Aluminum wired homes

[ohm]

The probem I found is every Electrical Inspection Agency I contacted about pigtailing won't sign-off on this option. Only COLAR devices will pass Inspection and get me a certificate. The wires in most boxes have to be stripped again to get a "clean" end. This means the wires are too short to make a loop for the device screw, so only option is to wirenut another piece of Aluminum Wire. Nothing worse than pulling the switch out of the wall and having 1 inch of wire to work with.

True, there is no wiggle room CU/AL is a must in their eyes and if the job must be inspected, you may have to tear the wall out to replace a receptacle legally.

But, in a practical sense, other methods do work...wait is that smoke I smell?

 

[76nemo]

....."wait, is that smoke I smell?"


Not really a laughing matter, this is a story on an old friend of mine just on the other side of town. This was just last week. It's getting blamed on old/bad electrical wiring as of now:


http://www.wwnytv.net/index.php/2008/09/23/fire-damages-two-homes-in-downtown-ogdensburg/

 

[ohm]

....."wait, is that smoke I smell?"


Not really a laughing matter, this is a story on an old friend of mine just on the other side of town. This was just last week. It's getting blamed on old/bad electrical wiring as of now:


http://www.wwnytv.net/index.php/2008/09/23/fire-damages-two-homes-in-downtown-ogdensburg/

True nemo, I'm sorry for your friends loss and if his pets are as important to him as mine are to me it can be a great loss indeed.

Aluminum wire was necessary when it was adopted but can be a real nightmare to deal with today. Even the listed purple AL/CU wirenuts are comming under fire by various agencies as not good enough now.

So do you just walk away from a service call w/ AL? I don't suppose your friend had a ton of money to bring his wiring up to 08 Code and few do today.

 

[76nemo]

No Ohm, I don't walk away from service calls with AL. Matter of fact, they can be very good money makers if the HO's are willing to correct it properly. Again, hence why I like the 61-165 SureTest so much. I WILL walk away if the HO's are NOT willing to correct it!!!

I haven't talked with Brian yet to see what might of possibly gone wrong, but he, if anyone didn't deserve this. He is one of the best people I have ever got to work with, and have gotten to know. The incident has been deemed a total loss, for him and the next door neighbors. They had a little miniature dog, "Bella", they can't find the remains. Brian went into the blaze after he got his family out. He made it in about 10' into the house and the smoke choked him out. For whatever reason, Brian slept downstairs that night. Otherwise, we may have laid the whole family down to rest afterwards. I am not a religious man, but someone was looking over that family.

 

[steelersman]

I have a situation in a house that belongs to a friend of a friend.. Their entire house is wired with aluminum wire and they are having problems with devices not working. (loose connections) I do not have much experience with aluminum wired homes... I know replacing the entire house with copper would be ideal, but I would like to find a safe alternative... IS using the copper to aluminum wire nuts w/ noox and pig tailing everything going to do the job???

should be good.

 

[ohm]

No Ohm, I don't walk away from service calls with AL. Matter of fact, they can be very good money makers if the HO's are willing to correct it properly. Again, hence why I like the 61-165 SureTest so much. I WILL walk away if the HO's are NOT willing to correct it!!!

I haven't talked with Brian yet to see what might of possibly gone wrong, but he, if anyone didn't deserve this. He is one of the best people I have ever got to work with, and have gotten to know. The incident has been deemed a total loss, for him and the next door neighbors. They had a little miniature dog, "Bella", they can't find the remains. Brian went into the blaze after he got his family out. He made it in about 10' into the house and the smoke choked him out. For whatever reason, Brian slept downstairs that night. Otherwise, we may have laid the whole family down to rest afterwards. I am not a religious man, but someone was looking over that family.

I too will walk away if the HO doesn't appreciate the problem but will try to work with them if they recocnize how serious it is but don't have a ton of money. I've seen where a dog will wake the family before a smoke alarm and search out their owners even at the expense of their own lives.

I believe everything happens for a reason and if they can make it thru this they will all be stonger. May God bless them.

 

[76nemo]

I too will walk away if the HO doesn't appreciate the problem but will try to work with them if they recocnize how serious it is but don't have a ton of money. I've seen where a dog will wake the family before a smoke alarm and search out their owners even at the expense of their own lives.

I believe everything happens for a reason and if they can make it thru this they will all be stonger. May God bless them.

Actually Ohm, I was hoping, not spreading, the fact that maybe the dog made it's way out and was too scared to return. That idea is now looking very slim.

 

[ohm]

Actually Ohm, I was hoping, not spreading, the fact that maybe the dog made it's way out and was too scared to return. That idea is now looking very slim.

If the dog made it out it may have been too injured to think and did like a wounded deer and ran down hill toward water. Has anyone looked at the streams, lakes nearby?

 

[76nemo]

If the dog made it out it may have been too injured to think and did like a wounded deer and ran down hill toward water. Has anyone looked at the streams, lakes nearby?

Actually, our St.Lawrence river was only 200 yards away from the incident. This little dog was less than 10" long. If she did make it that far, we'll never know.

 

[cowboyjwc]

There is also this option never heard of them , they look a bit unwieldy to me but it is an option .

You had to be certified on the machine that you were using for these and you could only "rent" the machine from AMP. It was big and hard to get into places like under the sink and up in can lights. The cost I believe was somewhere between $1500 and $3000 a house.