Aluminum Wiring in My Home (Sun City, Sun City West: home owners insurance, loan, houses)

[Susanks1]

I just found out that we have aluminum wiring in our home. I didn't even know there was such wiring. What does anyone know about it? Thanks.

[Ponderosa]

All aluminum or just the 220 circuits? Aluminum has problems in that it becomes non-conductive when the surface is exposed to air, it expands and contracts at different rates than the copper connections it can be attached to, it conducts less than copper and requires a larger diameter which is sometimes incompatible with other connections. There have been a relatively (to copper) higher incidence of fire with al wiring. The main problem is with single strand aluminum wiring. Homes that used Al for the 220 branch circuits almost certainly have multi-strand wiring and are not at significantly increased risk of corrosion, resistance, and fire provided properly rated connections and junctions were used.

[Susanks1]

The whole house has aluminum wiring.

[youthinkso]

Don't sweat it. Aluminum wire was used in the 60s and 70s plenty of houses have it. My parents house was built in 70,,,it's still standing as is every house in that neighborhood. if it was a real problem your home owners insurance would reflect that.

[Ponderosa]

There is a huge amount of info on the internet about aluminum wiring in homes, risks, and remedies you could pursue. At a minimum, you may want to contact an electrician to inspect it. Some of the wiring practices back in the 60/70s were bad even with copper.

One thing you can do is to feel your outlets when they are in use. If they are warm you have an emergency situation and need to fix it. Another thing is to make sure you have fire alarms in every room. Most older homes do not and it is a good idea even with the latest wiring. You can get ones these days that are wirelessly connected to sound together if a fire is detected on any one of them.

[AZJoeD]

Aluminum wiring was popular in the late 1960's and 1970's until they found out it was inferior to the copper that was traditionally used. If your home has not been "fixed", you should consider having an electrician evaluate your home.

I found this information about homes with aluminum wiring:

There are several upgrades or repairs available for homes with pre-1974 aluminum branch circuit wiring:

- Completely rewiring the house with copper wires.
- "Pigtailing", which involves splicing a short length of copper wire (pigtail) to the original aluminum wire, and then attaching the copper wire to the existing electrical device. The splice of the copper pigtail to the existing aluminum wire can be done with special wire nuts, special crimp connectors, or special miniature lug-type connectors.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that for a permanent repair, the pigtailing be done with special crimp connectors called COPALUM, or a special miniature lug-type connectors called AlumiConn connectors.[8] And any repairs should be done by qualified electricians familiar with aluminum wire problems and repair methods.

COPALUM connectors are a sophisticated crimping system that creates a cold weld between the copper and aluminum wire, and is regarded to be a permanent, maintenance-free repair.[9] These connections are sometimes too large to be installed in existing enclosures. Surface enclosures or larger enclosures may be installed to remedy this problem. COPALUM connectors can be costly to install and must also be done using special tools by electricians certified in its use, and it can be difficult to find local certified electricians.

As of April 2011, the CPSC has also approved the AlumiConn miniature lug connector as an alternate to the COPALUM connectors for a permanent repair.[10] The AlumiConn pigtail connectors are easier for local electricians to install as they only require the electrician to use a special torque screwdriver.

[Susanks1]

Thanks everyone.

[maverick974]

I had aluminum in a house in Oregon and the only problem I had was the connections at the outlets. The aluminum heats and cools at a greater rate than copper and since it's a softer metal, the aluminum would "squish" at the connection to the outlets. I always had a problem with loose connections at the outlets and that can be dangerous. Sparks, heat, etc.
At the very least, check the connections.
as stated above, there is a fix where you can add a fancy connector to the aluminum. I'd check into it.

[Steve Pickering]

That 60's and 70's wiring has burned down more than a house or two. Some lenders won't approve a loan on them.

[goodfellas17]

I have looked at some homes in Sun City West. Does anybody know if it was used by Del Webb in this development?