Aluminum to copper wire nuts1/11/2024 For your lights you can use aluminum rated purple wire nuts to make connections just be ready to expend around US$3.00 for each one, this wire nuts hold antioxidant inside their body that protects the aluminum from oxidation.ģ. Replacing existing switches and receptacles with special aluminum rated switches and aluminum rated receptacles. This is definitely the best option and also the most expensive one, but if you are planning to live for a long time in your house, go for it.Ģ. Rewire the whole house with copper wiring. If you house has aluminum wires, make sure you has it evaluated by a licensed electrician, desirable one that is familiar with aluminum, more likely he will suggest you one of the following options:ġ. When aluminum wires are only twisted together as you would do with copper wires, the wires expand and contract, current flows through them producing heat due to poor connection and if the aluminum wires has oxidized, this will heat up the connection even further, creating a potential for wire overheating and in the worst of the cases a possible fire. Aluminum then seemed to be the right substitute for residential wiring, it was abundant and cheap, at that moment no body predicted the likely danger it posed to American families.Īluminum is a softer metal that copper that contracts and expands at a bigger scale when heated and is more vulnerable to oxidation, this oxidation become a thin layer on its own surface. Copper wire become very difficult to find and also very expensive. They start using aluminum wires in houses because the high use of copper by the US military throughout the Vietnam War. If that is the case, you need to act right away to make sure your house is safe, any work perform in an aluminum wired house must be done by a licensed electrician with previews experience correcting problem involving aluminum wired houses. This was a hazardous situation.ĪLUMINUM WIRE REPAIR, WE PERMANENTLY REPAIR THE HAZARDS OF ALUMINUM WIRING!Ĭall us today for your aluminum wiring electrical safety inspection.If your house was built from 1965 to 1973 chances are it has aluminum wiring. These splices were found outside of an approved electrical box and the surrounding insulation which was in contact also showed signs of over heating. These burned splices shown below were found in the attic in a home in the Montbello section of Denver in October of 2005. In addition to the severely burned wires and wirenuts, the box and transformer also showed significant signs of heat damage. These burned-up red and purple wirenuts at left were found at the furnace connection also at a home in the Southmoor section of Denver. The neutral wire bundle is completely fused together due to the heat damage. The damage done to the wirenuts and the amount of heat present is clearly obvious. These pictures are close ups of the burned up purple wirenuts after they were removed from the master bedroom switch. The wirenut contained 3 aluminum and 1 copper wire and operated a bath light that was working fine and not flickering. This picture is of a switch box found in a master bedroom in the Southmoor section of Denver in July 2004 clearly shows a burned Purple Wirenut on the neutral wires. However, being that this wirenut is filled with a flammable oxide-inhibitor and the manufacturer has stated that this wirenut is NOT INTENDED FOR A COMPLETE HOME RETROFIT, ( ) we believe it is best to leave aluminum wiring alone until such a time as it can be permanently repaired via re-wiring or COPALUM crimping.Ĭlick on any image below to enlarge that image. Accordingly, from what we have seen in the field, we agree with the Commission staff and can validate the laboratory testing in believing that this method of repair does not solve the problem of overheating present in aluminum branch circuits.Īt best we consider the proper application of Purple Wirenuts a temporary repair. In CPSC-sponsored laboratory testing, some brands of twist-on connectors have performed very poorly. The Commission staff has evaluated the effectiveness of “pigtailing” as a repair. The most often suggested unacceptable repair (“pigtailing”) involves attaching a short piece of copper wire to the aluminum wire with a twist-on connector sometimes called a wire nut (IDEAL Purple #65) the copper wire is connected to the switch, wall outlet or other termination device. While these repair methods are less expensive than COPALUM crimp connectors, we agree with the CPSC that these repairs are considered unacceptable and “does not solve the problem of overheating present in aluminum branch circuits.” Burned Purple (Ideal #65) Wirenuts found in the fieldĬAUTION: Many electricians, who are not COPALUM certified, recommend other repair methods.
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