aluminum wire

[jfplaniczka]

Say that you have an aluminum 12-2 wire in your breaker panel. Could you set a box and splice a copper wire to it, put some de-ox on it and call it a day? Or do you have to take it out completely?

Thank you

jfplaniczka

 

[jimwalker]

Re: aluminum wire

They made a splice thingy just for that purpose.
No i don't think you can just use no-ox and wire nut

 

[dana1028]

Re: aluminum wire

Per UL 'green book'...Wire Connectors (ZMVV) - you cannot use a wire nut to connect copper & alum UNLESS you use the listed AL-CU type wire nut....this type is limited to dry locations.

"Some connectors are shipped prefilled with conductor termination compound (antioxidant compound). For non-prefilled connectors, conductor termination compound "may" be used IF recommended by the connector manufacturer as preliminary preparation of the conductor...."

 

[pierre]

Re: aluminum wire

You are required to use a listed product to splice copper to aluminum. If you want to use a wirenut, only Ideal (Purple Twister) makes a listed wirenut for splicing copper to aluminum.

Pierre

 

[jimwalker]

Re: aluminum wire

Aluminum wire 12-2 ,14-2 does show us proof positive that the writers of NEC can and do sometimes mess up.Or should the blame rest on UL ?

 

[wildman]

Re: aluminum wire

while we are on the topic of aluminum conductors..proper splicing...1.alum to copper use approved wirenut or splitbolt...2. alum to alum use approved (alum) splitbolt, but what about wirenut? some ec I have spoken with use cu/alum wirenut with lots of antioxidizing compound...one ec suggested making the junction using a duplex receptacle(rated for alum conductors) and install proper duplex cover...this is in residental(#12/#10 gauge)the department stores stock copper to copper/copper to alum/but no alum to alum connectors... I know this alum wiring situation is a touchy subject! What do you use?

 

[tom ogryski]

Re: aluminum wire

I had a box of those Purple twisters. They are very large when compared to a standard wirenut & really tough to fit them into a receptacles box in a mobile home, which is where I usually find aluminum wire.

After using them a couple of times, I ran across the following site
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum.htm
and decided that UL listed or not, they weren't the answer.

Tom

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Re: aluminum wire

Tom,
When you read the details on that site you will find that most of the information came from the manufacturer of the competive product, even the CPSC information. UL and Ideal maintain that they have never seen a documented failure of the wirenut when the wirenut was installed per the instructions.
Don

 

[macmikeman]

Re: aluminum wire

My brand new "copper" self wired home is in a valley where 98% of the existing homes were wired in the 70's with alum. wire. I get the benefit of doing alot of work to the existing alum market. Where I have seen most problems is not in the joining of two alum wires under 1 wirenut, (the old joint seem to be holding up ok in almost all cases.), but the connections at the receptacle outlets, at the exterior walls are giving the most problems. Read this as moisture contamination. Also anywhere that sea spray air contacts aluminum wiring. Also what I see alot of is where attic j-box splices were made where there were way to many alum wires in a grey or blue wirenut, resulting in heat buildup and the wirenut plastic cracked right off. What I have yet to encounter is any evidence of electralosys from an alum to copper splice. I have never seen this ever, and have begun to think its largely a myth in real life. I still use purple wire nuts though because it keeps the local insp. happy to see them, and for legal protection , however I don't really believe they are any safer or non safer than standard tan twister wire nuts for the application.

 

[jimwalker]

Re: aluminum wire

Kinda sad that people had faith in professionals in making wire, installing,inspecting,UL ,NEC and now find themselves with a very unsafe aluminum wired house.When my sister wanted to finish a basement in Pa,back in early 70's i seen my first of aluminum.Some one gave me the common since to use copper.

[ January 11, 2004, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: jimwalker ]

 

[pierre]

Re: aluminum wire

The aluminum wiring is not the main culprit. The terminations are where most failures occur. I myself have seen a considerable amount of aluminum wiring in the last 5 years and I see the same situation as macmikeman.
As Don has said, read the 'details' of the CSPC site and it is date oriented, and most of the report was performed by a 'home' inspector. The pictures of the wirenuts used in experiments(when enlarged) are not the 'Twister' wirenuts. The report came out the same year Ideal was introducing it's product.

Pierre

 

[tonyi]

Re: aluminum wire

The good Dr's concerns about the UL test environment, lack of wire combinations, and sample size seem pretty valid though.

 

[jfplaniczka]

Re: aluminum wire

Thank you all for all of the great information, now i know the correct way of completing this project. (be able to sleep a little better too.)
The whole alum to copper thing is always a little touchy.

Thank you everybody


joe p