When it comes to home wiring, the first factor to consider is your own safety and the safety of those living in the home.
In the past, aluminum wires and cables were acceptable and cost-effective for wiring given the conditions, but now you probably won’t find a new home with aluminum wiring. So is it safe to live in a house with aluminum wire?
The answer to this question depends on a number of distinct aspects, such as whether or not you have installed safety solutions, the types of fire hazards around your property, and even the types of materials used for wiring.
Although aluminum siding isn’t nearly as common as it once was, there’s still a lot of discussion about it in the architectural and home improvement circles.
Aluminum wires have been linked to a wide variety of fires and electrical injuries over the decades. Some of these incidents have even resulted in the loss of life among the homeowners.
Despite all this, there are still many applications where aluminum is of considerable value. For example, this component can be found in most high voltage power lines as well as airplanes.
In these situations, aluminum has been shown to be not only safer, but more effective than traditional copper wire.
The question that needs to be answered is what exactly makes residential aluminum wiring so dangerous in ordinary homes.
The problem of aluminum wiring used in residential construction in houses
Today, about two million homes in the United States have had their electrical systems remodeled, renovated, or built using electrical circuits that contain aluminum wiring, as shown by data recorded by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
According to industry experts, unless all possible safety measures are taken, the light switches, outlets and junction boxes in these aluminum wire houses can potentially be a fire hazard waiting to happen.
If aluminum is indeed so dangerous, it begs the question of why construction workers chose to work with it in the first place.
The simplest answer to this question is that the vast majority of businesses were simply unaware of the potential dangers of aluminum until around the 1960s and 1970s, when reports of fires and electrical malfunctions first appeared.
Aluminum wiring was used due to cost savings and many manufacturers believed that this material was very efficient in distributing and transmitting electrical current.
No wonder people in the know prefer to work with aluminum instead of copper.
Because this material is not only cheaper, but also lighter and stronger, it led to cables that were less prone to sagging than they otherwise would have been.
Aluminum is also much better for the environment because it’s easy to recycle and doesn’t have the same toxicity as smoldering copper wire.
Unfortunately, aluminum began to show its flaws almost immediately after use in commercial and residential structures.
This type of wire is very prone to loosening from the screws used to secure it in sockets, lights and switches, resulting in poor connections.
When the connection is not as tight as it should be, the wire begins to deteriorate, which in turn causes the aluminum to oxidize, which produces more heat, which in turn can cause a fire.
Inadequate repairs to aluminum home wiring can exacerbate the problem. For example, when electricians try to connect copper and aluminum wires using twist connectors, this can make troubleshooting even more difficult.
Even connectors made specifically for use with copper and aluminum cables can pose a risk in this scenario.
The results of the copper and aluminum comparison test are available!
Copper may be superior to aluminum in terms of strength and weight, but aluminum cannot compete with copper in securing and protecting property.
After aluminum wiring became popular in the construction industry, problems began. This trend started around the same time.
These problems included everything from lights that flickered to switches that overheated to insulation on the wiring that burned. In the end, experts were forced to admit that there was a problem with excessive temperatures.
When experts began comparing the characteristics of copper and aluminum wiring, they discovered three separate factors that could contribute to the dangers associated with aluminum wiring.
A comprehensive inspection includes inspecting all connections in all breaker panels as well as the connections of every outlet throughout your home.
This process can be time-consuming, but it’s worth it if it reduces the chance of a fire in your home.
A common mistake when it comes to aluminum wire is that the only way to keep yourself and your family safe is to replace every single piece of aluminum found in your home.
However, this is not the case. In other situations, this may be a bit of an overreaction, as all that needs to be done is to change the joints in areas where aluminum has been used.
Your choices will include the following with the help of a skilled electrician:
Rewiring the house is undoubtedly the most expensive and also the solution that will last the longest. When you rewire a home, you get rid of all the aluminum wiring in your property and replace it with copper wire, which reduces the risk of an electrical fire in your home.
Copalum is another alternative where the copper is pressed onto an aluminum pigtail joint so it can be used with wiring already in place.
If you make and correct all connections this way, you may find that this is a long-term solution to your wiring problem.
If you’ve never had any problems, you probably don’t feel an urgent need to start repairs right now. Regardless of which option you choose, however, it’s important to schedule inspections with a licensed electrician to ensure your wiring is as safe as it can be.
If your home has aluminum wiring, it’s important to have your home inspected regularly to protect your financial investment and your family’s well-being.
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