CU vs. AL

[e57]

Now heres a sales pitch:


http://www.southwire.com

Click on the AL wire (read more) link. ( the ortiginal link wouldn't work...)

 

[peter d]

Well, what would you expect from a manufacturer? In some ways, Southwire is competing against itself because it's one of the biggest manufacturers of both copper and aluminum wire and cable. But they win either way.

99.9% of homes here have aluminum wire for the service cable or lateral. So do many commercial buildings, as well as many larger sized branch circuits. I have no problem using aluminum wire and I think as the "sales pitch" says, many of the bad impressions about AL wire are longstanding myths.

Unlike the AFCI's, I have no problem trusting the wire manufacturers considering they have probably spent hundreds of millions developing aluminum wire into the product it is today.

 

[lpelectric]

e57: Thanks for the link. :smile:

 

[peter d]

One nice thing about aluminum is it's not nearly as appealing for theft.

We recently had to repair a commercial service that another EC installed that was not yet energized. The thieves broke open the main disconnect and pulled the copper right out of the riser. We replaced the riser conductors with aluminum because the building was in a bad area and we weren't sure exactly when the poco was going to come out to energize it.

 

[e57]

I just like the "It's not us... It's the screws, and the creeping, and the - yeah - the other thing too..."

I don't mind feeders in AL - but would be wary of branches other than dedicated....