ALUMINUM WIRE RISK: The Aluminum Electrical Wiring Risks & Hazards Explained

Aluminum wiring, used in some homes from the mid 1960's to the early 1970's, is a potential fire hazard. How safe is aluminum wiring?

According to the Canadian Consumer Product Safety Commission, fires and even deaths have been reported to have been caused by this hazard. Problems due to expansion, or more likely micro-fretting and arcing at the connectors, can cause overheating at connections between the wire and devices (switches and outlets) or at splices. The connections can become hot enough to start a fire without ever tripping a circuit breaker! Robert Redford Electric has the experience and know-how to safely handle your aluminum wiring needs.

The photos shown above are not the most dramatic catastrophes linked to fires caused by aluminum wiring. But these are conditions that are found in many homes with aluminum wiring, confirming that this is a real, common, and widespread hazard.

Research shows that "homes wired with aluminum wire manufactured before 1972 are 55 times more likely to have one or more connections reach "Fire Hazard Conditions" than are homes wired with copper. "Post 1972" aluminum wire is also a concern. Introduction of the aluminum wire "alloys" in 1972 time frame did not solve most of the connection failure problems.

Aluminum wiring is still permitted and used for certain applications, including residential service entrance wiring and single-purpose higher amperage circuits such as 240V air conditioning or electric range circuits. The fire risk from single purpose circuits is much less than for branch circuits.

But it's not necessarily because of a "new alloy" as some folks assert. It's because there are enormously fewer connections (four or six rather than 30 or 40 per circuit) and thus statistically a smaller chance of a connection failure. These connections do still burn up, as indicated by field reports.

Aluminum Wiring Solutions, ( SAVE MONEY ! ! ):

Our qualified electricians have come up with a solution, we will not rewire your home!!

Our technicians will come to your home and deal with every receptacle, switch and light box in your entire house. We will resplice each troublesome connection at those sources and repair them with approved wire connectors at each power point. In doing this we not only repair the faulty wiring but we bring the house to current electrical standards at the same time, guaranteeing the insurance company that the house is now in better electrical shape than when it was first built. The benefits to you are:

• Piece of mind that your house is safe to occupy
• Lower insurance rates
• Remedy the problem at a fraction of the price.
• Letter to Insurance company guaranteeing that the house is now safe to live in and will be for years to come!!

That is what Redford Electric will do for you!!
And with the money you save why not replace those old switches and receptacles with a newer style. Our electricians are there at every electrical box anyway the cost to upgrade is minimal, as well we would be glad to install new light fixtures as we are taking down the old style anyway to do our repairs. All this can be done for a fraction of what it would cost to rewire your home.

If you have aluminum wiring, call Robert Redford Electric at 604 536 5672