Aluminum Wiring Repair

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From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, the electrical systems in many homes used aluminum wiring instead of copper wiring. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 2,000,000 homes were built or renovated using aluminum wiring. Since the mid-1970s, only copper wiring has been used because aluminum was found to pose a fire hazard. Avoid a possible fire hazard in your home by getting your aluminum wiring replacement serviced by Team Electric. Call 813-695-3737 and talk to our Electrician about aluminum wiring repair or replacing the aluminum wiring in your home today.

The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that the likelihood of a fire is 40 to 50 times greater in a house wired with aluminum than in a house wired with copper.

A spokesman for the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, Scott Wolfson, says about aluminum wiring: “This is an area we feel very strongly about. Aluminum wiring in a house presents a very serious potential fire hazard. We feel that there are a significant number of homeowners who have aluminum wiring and who haven’t yet taken steps to make their homes safe.”

What’s Unsafe About Aluminum Wiring?

Aluminum wiring poses a fire hazard wherever it is spliced or makes a connection with an outlet, switch, circuit breaker, or other components of the electrical system. At connection points, aluminum wires shrink and expand with temperature changes. Over time, this movement can cause breaks in the circuit, as well as overheating, arc faults, or fire.

Do I have to rewire my whole house?

Fortunately, there is a relatively inexpensive way to address the unsafe aluminum wiring in your home without having to completely replace all the aluminum wires. The safety issue can be resolved simply by adding copper connection points to the ends of the aluminum wires with alumiconn connectors for the switches, receptacles, light fixtures, and circuit breakers.

It should be noted that working with aluminum wire is a specialized area of electrical work, and home aluminum wiring safety retrofits should only be performed by electricians specifically trained in aluminum-to-copper retrofits.

What’s my next step if I have aluminum wiring?

If your house was built or renovated in the mid-1960s to early 1970s, and you’re wondering if it has aluminum wiring which may not have been upgraded for safety, feel free to give our Electrician a call at 813-695-3737. Team Electric will be happy to help you determine if the electrical wiring in your home poses any safety issues. Call us today for an Aluminum Wiring Replacement.