Phoenix Electrician Near You Talk
Today I want to talk about aluminum wiring which I have seen 4 times this week while providing electrical services in the area of Tempe. We will cover important factors that you must consider as a Phoenix homeowner as well as what your trusted Phoenix electrician near you should know when attempting to work in your home. Aluminum wiring was very common in the 60’s but production was stopped in the mid 70’s because of the increase in house electrical fires. Even though aluminum wiring wasn’t accepted for very long their are thousands of homes all over the US that are still aluminum wiring to this day.
With that being said It is imperative that the following measures are taken when servicing or altering the electrical system in your aluminum wiring home by your trusted Phoenix electrician near you.
What Should Your Phoenix Electrician Near You Know?
Anti-Corrosive Compound
No-Alox is a special paste or compound that is meant to slow down corrosion. This compound is used when joining two dissimilar metals such as aluminum and copper. The reason for this is because when two dissimilar metals touch they cause a chemical reaction called galvanic corrosion which is the result of one metal rusting faster than the other metal it is in contact with. When galvanic corrosion occurs the electrical connections begin to increase in resistance resulting in arcing which often times result in electrical fires.
Specialty Wire-nuts
The proper wire-nut to splice aluminum to copper wiring is purple finish and comes already filled with anti-corrosive compound. Your Phoenix electrician near you should also be aware that this type off wire-nut is not acceptable to splice aluminum to aluminum wiring and the proper wire connect should be utilized to do so.
Aluminum Approved Devices
Not every outlet and switch for sale is suitable to be used with aluminum wiring. Aluminum compatible devices are marked as AL/CU by the manufacture on the packaging. Most if not all circuit breakers are technically aluminum compatible unless otherwise specified by the manufacture.
The Science Behind AL/CU Splices
It is recommended that when working with aluminum wiring stranded copper pigtails are utilized. The reason behind this is that aluminum wiring expands and contracts at a different rate than copper wire. So from a physical stand point of view stranded copper wire can better adapt to aluminum properties and behavior when under stress. Doing so successfully reduced the possible of a splice working its self-loose over time. This is a very important fact your Phoenix electrician near you knows when working with aluminum wiring.
What a Homeowner Should Know From a Phoenix Electrician Near You Perspective?
Aluminum vs Copper
Aluminum wiring is physically larger in size but surprisingly withstand less load than a copper conductor would of a comparable diameter. The reason for this is that aluminum is not as good as copper at dissipating heat. Aluminum has by far better conductivity properties than copper but unfortunately its inability to successfully carry current without expanding and contracting in comparison to copper make it very impractical and unpredictable.
Appliances to Stay Away From
When living in a home that is wired with aluminum conductors you should really be aware on the amount of stress you put into each circuit. You have to always remember that just because your circuit breaker hasn’t trip you can continue to plug in more and more appliances into that circuit. A circuit breaker was designed as a protective device to prevent your house wiring from overheating when overloaded. Here are the following appliances you should stay away from a Phoenix electrician near you point of view:
Electric space heaters are a big no no for any home in general but specially with homes that are wired with aluminum. Running a dedicated circuit is strongly recommended.
Electric portable A/C units are another large load you should never energize on aluminum wiring. Running a dedicated circuit is strongly recommended.
By having a good general understanding of aluminum wiring and what the Phoenix electrician near you needs to be aware will help you make the best decision when choosing who to hire. Be sure to let all of your family members & friends know who is the Phoenix electrician near you of choice.
We hope you found these tips helpful. Let us know via Instagram about your next home project. You can also ask us questions and share pics of your latest home renovations.
Until next time, friends.
Hector and Kathryn Torres (the power couple)
azpowercouple