Check your electrical outlets.

beerftw said:

Aluminum solid wiring is a bastard to deal with. There was an apartment complex not to far from where I live that caught on fire, the insurance company tried tooth and nail to deny coverage because the aluminum wiring had an improper splice, and they determined the splice was the start of the fire where the copper and aluminum meet. What saved his ass was he had detailed down to the finest details the maintenance records since he bought it, and shown all his repairs were in compliance meaning the previous owner was the one cutting corners.

The aluminum wiring gets loose connections but seeing copper wire does not mean it is all copper. The copper to alumin splice is safe and accepted if done properly but many never did a proper one and went the cheap route to kick the can down the road, meaning the fire will start at the splice instead of the outlet. Copper with a loose connection can do the same however copper simply tends to hold steady over the years while solid aluminum resonates causing loose connections needing a special splice to ensure no future problems.

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Nuber said:

I know that I am late to this thread, but as electrician is my main profession, I thought that I would chime in.

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Nuber said:

Aluminum wiring and copper to aluminum connections both have unique problems. Aluminum is not as good of a conductor as copper, which is why aluminum wiring is generally 1 size larger than the same copper circuit. Aluminum also responds to heat and moisture differently than copper, creating unique termination requirements.

Basically, if you have aluminum, then make sure your connection point is specifically rated for aluminum. This was not always the case (houses built in the 70's are notorious for not having properly rated connections). Your termination/connection point will have AL stamped on it (or AL/CU meaning it is dual rated).

Aluminum also requires an anti-oxidant compound to be used at the termination due to aluminum's susceptibility to corrosion. The more humid your environment the more important this is.

Finally, if you are actually connecting aluminum to copper, say in a splice, there are very few (and relatively expensive) rated connectors for this. Hire a professional with experience for this type of work.

There are a lot of people and contractors who try to work around these requirements due to cost - insurance and safety are good reasons to not go cheap when making repairs to aluminum wiring.

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beerftw said:

The relatively few and expensive methods are why people tend to not do it right. The metals expand at different rates and the connector needs to be special made for that spice, simply joining them with an ordinary splice will cause the same issues as pure solid strand aluminum wiring but just at a later date.

Many contractors/ maintenance are trying to keep costs low which often means cutting corners. In the case of the apartment complex, the insurance was well aware of the proper way to do it, as they likely had to pay out numerous times in the past over people trying to save a buck.
Rewiring an entire house with copper wire is expensive, whereas splices that are proper are cheaper, and improper splices are vastly cheaper. Had a shop I worked for in cali have an air compressor burn up, had an electrician come in and try to reqire it only to stop and have to rip the wiring out. not only was it 220-240 volts for the compressor, the copper wire was half assed spliced to aluminum, and per the building permit the wiring for that section was installed in the 90's, which makes one wonder when even professional electricians trying to build to code use aluminum solid strand wiring and try to hide it like it was copper, almost like they still had rolls of it and were trying to use it anywhere they could.


If you spent your time as an electrician you have likely seen enough half assery for everyone between random electricians and contractors, many who change company names on a yearly basis to avoid legal liability.

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