Aluminum Wiring Repair AMP Copalum

The United State Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates that (remove) the likelihood of having an electrical related fire is 55 times higher with a house wired with aluminum wiring, than one wired with copper wiring. Between the years 1965 and 1972, approximately 2 ½ million homes were constructed with aluminum wiring.

The wiring that is of major concern is the single strand solid aluminum wiring, connected to the smaller branch circuits supplying receptacles, switches, lights, and appliances such as dishwashers, furnaces, etc. Corrosion of the metals in the connection, particularly the aluminum wire itself, causes increased resistance to the flow of electric current and that resistance causes overheating. Most modern homes have some aluminum wiring, including the main service wires, and the heavier 240 volt circuits that feed other major appliances, such as ranges and air conditioners. The higher voltage wiring does not present the same risk as 15, 20 and 30 amp circuit wiring.

Signs of trouble in aluminum wire systems include:

• Cover plates on outlets or switches that are warm-to-the-touch
• Flickering lights
• Circuits that don’t work, or work intermittently
• The smell of burning plastic at outlets, switches, or lighting
• Smoking outlets, switches, or lighting
• Tripping circuit breakers, for no apparent reason
• Unusual static on the radio or TV

Unfortunately, not all failing aluminum wired connections provide such easily detected warning signs, as they can fail without any prior indications or problems.

What The Homeowner Can Do?

If you have noticed any of the trouble signs, have a qualified electrician determine whether the problem is caused by deteriorating aluminum connections. DO NOT TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF. You could be electrocuted or you could make the connections worse by disturbing them. If you are not certain whether your home has aluminum wiring, you may be able to tell by looking at the markings on the surface of the electric cables which are visible in unfinished basements, attics, or garages. Aluminum wiring will have “AL” or “Aluminum” marked every few feet along the length of the cable.

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.