Can the Problem Be Fixed?

Since it may be impractical or prohibitively expensive to rewire most homes, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, through research, laboratory tests, and demonstration projects, has identified only one method of repairing aluminum wiring that meets the following criteria;

• Must repair every connection to, or splice between, aluminum wire in the home.
• The repaired connections must be permanent, but must result in a system that can be maintained without the need for special switches, outlets, or connectors.
• The repair technique must be practical for use in an occupied and furnished home.

The only repair method that meets these criteria is the Amp Copalum® system. This repair consists of attaching a piece of copper wire to the existing aluminum wire with a specially designed metal sleeve, which is crimped to 10,000 psi using a powered crimping tool. The sleeve and tool are matched and are only available through Amp Copalum® certified electricians, who are thoroughly trained by the manufacturer in the proper use of this tool. This system makes a permanent connection, which is in effect a cold weld.

Two other repair methods are often recommended by electricians who don’t have access to the Copalum System. While these methods are less expensive than the Amp Copalum process, neither of these repairs is considered acceptable by the Consumer Safety Products Commission for solving the problem of overheating aluminum wiring circuits. It is possible that some pig tailing “repairs” made with twist-on connectors may be even more prone to failure than the original aluminum wire connections.

This post is to address a concern that many homeowners have when Home Inspectors identify single strand aluminum wiring in older homes.   Between approximately 1965 and 1973, single-strand aluminum wiring was sometimes substituted for copper branch-circuit wiring in residential electrical systems due to the sudden escalating price of copper. After a decade of use by homeowners and electricians, inherent weaknesses were discovered in the metal that lead to its disuse as a branch wiring material.  Although properly maintained aluminum wiring is acceptable, aluminum will generally become defective faster than copper due to certain qualities inherent in the metal.  Neglected connections in outlets, switches and light fixtures containing aluminum wiring become increasingly dangerous over time. Poor connections cause wiring to overheat, creating a potential fire hazard.