Aluminum Wiring Safety Recommendations For In Homes
Aluminum wiring..The following is an excerpt from the original Consumer Safety Commission report over 30 yrs old . Aluminum wiring was Very dangerous then, and it is EXTREMELY dangerous now. If you are considering buying a house with aluminum wiring (mainly built between 1965 &1975) , you really should have it looked at by a qualified licensed electrician, not just a home inspector who usually isn’t qualified to judge the safety of the installation. If you presently own a house with aluminum wiring and you notice any of the symptoms listed below contact us for a free consultation.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
| Office of Information and Public Affairs | Washington, DC 20207 |
CPSC Safety Recommendations For Aluminum Wiring In Homes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission held four days of fact-finding hearings on March 27 and 28 in Washington, D.C., and on April 17 and 18 in Los Angeles, California, to seek information about possible hazards associated with the use of aluminum in home electrical wiring systems.
The Commission has received numerous reports about home fires that have been attributed to the use of aluminum conductors in branch circuits. Many of these fires have been the result of overheated terminals involving aluminum wiring and a receptacle or switch.
The Commission currently is evaluating the data presented at the hearings by consumers and representatives of industry and government and conducting additional tests at the National Bureau of Standards to better understand the failure mechanism. Further action by the Commission is dependent upon a finding that aluminum wiring is either a substantial product hazard or poses an unreasonable risk of injury to consumers.
An estimated two million homes and mobile homes have been constructed using aluminum wiring since 1965.
To assist consumers who live in homes with aluminum wiring to reduce the potential risk of fire and the possibility of dangerous overheating, the Commission suggests the following precautionary steps.
CONSUMERS WHO HAVE NOT HAD THOROUGH ELECTRICAL TRAINING SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO INSPECT THEIR HOME WIRING SYSTEM OR MAKE ANY ELECTRICAL REPAIRS OR ADJUSTMENTS BEFORE SEEKING EXPERT ADVICE. SERIOUS OR FATAL ELECTRIC SHOCK COULD RESULT.
- If you are not certain or if you do not know whether your home is wired completely with aluminum, ask a knowledgeable electrician or other qualified individual to make the determination. If aluminum wiring was used, have the electrician or individual check the connections on heavily loaded and constantly loaded circuits to determine if the electrical connections have been made properly or show evidence of deterioration.
- Trouble signals associated with aluminum wiring problems include:
* warm switch or receptacle face plates.
* strange or distinctive odor or the smell of burning plastic in the vicinity of a receptacle or switch.
* flickering of lights not traceable to appliances or obvious external causes.IF THESE TROUBLE SIGNALS ARE PRESENT IN YOUR HOME, SEEK EXPERT ADVICE IMMEDIATELY.
- .PIGTAILING USING INNOVATION “ALUMICONN” CONNECTORSIn mid-2006 a new connector became widely available for the aluminum wire
pigtailing application. This connector is shown below.
Tests on this connector has been completed and the Alumiconn product has gained the required UL Listing
FIGURE 4 – King Innovation “AlumiConn” Connector
On the basis of the test results, the AlumiConn connector is considered to have a high probability of failure-free and the best long-term safe performance
A special holding tool may be developed and made available by the connector manufacturer.
- PIGTAILING USING IDEAL #65 “TWISTER” CONNECTOR
After about 1987, when UL adopted a revised standard (UL486C) applicable to
twist-on connectors for aluminum wire, twist-on connectors were no longer being
marked (in the USA) as UL listed for aluminum wire applications. In 1995, UL
accepted a twist-on connector – the Ideal #65 “Twister” – for aluminum-to-copper
wire combinations, including those commonly used in the “pigtailing” retrofit.
The Ideal #65 has been heavily promoted for that application. The connector is
essentially the same as twist-on connectors that had performed poorly in
previous testing, the major difference being that it is pre-filled with
inhibitor compound. Based on its construction, there is good reason to question
the long-term performance of the Ideal #65. Because of its UL listing, however,
most electrical inspectors would accept this connector for pigtailing of
aluminum wiring.
As soon as it appeared on the market, the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) questioned UL’s listing of this connector for the aluminum wire
pigtailing wire combinations. Although the manufacturer claims that the
connector has been thoroughly tested for the application, neither the
manufacturer or UL have released any detailed test data. The manufacturer
states that the connector has received CSA certification for the same wire
combinations. Information developed so far indicates the following:
- The manufacturer did not initially claim that the connector is
intended for use in the pigtailing retrofit application. Instead,
the manufacturer stated (to CPSC) that the Ideal #65 is intended for
such applications as connecting lighting fixtures and ceiling fans.
Ideal’s engineering manager at that time committed to CPSC to change
their its advertising and instructional information accordingly, but
Ideal has not followed through on that commitment.
- UL did not independently perform the “heat-cycle” life tests
required by their standard. These tests were performed by the
manufacturer, with UL accepting the manufacturer’s results.
- The connector was not “heat-cycle” tested for the common
pigtailing wire combinations with current passing through the
aluminum-aluminum wire path (in an aluminum-aluminum-copper splice).
- The “heat-cycle” tests that were performed by the manufacturer on
the Ideal #65 “Twister” connector were not done using aluminum wire
of the type actually installed in homes built in the 1960′s and
early 1970′s.
- The CSA certification was based on UL’s acceptance for listing.
CSA did not independently evaluate the Ideal #65 connector. In
fact, the use of a zinc-plated steel spring in the connector
violates a CSA general requirement for connectors for aluminum
wiring.
- The inhibitor compound/plastic shell of the connection in
combination can ignite readily and burn freely. This increases the
chance of fire ignition if connection failure occurs.
*** CAUTION – THESE REPAIRS MUST BE DONE BY A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN ***
