Aluminum Wiring Repair in Calgary

How You Can Keep Your Family Safe From The Dangers Of Aluminum Circuitry Without Ripping Out Your Walls ... I'll also show you how to repair it without investing a truckload of cash doing it.

If your house was developed during the late sixties to the mid seventies, there is a likelihood that aluminum circuitry was used instead of copper for its electrical circuits. Aluminum was utilized since there was a scarcity of copper due to the Vietnam War.

Nevertheless, in time, difficulty emerged - namely ... homes were burning down with the aluminum connections to gadgets - outlets and switches - as the cause. As a matter of reality, research carried out by Franklin Research Institute for Customer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) exposed that houses constructed with aluminum wiring are 55 times more likely to ignite than homes wired with copper. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the aluminum itself. It is an outstanding conductor and less costly than copper. The issues develop because aluminum expands and contracts far faster than copper when utilized. This can trigger a loose connection, developing gaps that can trigger sparking and fire. Intensifying the problem further is the truth that aluminum practically instantly starts to oxidize the minute it is exposed to the oxygen in our air. This reaction forms an oxide covering on the wire just like rust kinds on iron.

This oxide decreases the ability for the wire to carry out electricity leading to even more heat. Eventually, it can end up being hot adequate to melt or burn fixtures - such as wall outlets and switches - where the exposed aluminum touches with the brass connections. So the problem is the exposed aluminum around the connections - and the connections themselves. When considered to be risky in 1974, aluminum circuitry was all but stopped in home applications. Unfortunately, it was far too late for the homes already installed with it.

If your house is fitted with aluminum electrical wiring, you can be facing other problems aside from the apparent danger of fire. Some insurance provider will not guarantee houses with aluminum circuitry unless it is upgraded to present day electrical code. This can cause unfortunate and undesirable financial responsibilities if you were trying to sell your home or get your remodellings passed by a federal government inspector. In addition, if your insurance provider discovers that a fire in your house was caused by aluminum electrical wiring connections, they might decline your claim for financial settlement. Now there are several solutions to this bad scenario, but the very first thing you have to do is identify if you have aluminum electrical wiring to start with. You can get an electrical contractor supervised by a master electrician to have a look at it for you.

However the easiest way to do this is to take a look at the printed or embossed markings on the outer jacket of the electrical electrical wiring, which show up in unfinished walls or ceilings in basements, attics, or garages. Cable with aluminum conductors will have "Al" or "Aluminum" and other information marked on one side of the cable television coat every couple of feet along its length. If for whatever reason, you can not see any wiring, then there is another, albeit a bit more involved way of checking.

Here are the 3 simple actions:

Step 1 - plug a hair dryer or light into any wall outlet, turn it on and leave it on.

Action 2 - go to your circuit panel and trip (switch off) the breaker corresponding to that outlet. You'll know you have the best breaker when your hair clothes dryer or light is off when you check back on it.

Step 3 - unplug the device and eliminate the outlet from the wall and examine the electrical wiring connected to it. DO NOT DETACH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING. You can make the connection worse if you do.

You ought to be able to see the bare wire below the screws. It is easy to acknowledge aluminum due to the fact that of its colour. If you an orange color, this is copper. Nevertheless, if the exposed wire underneath the screws is white, it is aluminum. Got it?

aluminum wire