I don't think its going to burst into flames just because its aluminum. Correct the splices educate the customer and properly maintain it. I'm curious would you suggest to a customer to rewire based solely on aluminum being present?
Are people doing service upgrades this cheap?
- Thread starter hydeisland
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I don't think its going to burst into flames just because its aluminum. Correct the splices educate the customer and properly maintain it. I'm curious would you suggest to a customer to rewire based solely on aluminum being present?
Yes, ALWAYS. I've made tens of thousands of dollars slamming trunk in condos built in the 80's and wired with aluminum.
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
We always suggest upgrades. Aluminum wiring is an easy upsell.
How do you tell them its a fire hazard? Do you just open the panel and say "WOOO STAND BACK thats aluminum this is a box of dry matches you should upgrade"? How do you tell someone there wiring isnt safe to get the upgrade?
It's easier nowadays since everyone has the Internet. I do the same thing as when they have a Federal Pacific panel that I want to replace- I tell them to google it and see how many pictures of house fires come up. Sold.
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
We usually just tell them their wiring is unsafe and it needs an upgrade. Most of the issues with aluminum in older homes is not the wiring but in the poor installation practices. Bad terminations and lack of anti oxidation coating and creep factor of aluminum are the primary causes of failure.
Do you tell them the only way to fix it is to replace it all?
If its on the internet it must be true
Who cares if it's true? :angel:
I have no buttons to respond to this, thus i don't know what to do.
Do I know you from somewhere? You own Gold Medal, don't you??
I wish. Those guys got it together. Did you hear about that fire in freehold last year killed that little girl? They called it electrical and it was a few days after Kaiser had worked there. I know they changed there name to Speedy Electric after that but never heard if it was actually related to work done by them.
Team is another one with a good brand image up there. Probably a few others.
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
We offer options but a complete upgrade is usually the prefered course of action
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
A direct quote from Abraham Lincoln.:happyyes:
I never, ever tried to upsell. The company my wife works for is heading that direction and it's actually costing them business and money, as people start thinking about it and then asking for refunds after the sale and feel like they were taken advantage of.
I've only seen a couple of issues with aluminum wire and never seen an issue with a FP panel, or no more than any other brand of panel.
mtfallsmikey
Senior Member
Wow, all I did was mention AL wire, sheesh...
A couple of years ago, went thru my wife's aunt's house, did reconnects on the AL wire there, was a Continental modular house, with a QO panel, all went well...so far. I'll let the contr. wh quotes out the MIL's cabin deal with it. Who knows, they may not even mention it.
A couple of years ago, went thru my wife's aunt's house, did reconnects on the AL wire there, was a Continental modular house, with a QO panel, all went well...so far. I'll let the contr. wh quotes out the MIL's cabin deal with it. Who knows, they may not even mention it.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
I've had only one house that the aluminum failed on, and it really wasn't an aluminum/copper problem, it was a failed receptacle that an electric heater had been used at for around 20 years. I have seen multiple failures from incorrect installations though, the most common is on mobile homes where a #10 copper is lugged under a 4/0 aluminum to feed a well pump. As for the Federal Pacific panels, you would never get a call for a breaker tripping, if you did it was a severe fault that usually cleared itself. Apparently FP used thermal only tripping, because if it had a magnetic trip, it sure didn't work!
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
We operate a residential service business and to be able to do a million dollars a year in sales we need to always be upselling. Offering the bells and whistles . When we install a ceiling fan we upsell a dimmer switch for the lights or even a remote. We install a panel we offer surge protection.
Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
i don't. i provide information, and let them do what they want.
they can google "aluminum house wiring" and read.
what will drive aluminum wire replacement purchase decisions
is most likely one of two things:
scorched wall receptacle and burned stuff
a house sale that can't close escrow 'cause they can't find
an underwriter who will write a fire insurance policy for a year.
no fire insurance, no lender, no escrow. underwriters aren't '
writing new paper on aluminum wiring... it's not a wholesale
industrywide deal, some underwriters are still doing aluminum....
so far.....
unless the house is being bought for cash, with no lender involved.
in this part of the country, people who can write a check for a house
outright aren't usually interested in mid 70's tract houses, except
as a rental investment, and they won't buy something they can't
easily sell when the market reverses. so again, no sale without
rewiring.
purple wirenuts won't get it. they catch fire just like regular ones.
unless you are currently a licensed copalum installer, ripping it out
is the main solution.
last i checked, there were 4 copalum installers in so calif. not a
surging industry.
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kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
If a breaker doesn't have magnetic trip and you have a a short circuit or ground fault, the thermal trip mechanism will still heat up and trip, it just won't be as fast as a magnetic trip. If a weaker point in the circuit gives first then the fault current is cleared, even though that may not be what is desired.
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