Aluminium residential wire
- Thread starter rickcham
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Mission Viejo, CA
- Occupation
- Professional Electrical Engineer
Re: Aluminium residential wire
Ideal makes listed wirenuts to splice AL to CU if you want to pigtail all the connections to devices. Or you could by devices rated for AL
althought they are not cheap. I wouldn't just start squriting no ox paste in a wirenut listed for use with copper.
Ideal makes listed wirenuts to splice AL to CU if you want to pigtail all the connections to devices. Or you could by devices rated for AL
althought they are not cheap. I wouldn't just start squriting no ox paste in a wirenut listed for use with copper.
lazorko
Member
- Location
- Philadelphia
Re: Aluminium residential wire
A whie back, I was looking into ways of dealing with Al wiring, and found the following in refererence to the Ideal #65 wire nut, but haven't kept up-to-date on the issue:
REDUCING THE FIRE HAZARD IN ALUMINUM-WIRED HOMES
Written By: Jesse Aronstein, PH.D., P.E.
(When originally written:
Vice President, Special Engineering Projects Wright-Malta Corp., Ballston Spa, NY)
Revised May 10, 1996
(Original: January 25, 1982)
This report was originally prepared for:
Electrical Safety Conference - Electrical Fires
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Madison, Wisconsin 4/14/82
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 prefilled 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 substantive 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 is no longer claiming that the connector is intended for use in the pigtailing retrofit application. Instead, the manufacturer now states (to CPSC) that the Ideal #65 is intended for such applications as connecting lighting fixtures and ceiling fans. Ideal has committed to CPSC to change its advertising and instructional information accordingly.
- 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. CSA is re-evaluating the certification of this connector and may now do its own testing.
- Both the plastic insulator of the connection and the inhibitor compound inside the connector ignite readily and burn freely. This increases the chance of fire ignition if connection failure occurs.
Independent testing of the Ideal #65 "Twister" has demonstrated the following:
- Installed according to the manufacturer's instructions (without abrasion or pretwisting), the connector does not reliably establish low-resistance connections. (This finding contradicts the manufacturer's claim that particles in the inhibitor inside the connector serve to abrade the wire and eliminate the need for separate abrasion of the wires.)
- The Ideal #65 connector does not consistently pass the UL "heat-cycle" test requirement when tested with aluminum wire of the type actually installed in homes with current passing through the aluminum-aluminum path in a pigtailing (aluminum-aluminum-copper) splice.
- The performance of the Ideal #65 Twister is essentially the same as that of poorly-performing twist-on connectors previously evaluated for the aluminum wire pigtailing application.
With CPSC skeptical and investigating further, the manufacturer seeming to agree that the connector is not for the pigtailing retrofit application, CSA reviewingtheir "rubber stamp" certification, and independent tests clearly demonstrating poor performance, the use of the Ideal #65 "Twister" connector for the pigtailing application is definitely not recommended.
A whie back, I was looking into ways of dealing with Al wiring, and found the following in refererence to the Ideal #65 wire nut, but haven't kept up-to-date on the issue:
REDUCING THE FIRE HAZARD IN ALUMINUM-WIRED HOMES
Written By: Jesse Aronstein, PH.D., P.E.
(When originally written:
Vice President, Special Engineering Projects Wright-Malta Corp., Ballston Spa, NY)
Revised May 10, 1996
(Original: January 25, 1982)
This report was originally prepared for:
Electrical Safety Conference - Electrical Fires
University of Wisconsin-Extension
Madison, Wisconsin 4/14/82
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 prefilled 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 substantive 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 is no longer claiming that the connector is intended for use in the pigtailing retrofit application. Instead, the manufacturer now states (to CPSC) that the Ideal #65 is intended for such applications as connecting lighting fixtures and ceiling fans. Ideal has committed to CPSC to change its advertising and instructional information accordingly.
- 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. CSA is re-evaluating the certification of this connector and may now do its own testing.
- Both the plastic insulator of the connection and the inhibitor compound inside the connector ignite readily and burn freely. This increases the chance of fire ignition if connection failure occurs.
Independent testing of the Ideal #65 "Twister" has demonstrated the following:
- Installed according to the manufacturer's instructions (without abrasion or pretwisting), the connector does not reliably establish low-resistance connections. (This finding contradicts the manufacturer's claim that particles in the inhibitor inside the connector serve to abrade the wire and eliminate the need for separate abrasion of the wires.)
- The Ideal #65 connector does not consistently pass the UL "heat-cycle" test requirement when tested with aluminum wire of the type actually installed in homes with current passing through the aluminum-aluminum path in a pigtailing (aluminum-aluminum-copper) splice.
- The performance of the Ideal #65 Twister is essentially the same as that of poorly-performing twist-on connectors previously evaluated for the aluminum wire pigtailing application.
With CPSC skeptical and investigating further, the manufacturer seeming to agree that the connector is not for the pigtailing retrofit application, CSA reviewingtheir "rubber stamp" certification, and independent tests clearly demonstrating poor performance, the use of the Ideal #65 "Twister" connector for the pigtailing application is definitely not recommended.
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