all by certified electrician of course. re-wiring the whole hose will be cost-prohibitive!

[@AlexPasek]

rewire hi-load lines like stove, dryer etc. Everything else should be fine with pigtailing (ie AlumiConn) and use of AFCI outlets.

[@henriemarquez9567]

You got to replceit

[@GarryBurgess]

I'm very comfortable with paying the big price to get my house rewired.

[@johnshort4421]

I am sorry, but your status of 44% increase of fires with aluminum compared to copper is absolutely a farce number. If that were true, with over several million homes in Florida alone, you would have house fires every day caused by this wiring. You guys are just out there scaring people into paying big money to rewire their homes. There are methods to use that should be introduced and these homes with aluminum wiring should incorporate them and have it inspecatble.

[@donaldlee6760]

I was also curious how 44 times (not 44%) statistic. This is 4400% higher. I'd like to read the source, but I wonder if it would compare 55 year old houses (1965) are 44 times more likely to have a fire than houses built in the last 5 years and using the 2014 NEC code. If correct, than it's not fair to compare 55 years with 5 years (11x difference), and compare buildings with arc-fault breakers to those without, and lastly compare houses with modern UL receptacles to those using low-quality, non-listed receptacles. But who knows, maybe it really is 4400% higher. Too bad there is no source.

[@henriemarquez9567]

If you do not understand electricity aluminum wires will lose its once it heats up you got pull that shit out it will drive crazy to trouble shoot pig tail sometimes will not work any more nolox will cut off the