While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

Ed

Jag Man wrote:
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

Ed


Before doing anything, I would inspect *all*
the fixtures and maybe *all* the recepts.

If there is one problem, there are likely many.

IOW, get a handle on the scope of the situation
you're looking at.

Jim

"Jag Man" wrote
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

No electrical knowledge here, except to know not to stick a fork in a live
electrical socket. That said, I was on a job rennovation once where the
electrician was cussing at some unknown electricians which had years ago
wired aluminum to copper without putting this _compound?_ on the wires. The
wires _oxidized?_ and caused insulation to be bare. He said they were
supposed to put this compound when wiring aluminum & copper together. Maybe
someone can help you out on what this is. I'm not sure of the technical
terms are, in any case, I plead temporary insanity.

Git em, tiger!

Incidentally, if memory serves, copper runs two sizes smaller. So, if you're
pulling out 14 AWG, you can use 16 copper. I wouldn't bother in this case.
Just use 14 copper, and you'll be good.

The less aluminum wire in your house the better.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Jag Man" wrote in message
.. .
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

Ed

back in the day they used aluminum instead of more
expensive copper. they started noticing fire hazards due to people hooking
up aluminum wires to brass screws or fixtures. something to do with the rate
of expansion/contraction and the wires came loose from the fixtures. make
sure all your fixtures are for aluminum wiring. id even get a electrical
inspector in to look at it

"Jag Man" wrote in message
.. .
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

Ed

"Jag Man" wrote in message
.. .
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

Ed

There are AL/CU twist connectors (Ideal #65)
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/pl2p12b.htm

However, the recommended fix is a spice that requires a special tool:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03120.html

Compound is called No-alox. Available at electrical supply houses.
Also, you should use special wire nuts made for both copper and
aluminum wires. Not all wire nuts are made that way.

Stretch

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Git em, tiger!

Incidentally, if memory serves, copper runs two sizes smaller. So, if
you're pulling out 14 AWG, you can use 16 copper. I wouldn't bother
in this case. Just use 14 copper, and you'll be good.

The less aluminum wire in your house the better.


Almost right. He can't run 16 copper because no home wiring should be
14 Aluminum. Min Aluminum should have been 12 for a 15 amp circuit.

The whole house needs to be checked.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia's Muire duit

In article ,
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Git em, tiger!

Incidentally, if memory serves, copper runs two sizes smaller. So, if you're
pulling out 14 AWG, you can use 16 copper. I wouldn't bother in this case.
Just use 14 copper, and you'll be good.


14 AWG is the minimum size for installed wiring.

What's more important is having the correct size wire for the rating of the
overcurrent protection (fuse or circuit breaker). for a 15 amp circuit, that
would be 14 awg, for a 20 amp circuit, that would be 12 AWG.
It is always OK to use a larger size wire than required, and sometimes a
good idea to do so (large loads on a long circuit, etc..)

The less aluminum wire in your house the better.


agreed.
--
-- Welcome My Son, Welcome To The Machine --
Bob Vaughan | |
| |
| P.O. Box 19792, Stanford, Ca 94309

On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 19:04:17 -0400, Speedy Jim wrote:

Jag Man wrote:
snip
. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.
snip

Comments? Suggestions?

Ed


Before doing anything, I would inspect *all*
the fixtures and maybe *all* the recepts.

If there is one problem, there are likely many.

IOW, get a handle on the scope of the situation
you're looking at.

Jim

I was curious about this because I was working as a fledgling
residential electrician about mid point of the early AL wiring rage
(1970). Now that we know AL was misapplied at that time, I wonder how
all those homes I worked on (when I really didn't have a clue what was
going on) have fared. I did a search on "aluminum wiring hazard", the
third hit of 76,000, a commercial alum repair site, yeilded this:

http://www.alwirerepair.com/

"Aluminum Wiring was used in the construction of roughly 1.5 million
U.S. homes built between 1965 and 1973. According to a report
published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), homes
wired with aluminum wire manufactured before 1972 ("old technology"
aluminum wire) are 55 times more likely to have one or more
connections reach Fire Hazard Conditions than is a home wired with
copper. This problem only gets worse with time. The aluminum-wired
connections that fail tend to progressively deteriorate at a slow
rate, and after many years can reach very high temperature while still
remaining electrically functional in the circuits. A large number of
connection burnouts have occurred in aluminum-wired homes. Many fires
have occurred some involving injury and death."

Take this with a FWIW, they are in the biz of repairing AL
installations.

DJ

I haven't read everyone's comments yet, but I have aluminum wiring in my
house and when I added on to it I simply got some anti-oxidizing grease from
a local electrical supply store and used screw-connectors, not the twist
ones, to make all connections. The ceiling fan I added in had copper wiring,
so I had no choice but to make use of the aluminum.

Aluminum wiring isn't a problem so long as the connections to copper are
done properly and the wiring is rated properly for the load.


BAL

"Jag Man" wrote in message
.. .
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?


Suggest buy some good smoke detectors before doing any thing else.

--

SVL

There are 2 problems with aluminum wire.

Aluminum is very reactive and a clean aluminum surface will oxidize
rapidly. This is useful in that the surface winds up protected by a
thin layer of aluminum oxide and remains shiny. But the aluminum oxide
is an insulator which can increase the resistance of a connection and
cause a failure. This problem is solved using an antioxide paste, one
example of which is Noalox. The paste keeps oxygen away from the
aluminum. Some pastes also have (had?) particles of metal to 'bite' into
the aluminum wire. Aluminum is restricted is some uses, one I think is
some commections in damp/wet locations near the ground.

The second problem is that aluminum has a high expansion rate with
temperature - a lot higher than most other metals. As a result, when a
connection of aluminum wires in a joint surrounded by another metal
heats up, the aluminum expands faster and can be squeezed/ compressed.
This makes the connection a little looser with a little higher
resistance so it will heat up more on the next cycle of use. This can be
progressive and cause failure. The solution to this problem is to use
connectors and devices (switches, receptacles,... ) that are rated for
aluminum. This rating was developed after the problems developed using
aluminum for branch circuit wiring. Receptacles exist with a Cu/Al
rating. (I don't think any back-stab connections are aluminum rated.)
Likewise, wire nuts, split-bolts, etc sould be aluminum rated.

I would splice the aluminum wire to copper, with a small amount of paste
on the aluminum, using a wire nut listed for aluminum-copper, then
connect the copper to the end device.

Bud--


Jag Man wrote:
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Thanks, Joe. I may have misspoke. As a rule, the al wire in the house
is indeed 12 gauge.
This looked a little smaller, but I'll put a gauge to it. In any event
I will use 14 gauge
copper.

Ed

Almost right. He can't run 16 copper because no home wiring
should be
14 Aluminum. Min Aluminum should have been 12 for a 15 amp circuit.

The whole house needs to be checked.

--
Joseph Meehan

Thnaks, Jim. I have lived in the house since 1972 so have visited most
wall boxes over the years... I think! Shortly after the bad news hit,
I went
through and replaced all the devices that aluminum touched. That's
when I learned that all the lighting circuits are wired with aluminum,
and all the
outlets (except the switched ones) are wired with copper. Not
once did I find anything that looked like there had been any arcing or
deterioration,
until now. In my opinion, the problem is heat in ceiling fixtures.
Fortunately, there
were only 4: kitchen, the 2 baths, and the laundry room. And, this is
the LAST
one of these to be replaced.

With help from this group, I recently ripped out all the aluminum in
the guest bathroom
going TO the lights and fan, replacing with copper. And yes, I used
the special
twist connectors with the goo inside on the Al/Cu connections.

Like everyone else, I wish I could rip all the aluminul out, but that
would be
a huge job. From the repairs and extensions I've done I know that all
the
cables are nailed to the studs 8" from the boxes at every wall box.
Moreover,
the wiring often dives through studs rather than just straight down
from the attic.
What that means is every wall box would have to have pulls down from
the attic,
bypassing existing cables entirely. For interior walls I could almost
see myself doing that.
But what brings be back to reality is all the boxes in exterior walls.
These walls
have fire breaks, and more often than not are in the walls at the edge
of shallow-slope
roof. I've done some of that kind of thing for a sound system and know
that the
stucco has to be broken through at the top and at the fire break. As I
said, a BIG job.

Anyway, thanks for listening, and I do appreciate the input!

Ed




Before doing anything, I would inspect *all*
the fixtures and maybe *all* the recepts.

If there is one problem, there are likely many.

IOW, get a handle on the scope of the situation
you're looking at.

Jim

Thanks. See my reply to Speedy Jim.

Ed

"I R Baboon" wrote in message
...
back in the day they used aluminum instead of more
expensive copper. they started noticing fire hazards due to people
hooking
up aluminum wires to brass screws or fixtures. something to do with
the rate
of expansion/contraction and the wires came loose from the fixtures.
make
sure all your fixtures are for aluminum wiring. id even get a
electrical
inspector in to look at it

Thanks. See my reply to Speedy Jim.

Ed



I was curious about this because I was working as a fledgling
residential electrician about mid point of the early AL wiring rage
(1970). Now that we know AL was misapplied at that time, I wonder
how
all those homes I worked on (when I really didn't have a clue what
was
going on) have fared. I did a search on "aluminum wiring hazard",
the
third hit of 76,000, a commercial alum repair site, yeilded this:

http://www.alwirerepair.com/

One difference in the Al/Cu rated twist connectors is they are filled
with
gray goo... probably the same stuff. Don't know if there are any toher
differences.
Ed


"stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
Compound is called No-alox. Available at electrical supply houses.
Also, you should use special wire nuts made for both copper and
aluminum wires. Not all wire nuts are made that way.

Stretch

Thnaks, Rich. I've used the Al/Cu Ideal connectors. I believe the tool
is so
expensive even the electricians don't have them. Correct me if I'm
wrong.

See my reply to Speedy Jim.



"Rich256" wrote in message
...

There are AL/CU twist connectors (Ideal #65)
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/pl2p12b.htm

However, the recommended fix is a spice that requires a special
tool:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03120.html

Got them!

Ed

"PrecisionMachinisT" wrote in message
...

Suggest buy some good smoke detectors before doing any thing else.

--

Thanks Bud. See my reply to Speedy Jim.

Ed

"Bud" wrote in message
.. .

Likewise, wire nuts, split-bolts, etc sould be aluminum rated.

I would splice the aluminum wire to copper, with a small amount of
paste
on the aluminum, using a wire nut listed for aluminum-copper, then
connect the copper to the end device.

Bud--

Barry,

When you say "screw-connectors" are you referring to the side
connections on the
wall box devices?

I also have had to use twist connectors in ceiling mounted stuff. Used
the
Al/Cu rated ones of course. I was wondering though why there isn't
some
kind of a "terminal-block" kind of connector for Al/Cu connections. I
recently installed an inline exhaust fan that came with a
terminal-block
connector, but I don't think it was AlCu. Don't see why it couldn't be
done though, if Ideal set their mind to it.

Ed



used screw-connectors, not the twist
ones, to make all connections. The ceiling fan I added in had copper
wiring,
so I had no choice but to make use of the aluminum.

Jag Man wrote:
Thnaks, Rich. I've used the Al/Cu Ideal connectors. I believe the tool
is so
expensive even the electricians don't have them. Correct me if I'm
wrong.

See my reply to Speedy Jim.



"Rich256" wrote in message
...

There are AL/CU twist connectors (Ideal #65)
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/pl2p12b.htm

However, the recommended fix is a spice that requires a special

tool:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03120.html



It is not the cost of the tool but rather that the crimps are only sold
to contractors who have been certified in the application. If you have
not been certified by the manufacturer you cannot obtain the listed
crimps that are suitable for making aluminum to copper splices.
--
Tom H

On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:53:02 GMT, "Jag Man"
wrote:

While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,

This normally happens when copper and aluminum are in contact with
each other. Causing less and less good metal to conduct electricity,
and causing overheating. So don't be surprised. What you should be
supprised about, wtf was that allowed to happen? There are special
wirenuts, i'm thinking about ideal, that have chemicals allowing
copper and aluminum wires to be twisted together. You can twist on
copper pig tails so you can use copper only fixtures.

I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get

Why? Aluminim isn't against code, has the wire become so damaged it
can not be salvaged?

into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Now this is a good idea, if you want to replace the aluminim with
upgraded cables, that's a very good reason. Personally I wouldn't
replace aluminim unless I really had too. But then I use electrical
inspectors for my own work performed in my own house. Even when I
don't have to.


Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

Yes, you mentioned a possible problem. If the aluminim wire was
connected incorrectly at the fixture box you might have a problem
every where in the circuit. I would suggest you check that switch box
for incorrect connections(ie, unprotected copper to aluminum, copper
only terminals on the switch, etc).


TIA

Ed


Remember, never use what I posted or anyone as fact, always use
qualified personal to do electrical work, and allows comply with NEC
and local codes.

later,

tom

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:12:03 GMT, "adam" wrote:


"Jag Man" wrote
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

No electrical knowledge here, except to know not to stick a fork in a live
electrical socket. That said, I was on a job rennovation once where the
electrician was cussing at some unknown electricians which had years ago
wired aluminum to copper without putting this _compound?_ on the wires. The
wires _oxidized?_ and caused insulation to be bare. He said they were
supposed to put this compound when wiring aluminum & copper together. Maybe
someone can help you out on what this is. I'm not sure of the technical
terms are, in any case, I plead temporary insanity.


I belive Ideal only makes the UL approved wire nut for connecting
aluminum and copper wires.

tom

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 23:23:23 -0400, The Real Tom tom @
www.Love-Calculators.com wrote:

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:12:03 GMT, "adam" wrote:


"Jag Man" wrote
While preparing for painting in the laundry room I decided it
was a good time to replace the 36 year old, ceiling mounted,
drum style lighting fixture. When I unscrewed the base from the
ceiling and was preparing to remove the twist connectors
I was shocked (not electrically, but emotionally) when they
fell off in my hand. Probably due to heat, the aluminum wiring
had corroded completely through. Looking at the wire more closely,
I see other places where the insulation has baked and flaked off,
exposing bare wire. These are 14 gauge aluminum in Romex
style cable.

Obviously, that wire has got to go. At the least I will have to get
into the
attic and cut the Romex back from the fixture box and install another
box so I can splice in a new copper wire to feed into the fixture box.
Probably should look for some high temperature rated wire while
I'm at it.

Or, I could go one step further: Splice new copper to the cable
going down to the light switch, and then back up to the fixture box.
That would be a lot harder, as the switch is in an outside wall
at the edge of a fairly low pitched roof, making working room
extremely tight... laying on my belly in rock-wool insulation. But,
it would get rid of a bit more of the aluminum.

Comments? Suggestions?

TIA

No electrical knowledge here, except to know not to stick a fork in a live
electrical socket. That said, I was on a job rennovation once where the
electrician was cussing at some unknown electricians which had years ago
wired aluminum to copper without putting this _compound?_ on the wires. The
wires _oxidized?_ and caused insulation to be bare. He said they were
supposed to put this compound when wiring aluminum & copper together. Maybe
someone can help you out on what this is. I'm not sure of the technical
terms are, in any case, I plead temporary insanity.


I belive Ideal only makes the UL approved wire nut for connecting
aluminum and copper wires.

tom


http://www.idealindustries.com/IDEAL...5?OpenDocument

"Tom Horne" wrote in message
ink.net...

crimps that are suitable for making aluminum to copper splices.

Our local power company uses a special crimp connecter to connect their
aluminum drop to our copper lines. It seems as if every 4 or 5 years they
lose their conductivity and have to be replaced and on one occasion the
connection even burned apart. I usually notice the problem when I hear a
sizzling static sound in my short-wave radio.
Think I would do as one poster suggested, check the smoke alarms. RM~

Get yourself a whole bunch of rolls of Reynolds Wrap (aluminum foil).
Run one strip from the basement to the attic on the North wall of the
house. Be sure to scotch tape all splices.
Run the other strip up the South wall of the house.

Connect the neutral wire to the alum foil on the South wall.
Connect the hot wire to the alum foil on the North wall.

Now simply attach everything in the house to those two foils and you
gots elektrizzitee.

Funny you should suggest this. I have a microwave oven on a cabinet
near the stove. To protect it from the stove heat, I have a sheet of
aluminum foil taped loosely to the side as a heat/splatter shield. When
a thunderstorm is in the area, it is not unusual for the aluminum foil
to build a charge and discharge to the stove's metal frame with a small
flash & pop. In fact I've got many small pit marks on the stove where
it happens. And no, I've never had a lightning hit - and I do have
lightning rods on the roof.
So your suggestion of using a bunch of rolls of aluminum foil should
make a really big capacitor & put on a fantastic show.

Bob