Aluminum wiring in older house (Home Depot, heat, insulation, cost)
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We live in a house built in 1969. It has aluminum wiring. We would like to turn this house into a rental one day. We are checking into codes but if the wiring is in good shape does it need replaced to whatever they currently use because of amp power and today's devices using more?
Hope this makes sense and yes we will be checking with the city codes to find our specifics on Monday.
If you're not already gutting the house, I don't think you're going to find any code requirement calling for replacing the wiring. I'd direct this question to my insurance agent.
Advice to me from one of the company electricians was to use this stuff https://www.sanchem.com/electrical-c...lubricant.html on all connections and avoid the stab connections at outlets and wall switches. The wire itself is not as much an issue as is the corrosion at connections.
The reason I had him out to the house was the wiring to the meter head had corroded to the point that the box was too hot to touch. This was in south Florida, so salt air and such undoubtedly contributed.
All the plugs and switches can be retrofitted to change them to a copper connection. It takes a specific connection part. A hassle, but a lot cheaper than rewiring the house.
The danger with aluminum is that it expands and shrinks with heat and air temperature. It can work itself loose and if it is the right degree of loose, it can spark and start fires.
Advice to me from one of the company electricians was to use this stuff https://www.sanchem.com/electrical-c...lubricant.html on all connections and avoid the stab connections at outlets and wall switches. The wire itself is not as much an issue as is the corrosion at connections.
This. Assuming wiring isn't subject to corrosion somewhere along the run (scratched or cracked insulation, etc.) almost 100% of the problem with aluminum wiring is at junctions and connection. Besides corrosion, certain connection faults can create a high-resistance point that heats up to white hot. (Those problems usually solve themselves in the first hour of use... )
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Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke
All the plugs and switches can be retrofitted to change them to a copper connection. It takes a specific connection part. A hassle, but a lot cheaper than rewiring the house.
This. It would be tedious to go through and check/replace every accessible termination and connection in the house, but far cheaper and probably 99% as effective as rewiring. I've done it, just for upgrade and maintenance purposes, even on all copper wiring. I like new plugs and switches and knowing there are no booby traps left by some prior Home Depot genius...
FWIW, we lived in a AL-wired house for 25 years with no problems. When it came time to sell, the buyer insisted on this "crimp" style of mitigation. Cost was about $2400 for a 1700 sq ft 3bed/2 bath house.
Almost every house has aluminum wiring, as that is typically what is used for the drop from the transformer to the house/meter and then from the meter to the service panel. It is safe when used with the proper connectors/devices, as mentioned above.
I think the current National Electric Code allows either aluminum or copper wiring, but when you use aluminum you normally have to upsize one wire size over copper due to ampacity. For example, where you would normally use a #14 copper wire, if you used aluminum you would have to upsize to #12 wire. Aluminum wire has less amperage carrying capacity than the same size of copper wire.
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