Aluminum wiring inside a house where you have a multitude of terminations is
exactly that and illegal now. However, it is still used quite frequently all
over the country. Alot of primary high voltage cable, and URD and USE cables
are aluminum. But, they are typically on terminated on fairly long runs and
outdoors.


"JohnQ.Public" wrote in message
...
Tim, the aluminum wiring has an issue that it is most critical that
you
understand. When aluminum gets hot, it expands more than copper. So much
so that after a connection has been made, used to warm, then cooled, it
will
get loose because the aluminum flows out of the connection. This poor
connection now creates heat due to the resistance, which starts it all
over
again. Eventually a fire happens. The NEC is very concerned about the
history of this item, and has specific rules that you can't get away with
skipping.
Use connections that have "AL-CU" stamped on it and no others for that
connection. It is wise to buy a bit of antioxidizing gel, like NoAlox or
similar, and fill the connection before you assemble it with this gel. It
keeps the dissimilar corrosion away, which makes the fire issue crop up
again. Hey, it isn't inside the walls of your house, but nonetheless I
don't think you like any unnecessary action going on, even more so in a
high
current connection like a welder.








Its in my house. Apparantly , in the early 70's the bldg folks here in
Arizona
got real stupid(or , more likely, had their pockets lined)and they allowed
aluminum wiring in many housing developments , including mine. So far, in
the
last 5 years that I have been here, houses go up in flames about 1 per
year. I
oxguarded all my outlets but I have still; had three produce smoke and
the one
on my patio only works in the rain. I also eat light bulbs like nothing
you
have ever seen.Even the miser type bulbs. What bs. Thanks Az. Heed any
warnings
folks give about aluminum wiring. It sucks and is probably more dangerous
than
terrorists on a plane.
MLM