Home inspector asking for rec. pigtails

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petersonra said:
there was nothing really wrong with the "old" alloy. That is mostly an old wives tale. small gauge aluminum wiring got an undeserved bad rap because it was incompatible with the terminations in use at the time. even if you used more modern aluminum alloys it would still be incompatible with those terminations.
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And people were tightening screws to the point of smashing the wires paper thin
 
Yeah but when you are selling a house and it has aluminum wire the price drops. The technical issues don't matter. Public perception is Aluminum wire = BAD.

It's kinda like K&T, done right and not hacked up it's great. But it's almost always been hacked up. Same with the aluminum, most of it's been in service 40 plus years and had home remodeler, and handyman hacks put their fingers into it.
 
Exactly. I'm with you that aluminum got/gets a bad rap
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Well it gets the rap it deserves!

The primary reason the code no longer permits aluminum wiring in NEW residential branch circuits is due to Thermal Expansion/Contraction Dynamics at the connection point, particularly at the external facing walls, which have greater exposure to broadband outside temperatures.
Add to that, the corrosion factor due to condensation (H2O) (thin mobile home walls) may or may not be insulated and vibration from nearby persons/vehicles etc and you have many deaths in stationary & mobile homes due in large part to...FIRE!

FIRE caused by...less then code compliant connections!

And people were tightening screws to the point of smashing the wires paper thin
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Yeah all that does is change the CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) and doesn't fix the problem and in fact may make it worse.

You may have notice I stated Thermal Expansion/Contraction...

When we measure CTE we measure expansion thru a specific temp range and once completed we get the mathematical inverse contraction.

ButT then somebody says...whatabout...heat shrink tubing...so yes sometimes we get a negative coefficient as well.

One of the many instruments used for this analysis is a PerkinElmer TMA 4000

Now remember what the Code says...I quote...

"You shall use listed Products and Materials."

"listed" aka TESTED

So how do we TEST aluminum wire to see if it gets a bad rap...with a TMA 4000...of course!

Yeah but when you are selling a house and it has aluminum wire the price drops.
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Surely that is a factor...but whatabout safety!

As for the Original Post...
My suggestion is to have the homeowner rewire house (increased value) and give you a call when it's done to install generator safely!

You install Generator and a week later house burns down...people are going to be looking around so to speak...who might they be looking at first...

No Pigtails or the Generator Man !?!?

Keep in mind two things now...
Listed and Liability !!!

Neither one speaks to safety!
 
Joethemechanic said:
Interesting vid about how aluminum reacts with water I saw the other night


And here is it reacting with mercury

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So you pigtail with wire nuts...cu & al however the nut uses plated material that corrodes over time with exposure and dissimilar materials!

Keep in mind that is a controlled (or out of control) beaker test...you still going to sleep at night with that in your wall !!

You could always take sleeping meds...you'll be asleep when the fire starts! LOL

Imagine waking up to video 2 growing out of your wall...one thing is for sure...you'll be changing your underwear that day!! LOL
 
I know here that insurance companies won't insure some homes with aluminum wiring. It's big business to install AlumiConn connectors. They allow a listed way to pigtail copper with aluminum. Then you can install updated, tamper-proof devices. Big $$$ for contractors!
 
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