Understanding Potential Dangers of Aluminum Wiring

If your home was built between 1965 and 1973, there is a chance that aluminum wiring was used in electrical service in your home. Homes using aluminum wiring have been found to be up to 55 times more likely to reach a fire hazard condition versus homes that have been wired with copper wire. This type of aluminum wire, which is often called 'old technology' aluminum wire, has a tendency to break down at a slow rate, and over time can oxidize and even expand or contract.

Over time, as the aluminum wire deteriorates, temperatures in the wiring can reach very high levels while still maintaining electrical conductivity. When the new wiring becomes too hot, an electrical fire is often the unfortunate result. Therefore, aluminum wiring is not used in most places these days. Copper wiring is much more stable and resists deterioration much better than aluminum when used as an electrical conductor.

What to Do if You Have Aluminum Wiring

Although aluminum wiring is certainly not the best choice for use in a home, it is also very difficult to completely change the wiring in an existing home that uses aluminum wire. Therefore, you need to be able to lessen the chances that aluminum wiring in your home could cause a problem or be a potential hazard. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help improve the condition of the aluminum wiring and make it more resilient and resistant to deterioration and oxidation.

One of the easiest ways to prevent problems with aluminum wiring is to ensure that it is not connected directly to fixtures or switches. Although there are some types of fixtures and switches that are considered to be safe switches, a process called pig-tailing was developed to provide better protection and help avoid aluminum wiring from coming in direct contact with terminal screws on switches and power wires on fixtures.

The Basics of Pig-Tailing

In its simplest form, pig-tailing involves the process of connecting a short copper jumper wire between the piece of aluminum wire and the fixture or switch that the wiring powers. Although this can be accomplished with simple wire caps, this is usually not the best solution to the problem.

Because aluminum wiring  does have a tendency to oxidize, special considerations need to be made when using a piece of copper wire as a pigtail jumper wire. For instance, many experts agree that using a crimper tool to connect the aluminum wire to the copper wire creates a much better bond and helps to resist oxidation in the aluminum wire. There are also specialty types of wire caps that include an anti-oxidation agent in the cap, which helps to minimize the problem as well. Also, aluminum and copper wires should be abraded and pre-twisted before using a wire cap or crimping tool. This too helps to prevent oxidation which could lead to extreme temperatures in the aluminum wiring.

Specialty Switches and Outlets

There are some specialty switches and outlets available that help to address the problems with aluminum wiring. However, some of these switches and outlets are nothing than kits with copper pigtails pre-installed on the outlet or switches. To be fair, however, these types of switches and receptacles do use adequate bonding methods which help reduce oxidation and deterioration in aluminum wiring.