Arshad Khan, Certified Home Inspector - Qualityspec Inc.
Understanding Aluminum Wiring.
Houses with aluminum wiring are generally safe and do not cause concern even on the insurance level. Most of the Insurance companies identified that your homes electrical panel is your main concern. If your home still has an older fuse type panel, it could be a major insurance, and safety risk. Fuse panels can be upgraded to breaker panels quite easily, and at a lower cost than rewiring an entire home. The main areas of concern with aluminum wiring are your homes connectors and receptacles. When aluminum wiring was first being installed, the same receptacles and connectors were used as for copper wire, but this does not work. The connections can become loose and overheat, possibly causing a fire. According to the mostly certified Licenced electricians that receptacles can be retied with copper tails, which is roughly a 1-2 day task to refit an entire home. This increases your homes safety and brings it up to today's code standards.
(Aluminum Wiring Panel box)
(There has been a fire in this junction box. Note the melted wire nut and tape and bottom right. This was a junction box where copper conductors have been connected to the original Aluminum branch circuit wiring in homes can be very hazardous and requires special connectors installed by specialized contractors)
Recommendations to address existing problems with aluminum wiring installations
Where an existing building has the older aluminum wire installed this does not mean that it has to be removed or disconnected. There are corrective actions that can take place to make sure that the installation is safe.A construction electrician with experience in older aluminum wire installations should inspect the entire electrical system and do any of the corrective work using one of the following methods.If the aluminum wire is terminated on devices (including breakers or fuse terminations in the panel) that are approved to accommodate aluminum wire (such as dual rated items marked as listed above and marked by CSA or equivalent as shown below) then all that needs to be done is for the electrician to possibly apply some anti oxident and tighten all the connections. The connections may be required to be tightened again. Continual maintenance may be required and therefore this is considered a temporary solution.If the aluminum wire is not terminated on properly approved connectors then one of two procedures can occur:First, all of the devices can be replaced with properly approved devices to accommodate aluminum wire. This could be costly and therefore is to be considered a last alternative.Second, is to have the electrician pig tail a small piece of copper wire to the aluminum wire and terminate the copper wire portion of the cable to the device. In order to pig tail the two different wires together you have to use an appropriate connector (dual rated) and it must be approved for use in Canada.
Tip: *Many insurers will not provide or renew insurance coverage on properties with Knob & Tube or Aluminum Wiring; however, there are quiet a few insurance companies, who provide the coverage on such homes. You just have to shop around. They would require the wiring to be inspected and repaired or replaced as necessary, and this work is inspected by ESA and a copy of the certificate of inspection is provided to the insurer.
Houses with aluminum wiring are generally safe and do not cause concern even on the insurance level. Most of the Insurance companies identified that your homes electrical panel is your main concern. If your home still has an older fuse type panel, it could be a major insurance, and safety risk. Fuse panels can be upgraded to breaker panels quite easily, and at a lower cost than rewiring an entire home. The main areas of concern with aluminum wiring are your homes connectors and receptacles. When aluminum wiring was first being installed, the same receptacles and connectors were used as for copper wire, but this does not work. The connections can become loose and overheat, possibly causing a fire. According to the mostly certified Licenced electricians that receptacles can be retied with copper tails, which is roughly a 1-2 day task to refit an entire home. This increases your homes safety and brings it up to today's code standards.
(Aluminum Wiring Panel box)
(There has been a fire in this junction box. Note the melted wire nut and tape and bottom right. This was a junction box where copper conductors have been connected to the original Aluminum branch circuit wiring in homes can be very hazardous and requires special connectors installed by specialized contractors)
Recommendations to address existing problems with aluminum wiring installations
Where an existing building has the older aluminum wire installed this does not mean that it has to be removed or disconnected. There are corrective actions that can take place to make sure that the installation is safe.A construction electrician with experience in older aluminum wire installations should inspect the entire electrical system and do any of the corrective work using one of the following methods.If the aluminum wire is terminated on devices (including breakers or fuse terminations in the panel) that are approved to accommodate aluminum wire (such as dual rated items marked as listed above and marked by CSA or equivalent as shown below) then all that needs to be done is for the electrician to possibly apply some anti oxident and tighten all the connections. The connections may be required to be tightened again. Continual maintenance may be required and therefore this is considered a temporary solution.If the aluminum wire is not terminated on properly approved connectors then one of two procedures can occur:First, all of the devices can be replaced with properly approved devices to accommodate aluminum wire. This could be costly and therefore is to be considered a last alternative.Second, is to have the electrician pig tail a small piece of copper wire to the aluminum wire and terminate the copper wire portion of the cable to the device. In order to pig tail the two different wires together you have to use an appropriate connector (dual rated) and it must be approved for use in Canada.
Tip: *Many insurers will not provide or renew insurance coverage on properties with Knob & Tube or Aluminum Wiring; however, there are quiet a few insurance companies, who provide the coverage on such homes. You just have to shop around. They would require the wiring to be inspected and repaired or replaced as necessary, and this work is inspected by ESA and a copy of the certificate of inspection is provided to the insurer.
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