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#1
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aluminum wiring
My house has aluminum wiring. New Years day, the lights in 3 rooms were
flickering badly and there was an awful smell in the utility room where the circuit breaker box is. I noticed smoke coming from one of the top breakers so I switched it off. Later, the lights were still flickering and I noticed the smell again and saw a breaker at the bottom was actually sizzling so I turned off the main breaker. No breakers ever tripped. The electrician came the next day and pulled out the bottom breaker and said it had been on fire on the inside and what I was smelling was melting plastic. He said it was really old, and he had not seen a blue breaker in years. I told him to replace all of the breakers then, and he said the rest looked good. (he didn't pull them all out, he said he could tell they were newer.) I have had 4 replaced since I have lived here, (3 years) so maybe the previous owner had some replaced. Not sure. Anyway, a week later, my daughter pointed out an electrical outlet that looked lightening was in it... would this be arcing? This was a Saturday night, so I turned off the power and pulled the outlet out and put wire caps on each wire. But then I had no power to most of the outlets in the house, so I assume they are connected. I went to Lowe's and bought a new receptacle. The man there said it may or may not be a bad outlet, that it could be the aluminum wire was loose, especially since we had a really cold spell followed by record breaking warm weather. He said that if it was his house, he would "piggy back" it...use copper wire and wire nuts to keep the aluminum and copper together, then make all the attachments to the outlets with copper. He showed me how to do it and I could do it myself, but is this the right thing to do? If I wouldn't have been here, I am 100% my house would have burned down. I asked about having all the aluminum wire ripped out and replaced by copper, but was told that was totally unfeasible, that I should just move if I was that afraid of aluminum wiring. I was also told to pull each outlet once a year and tighten the screws, which I think is pretty high maintenance. Thanks for all your help! I worry every time I leave the house now! Suzi |
#2
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aluminum wiring
The Data Rat wrote:
My house has aluminum wiring. New Years day, the lights in 3 rooms were flickering badly and there was an awful smell in the utility room where the circuit breaker box is. I noticed smoke coming from one of the top breakers so I switched it off. Later, the lights were still flickering and I noticed the smell again and saw a breaker at the bottom was actually sizzling so I turned off the main breaker. No breakers ever tripped. The electrician came the next day and pulled out the bottom breaker and said it had been on fire on the inside and what I was smelling was melting plastic. He said it was really old, and he had not seen a blue breaker in years. I told him to replace all of the breakers then, and he said the rest looked good. (he didn't pull them all out, he said he could tell they were newer.) I have had 4 replaced since I have lived here, (3 years) so maybe the previous owner had some replaced. Not sure. Anyway, a week later, my daughter pointed out an electrical outlet that looked lightening was in it... would this be arcing? This was a Saturday night, so I turned off the power and pulled the outlet out and put wire caps on each wire. But then I had no power to most of the outlets in the house, so I assume they are connected. I went to Lowe's and bought a new receptacle. The man there said it may or may not be a bad outlet, that it could be the aluminum wire was loose, especially since we had a really cold spell followed by record breaking warm weather. He said that if it was his house, he would "piggy back" it...use copper wire and wire nuts to keep the aluminum and copper together, then make all the attachments to the outlets with copper. He showed me how to do it and I could do it myself, but is this the right thing to do? If I wouldn't have been here, I am 100% my house would have burned down. I asked about having all the aluminum wire ripped out and replaced by copper, but was told that was totally unfeasible, that I should just move if I was that afraid of aluminum wiring. I was also told to pull each outlet once a year and tighten the screws, which I think is pretty high maintenance. Thanks for all your help! I worry every time I leave the house now! Suzi That new receptacle needs to be approved for aluminum wiring. The right thing to do is make sure each receptacle is approved for AL, and tighten the screws periodically. Or splice a copper pigtail on the ends of the AL wire with a special wirenut or clamp that is made for mixing CU and AL. BTW, this is only a problem with small gauges of AL wire. The big stuff (#8 and larger) is OK, so you don't need to worry about the electric range circuit, etc. I think arc-fault breakers would catch this problem with loose wires, so you might want to check into that. Best regards, Bob |
#3
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aluminum wiring
That new receptacle needs to be approved for aluminum wiring. The right
thing to do is make sure each receptacle is approved for AL, and tighten the screws periodically. Or splice a copper pigtail on the ends of the AL wire with a special wirenut or clamp that is made for mixing CU and AL. BTW, this is only a problem with small gauges of AL wire. The big stuff (#8 and larger) is OK, so you don't need to worry about the electric range circuit, etc. It is also prudent to clean the wires first and put an antioxidant on them. |
#4
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aluminum wiring
Toller wrote: That new receptacle needs to be approved for aluminum wiring. The right thing to do is make sure each receptacle is approved for AL, and tighten the screws periodically. Or splice a copper pigtail on the ends of the AL wire with a special wirenut or clamp that is made for mixing CU and AL. BTW, this is only a problem with small gauges of AL wire. The big stuff (#8 and larger) is OK, so you don't need to worry about the electric range circuit, etc. It is also prudent to clean the wires first and put an antioxidant on them. Hi, Here is a stroy from my retired X-ray service tech. At a hospital, he couldn't maintain a X-ray machine in good calibration no matter what. After so many days of looking, trouble-shooting, the culprit was a main feeder to the building which was AL wire. When it was repelaced, no more unstable X-ray equipment. I lived in a house with AL wire from 1976 to 2994. Never had any trouble. But it was one reason I sold the house and built another. Tony |
#5
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aluminum wiring
For some peace of mind and to correct any unseen problems, you should have
an electrician open up every outlet, light fixture, and wall switch. Once the problems are corrected you should have a few years of trouble free service. Your wiring throughout your house is not carrying a full load all of the time (Presumably) so I don't think it is necessary to do this every year. It is possible to pigtail copper onto the aluminum conductors, but it must be done using approved methods and materials. You might want to contact your local electrical inspector to find out what methods he will approve of and then call some electrical contractors for costs. It would be difficult for a contractor to give you an exact estimate as to exactly how much it will cost because most of the work is not visible. Most likely they will quote you an hourly rate or per outlet with an additional charge for materials. Changing over your circuit breakers to Arc Fault Protection breakers would help in the prevention of fires, but they are pricey right now. I expect that they will be coming down in price in the future as their use becomes more prevalent. Hope this helps, John Grabowski http://www.mrelectrician.tv "The Data Rat" wrote in message news:daXNb.2456$_H5.998@lakeread06... My house has aluminum wiring. New Years day, the lights in 3 rooms were flickering badly and there was an awful smell in the utility room where the circuit breaker box is. I noticed smoke coming from one of the top breakers so I switched it off. Later, the lights were still flickering and I noticed the smell again and saw a breaker at the bottom was actually sizzling so I turned off the main breaker. No breakers ever tripped. The electrician came the next day and pulled out the bottom breaker and said it had been on fire on the inside and what I was smelling was melting plastic. He said it was really old, and he had not seen a blue breaker in years. I told him to replace all of the breakers then, and he said the rest looked good. (he didn't pull them all out, he said he could tell they were newer.) I have had 4 replaced since I have lived here, (3 years) so maybe the previous owner had some replaced. Not sure. Anyway, a week later, my daughter pointed out an electrical outlet that looked lightening was in it... would this be arcing? This was a Saturday night, so I turned off the power and pulled the outlet out and put wire caps on each wire. But then I had no power to most of the outlets in the house, so I assume they are connected. I went to Lowe's and bought a new receptacle. The man there said it may or may not be a bad outlet, that it could be the aluminum wire was loose, especially since we had a really cold spell followed by record breaking warm weather. He said that if it was his house, he would "piggy back" it...use copper wire and wire nuts to keep the aluminum and copper together, then make all the attachments to the outlets with copper. He showed me how to do it and I could do it myself, but is this the right thing to do? If I wouldn't have been here, I am 100% my house would have burned down. I asked about having all the aluminum wire ripped out and replaced by copper, but was told that was totally unfeasible, that I should just move if I was that afraid of aluminum wiring. I was also told to pull each outlet once a year and tighten the screws, which I think is pretty high maintenance. Thanks for all your help! I worry every time I leave the house now! Suzi |
#6
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aluminum wiring
Thanks to all who replied! Everything I have ever replaced in the house
myself is marked for AL. I also used an antioxidant called oxigard when I changed the outlet.! Suzi "The Data Rat" wrote in message news:daXNb.2456$_H5.998@lakeread06... My house has aluminum wiring. New Years day, the lights in 3 rooms were flickering badly and there was an awful smell in the utility room where the circuit breaker box is. I noticed smoke coming from one of the top breakers so I switched it off. Later, the lights were still flickering and I noticed the smell again and saw a breaker at the bottom was actually sizzling so I turned off the main breaker. No breakers ever tripped. The electrician came the next day and pulled out the bottom breaker and said it had been on fire on the inside and what I was smelling was melting plastic. He said it was really old, and he had not seen a blue breaker in years. I told him to replace all of the breakers then, and he said the rest looked good. (he didn't pull them all out, he said he could tell they were newer.) I have had 4 replaced since I have lived here, (3 years) so maybe the previous owner had some replaced. Not sure. Anyway, a week later, my daughter pointed out an electrical outlet that looked lightening was in it... would this be arcing? This was a Saturday night, so I turned off the power and pulled the outlet out and put wire caps on each wire. But then I had no power to most of the outlets in the house, so I assume they are connected. I went to Lowe's and bought a new receptacle. The man there said it may or may not be a bad outlet, that it could be the aluminum wire was loose, especially since we had a really cold spell followed by record breaking warm weather. He said that if it was his house, he would "piggy back" it...use copper wire and wire nuts to keep the aluminum and copper together, then make all the attachments to the outlets with copper. He showed me how to do it and I could do it myself, but is this the right thing to do? If I wouldn't have been here, I am 100% my house would have burned down. I asked about having all the aluminum wire ripped out and replaced by copper, but was told that was totally unfeasible, that I should just move if I was that afraid of aluminum wiring. I was also told to pull each outlet once a year and tighten the screws, which I think is pretty high maintenance. Thanks for all your help! I worry every time I leave the house now! Suzi |
#7
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aluminum wiring
According to The Data Rat :
My house has aluminum wiring. You're having multiple problems, which suggests that you need to take an overall view of the whole thing. I strongly recommend taking a look at the electrical wiring FAQ. Here's a link directly to the relevant section: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-...ection-16.html -- Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them. |
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