1 AL wire in a 12-2 NM?!

[olly]

Has anyone ever seen a 12-2 w/ g NM cable that has 1 AL conductor? I had one cable with what appears to be an AL neutral, pictured and attached. I had another cable in the same house with an AL hot and neutral and a CU ground. Its either a manufacture defect or the CU somehow looks like AL. It seems to bend easier like AL would but not by much. I am baffled. Any one else seen this? The cable is probably for the 80's.

 

[Buck Parrish]

It could be copper with tin in/on it

 

[ptonsparky]

Cu clad Al?

 

[Jraef]

Cu clad Al?

That would look like copper on the outside.

I’m in the tinned copper camp. Clip and end and see if it is copper inside. If so, it’s tinned copper.

 

[tortuga]

I dont think the picture attached

 

[James L]

I've seen it a lot, a silver-ish color when the insulation is stripped. Cut the end. You'll see it's copper inside

 

[infinity]

We need to see some photo's.

 

[Jpflex]

Has anyone ever seen a 12-2 w/ g NM cable that has 1 AL conductor? I had one cable with what appears to be an AL neutral, pictured and attached. I had another cable in the same house with an AL hot and neutral and a CU ground. Its either a manufacture defect or the CU somehow looks like AL. It seems to bend easier like AL would but not by much. I am baffled. Any one else seen this? The cable is probably for the 80's.

NEC doesn’t allow conductors of different metals to be terminated on the same device unless listed for this purpose. I think different metals create some sort of adverse affect near connection? Bimetallic strips used to be used on breakers because the different metals expand and retract at different temperatures allowing g opening of circuit like a speing

 

[Jpflex]

Spring

 

[kwired]

NEC doesn’t allow conductors of different metals to be terminated on the same device unless listed for this purpose. I think different metals create some sort of adverse affect near connection? Bimetallic strips used to be used on breakers because the different metals expand and retract at different temperatures allowing g opening of circuit like a speing

How many times you put an already tinned lead into a wire nut type connector with uncoated copper conductor(s)? Or even some high temp conductor from a fixture/appliance that clearly isn't uncoated copper?

Think it depends what the two metals are and what kind of galvanic action they may have together or different expansion/contraction rates which I believe is the main thing with aluminum mixed with many other conductor types.