Although aluminum wiring is still used today for larger cables, a majority of your home’s circuits are wired using copper conductors. That is unless your home was built between 1965 and 1975, also known as the “aluminum years” and coincidentally also the years that the Vietnam war was taking place and in full swing. One of the theories as to why aluminum wiring became so widely used during this time period is because the cost of copper sky rocketed due to bullet production for the war effort that it just became too expensive to wire a home using anything other than aluminum.
Theoretically, there is nothing inherently wrong with aluminum wiring when it is installed properly and maintained continuously over its life span. Unfortunately, insurance companies cringe at the idea of aluminum wiring because of just how high a chance of fire occurring in a home with aluminum wiring. Seeing as insurance companies are better at collecting your money rather then paying out money, they will do their best to minimize any potential risks.
With aluminum wiring, there are two options; the first would be to completely remove all aluminum wiring and re-wire the house using new copper conductors. Unless you are planning to do some major renovations to the home, completely re-wiring the home can be an expensive, time consuming and messy endeavor. Although re-wiring really is the BEST option at minimizing and really eliminating the risk that aluminum conductors pose, it is not always a feasible option. If we are renovating a home and run into aluminum wiring, we always remove and re-wire using copper. There is no point in keeping a potential risk when you already have the walls open.
If you are not renovating and don’t plan on tearing down drywall throughout the house, then the second and most common option for homes with aluminum wiring is to “pigtail” copper wires onto the aluminum wiring in the electrical boxes. The process of pig tailing a copper wire onto the aluminum wiring should be left up to someone with experience and specializing in these types of conversions. Having an inexperienced worker do this type of upgrade can be equally as dangerous as the aluminum wiring itself.
The copper “pigtail” can be added onto the aluminum in a couple different methods. Ranging both in quality and price. The cheapest and easiest method would be to use a Marrette #65 and an anti-oxidant gel. The Marrette #65 is rated for both aluminum to aluminum connections as well as aluminum to copper connections. Costing around a $1 a unit and a 1-oz bottle of anti-oxidant gel costing around $4.50, this is the cheapest option when it comes to upgrading.
The anti-oxidant gel is poured into the Marrette prior to screwing onto the pre-twisted wires and ensure that the aluminum conductor does not oxidize and create a loose connection and potential fire hazard. The copper pigtail is then connected to a new copper rated device and re-installed into the wall.
The second, more expensive, and only valid in the USA, method of attaching the copper pigtail onto the aluminum conductors is to use the AlumiConn lug style connector. Priced at roughly $3.50 USD a connector and a typical plug requiring 3 connectors per device, this quickly adds up to being a more expensive option. The reason we prefer this method, and really wish it would pass CSA approval for use in Canada is because a lug style connection is a much more secure method of splicing the wires, the aluminum and copper conductors never actually touch each other removing the hazard of dis similar metals, and the workmanship that goes into installing a lug style connector does not need to be as precise as it would have to be stripping and splicing wires together using the #65 type connector.
Once the copper conductor is added onto the aluminum then the new device can be installed and placed back into the wall box.
One important thing to note in both steps is that new devices are being installed on the copper wiring. The new devices manufactured today are only rated for use with copper conductors and should not be used on aluminum wiring. Many service calls we receive for faulty devices is because (usually a handyman) installed a copper only device onto aluminum wiring and a near fire hazard has caused a fault. Aluminum rated devices may be available through special order from an electrical wholesaler, but this method is rarely done and more expensive than either option for a copper pigtail.
