What is Aluminum Wiring, Anyways?

A lot of people don’t realize the seriousness of aluminum wiring in any living space. Below you will read about the “short-lived” history and how it can effect your home currently.

Aluminum branch circuit wiring was installed for only a brief period of time, during the late 1960’s to early 1970’s. It’s clearly apparent why it’s time of use and installation was brief, it’s Dangerous. It presented enough danger that manufacturing was halted and installations stopped in the mid 1970’s. Homes that still have aluminum branch circuit wiring are 55x MORE LIKELY to have electrical issues that lead to fire according to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission.aluminum

The problem with aluminum branch circuit wiring occurs at the point of connection, whether it be a connection to a switch, a receptacle, or a wire to wire connection. The problem occurs when the conductor expands and contracts at the connections causing them to become loose. When you have a loose connection and draw a load at the connection, arcing occurs which creates great amounts of heat, usually resulting in a fire. In addition to the inherent aluminum wiring connections, we are also required to bring the home up to today’s electrical standards as required by the NFPA, the NEC, and the National Building codes. There are many code required upgrades that will have to be done per the permitting and inspections department.

As you can see, we highly recommend that if your home was built during the “Aluminum Age” you get the wiring checked out. It could potentially save you and your family’s lives. We offer Home Safety Inspections to inspect all wiring in the house for as little as $260.19*. Just give me a call at the office, 919.847.1617, and we can schedule for a tech to go to your house and perform the inspection.

*Price does not include dispatch fee or other services/repairs provided.