On 3/19/2017 8:03 AM, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
On 19/03/17 05:31, Colonel Edmund J. Burke wrote:
On 3/18/2017 11:28 AM, Tina wrote:
I have had aluminum wire feeding my free-standing range for over 25
years with no problems, but now I am concerned that it still could be a
problem if it is connected to a copper screw at the breaker box or the
outlet behind the stove.

Could this cause a fire or should I have the wire replaced with copper
wire?


Are "free-standing" ranges healthier for food storage, more so than
regular ranges?

Do you store food in a range? He calls it a stove later.

Steel has to be cadmium-plated if it comes into contact with aluminum,
but I haven't heard of a mix of aluminum and copper. The problem is
that the two metals set up a miniature electric cell. The Web says yes,
you will have a problem:

http://www.finishing.com/78/97.shtml

The result looks pretty dreadful.

A liquid must be present to be an electrolyte. I wouldn't expect
condensation in your situation, but I am a Ham, not an electrician,
on the other side of the world.

A stove has a heavy current drain. Copper is more conductive than
aluminum, and may make a difference. The terminal bar in the breaker
box may be brass, an alloy. The screw could get pretty hot, but to
cause a fire, there must be something flammable nearby. What do your
local wiring regulations require? A man with solar panels wanted to tap
the 12 volt feed for low-voltage use in his house. He was told it was
against the regulations. He thought he would be O.K. What they didn't
tell him was that non-regulation wiring could void his homeowners'
insurance. You need to check that out as well.

HTH,

Doug.


Well, something with this message has run afoul, as far back as the part
where someone's storing food in the range. Personally, I don't store
stuff in my range. And another item... that pull-out drawer just
beneath the main oven compartment says "Not For Storage"; so I would
assume you wouldn't store stuff like combustibles there either.
Conclusion: it seems better to store food in the refer, not the range.

Thank you and have a Pleasance day.