Absolute Electric INC

Aluminum Wiring In Clark County, Vancouver Washington

Human beings always are looking to substitute new, less-expensive versions of successful products that have been tried and true for years. Sometimes this works well (a cheap, hand-held hair dryer versus a full-size, hair salon, sit-in-the-chair-and-put-your-headinside hair dryer); sometimes it doesn’t (Yugos and Vegas versus most other automobiles). In the electrical world, the use of aluminum wire for running branch circuits falls into the latter category of substitutes gone bad.
Aluminum wire was installed in at least 1.5 million homes between 1965 and 1973. The material cost was as little as 50 percent of the price of copper wire, which made it a hit with home builders, even if it ended up being a false bargain for home buyers. Unforeseen problems with the connections of the wire to devices lead to it being labeled a potential fire hazard and ultimately banned from most residential use. Although I could find no figures as to the actual number of homes that burned down due to electrical fires from aluminum wiring, there were enough to initiate studies, accusations, lawsuits, and not-so-veiled warnings regarding its use. The problem wasn’t immediately apparent because aluminum-wired circuits can take years to reach a failure point while still remaining functional.
Is aluminum wiring a red flag in your house-purchasing adventure? Yes, but there are ways to deal with it intelligently.

What’s the Story Behind Aluminum Wiring? Clark County Washington

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), problems with aluminum wiring manufactured prior to 1972 include …
• Expansion and contraction of wires.
• Easily damaged during installation, because it’s a soft metal.
• Corrosion.
Aluminum wiring heats up more easily than copper wire from electrical currents passing through it because it has a higher resistance. As a result, aluminum wire must be one gauge size larger for a given circuit than if copper were used. Thus, a 15-amp circuit could use No.14 copper wire but would require No.12 aluminum. As a conductor, aluminum heats up when a current passes through it. Like any heated wire, it expands and contracts as it heats and cools, but aluminum is damaged more than copper by this cycle of temperature changes.
Adding to this problem are the connections (or terminations) at devices and fixtures. Aluminum tends to oxidize when it comes in contact with some other types of metals—the same ones that often compose the termination material (such as brass terminal screws). Now we’ve got a metal that’s already touchy about heating and cooling, and it’s also corroding and offering even more resistance to the current. The corrosion adds to aluminum’s natural resistance, making that resistance even worse.
As a result …
• The connections deteriorate and loosen at the terminals.
• There is arcing or a discharge of electricity across the gap between the end of the wire and the terminal.
• There is possibly enough heat to melt the insulation and cause a fire. Aluminum wiring can easily be damaged because it’s so soft. If a piece gets nicked while the insulation is being stripped during installation, the nicked area is weakened and can deteriorate faster than the rest of the wire as it heats up. So much for that 50 percent savings in material cost when this stuff was installed!

Vancouver, Washington What to look for when checking for aluminum wiring?

Aluminum wiring primarily affects housing built from 1965 to 1973, but it also can be present in additions and remodeled sections of older homes if the work was done during these years. The first thing to look for during your snooping is the word “aluminum” printed or embossed on the plastic sheathing of the electrical cable. If the cable isn’t observable in an attic space or a basement ceiling, look in the service panel. Remove the cover plates and look at individual switches and receptacles to see whether the wire ends are copper- or silver-colored.

Warning: Aluminum Wiring Ahead Vancouver Washington

Not every house with aluminum wiring is an automatic time bomb waiting to burst into flames like a vampire caught outside at dawn. The warning signs used to check for overheating problems and loose connections include …
• Warm cover plates.
• Flickering lights.
• No power in a circuit.
• Sparks and arcing.
These are signs and suggest turning the power off and examining individual devices and loads with a flashlight for the following:
• Charred or discolored plastic
• Back-wired devices
• Excessive tarnishing at the ends of the wires
• Damage to the thermoplastic sheathing including melting and bubbling Some wiring might not show any signs of deterioration because a particular circuit might never have had enough loads on it to cause overheating. If you plug a portable heater in, however, the status quo might change rapidly. The best defense is to monitor these circuits if their usage changes.
Any of these defects is cause for action. Are they enough of a reason for you to walk away from a potential property purchase? No, because even though technology caused the problems, it also can resolve them.

Solutions Dealing and Solving Aluminum Wiring in Homes Vancouver Washington

The obvious answer to any aluminum-wiring problems or potential problems is to replace it all with copper. How practical is this, however, if you have limited unfinished areas such as crawl spaces to run new wire or if you live in a condominium? You also would have to patch and repaint everywhere. Fortunately, there are other solutions. Aluminum wiring is most dangerous at the connections and termination points. The accepted remedy is to use a short piece of copper wire (usually referred to as a “pigtail”) to connect the aluminum wire to the switch, receptacle, or appliance after treating the exposed ends of the aluminum wire with antioxidizing paste (see the following figure). The best method, which is CPSC-approved as the only permanent repair, is done with the use of a special power crimping tool manufactured by AMP Incorporated (P.O. Box 3608, Harrisburg, PA 17105; 1-800-522-7652). This tool installs a metal sleeve called a COP/ALUM parallel splice connector.
This handy tool, which you’ll never find in a hardware store, permanently attaches a piece of copper wire to the existing aluminum wire along with the sleeve. The connection is then covered with heatshrunk insulation. This work should be done by professional electricians, not homeowners, so forget about trying it yourself with a cheaper crimping tool or another means of connecting the wires together. This is a specialized procedure that requires training provided by the manufacturer.
Note that some electrical boxes—the enclosures around switches, receptacles, and other devices— might not be big enough to house the additional pigtailed connectors and wire. It might be necessary to replace the box with a larger size, which will involve cutting into the wall and doing some patchwork to the plaster or plasterboard.
A partial repair can be made by replacing all standard outlets and switches with ULapproved devices marked “CU/AL,” which indicates that they can be used with either copper or aluminum wiring. The CPSC does not recommend these devices as a complete repair. Under no circumstances should any device connected to aluminum wire be back-wired. (If there are problems, you won’t see them.) The consumer booklet “Repairing Aluminum Wiring” (Publication 516) is available by writing the CPSC at U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207.

Working Smoke Detectors Saves Lives Vancouver, Washington

Fire prevention is best keeping your Home and family Safe.
According to statistics your life will be affected by fire three times. They are through personal experience or the experiences of family and friends.
“Each year about 1,200 children die and another 11,400 are injured in fires. Residential fires are the leading cause of death for children,” says the 2003 National Fire Protection Association report entitled “No Doubt About it: Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives.”
Yes those numbers are astounding. Homes account for 61% of all fire deaths and 60% of all fire injuries. The chances of dying in a home fire are cut in half with the presence of a working smoke detector. Children must be taught about fire safety since they do not react to fire like adults. Children are often found dead by fire fighters under beds and in closets, where they have been hiding thinking they were safe from fire.
Fires typically start between midnight and 6:00 A.M.
Most fire deaths occur in people who are asleep at the time of the fire. An early warning from a smoke alarm could save lives. A well-practiced fire escape plan can also enable people to know what to do during a fire emergency.
It is an understatement that fires cause a lot of damage. A lot can be avoided with a little awareness and prevention. Every child’s knowledge and respect for fire safety should be greatly enhanced if taught by a parent and practiced often.

Neatness Counts Completing Electrical Work, Vancouver, Washington

We cannot emphasize enough the need for clean, neat, and accurate work when doing your own electrical jobs. Inspectors aren’t fond of homeowners doing their own wiring, and they probably will scrutinize your work more than the work of an electrician. See it as motivation to do the best work possible. All the wires entering the service panel are installed at neat right angles without any excess length. Wires running along exposed basement floor joist are taut, stapled, and secured. The point of the staple is to hold the cable in place. It is very easy to damage the outer sheath of NMB (nonmetallic) cable if you aggressively pound staples against it.
Wire inside receptacle and switch boxes is cut clean and is folded in and out of the way at the back of the boxes. These are not inordinate standards but the ones an inspector expects to see. You should expect them, too, whether you do your own work or hire it out.
It will take you longer than a trained electrician.

Hire It Out or Do It Yourself Electrical Vancouver Washington

Electricians are one of the elite and expensive building trades. They are trained and tested to become licensed (a must when you’re hiring). They most likely can do a large job faster than you can. As with any trade, electricians come equipped with the tools and the knowledge that home owners have not acquired. This doesn’t mean home owners aren’t up to the challenge for most jobs. Once they understand how to run new circuits, replace lights, and upgrade old wiring, they will be able to do some of their own electrical work in a professional manner.

Follow Electrical Code when completing electrical work, Vancouver, Washington

The installation of electrical systems in the United States is subject to local building codes. As a rule, these requirements are based on the National Electrical Code (NEC). (Canadians use the Canadian Electrical Code, or CEC.) The NEC carries no enforcement power and is written as an advisory document only, but for all intents and purposes, this is the main set of rules on which local codes are based. The NEC is the guiding authority for electricians and is not exactly bedtime reading for the rest of us. Local codes might be more stringent in some areas. As a homeowner or an electrician, you have to be aware of any specific rules that your local codes might impose.

Electrical codes spell out, among other things: lighting requirements, receptacles needed per square foot of living space, grounding and bonding, wire size for loads, circuit minimums, stipulations for kitchens, bathrooms, hot tubs, pools, and the list goes on.

Codes are like personal relationships: Everything can be going along just fine until there’s a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation of something someone has said. Then all interested parties have a problem. Electrical inspectors and electricians, both professional and do-it-yourselfers, sometimes have different interpretations of the code. For this reason, you want to be absolutely sure your work is done in the most straightforward manner possible, even if it means a little more expense or work on your part. After all, regardless of your interpretation, it’s the inspector who makes the final ruling. The authority having jurisdiction of the code will have the responsibility for making interpretations of the rules (Article 90-4).

Electrical Maintenance Safety Rules Vancouver, Washington

It has been suggested that early electricians at the turn of the century were a paranoid lot. This was a new, untested medium that was replacing familiar gas lighting. These electricians weren’t interested in developing reputations as de facto arsonists. Wiring at the time was pretty simple to begin with, usually just lighting circuits, one receptacle per average-size room, and a very small service or fuse box. Electricians used lead solder followed by tape to join wires and do their work safely.

Your dealings with electricity should be equally safe, whether you’re installing a new circuit or screwing in a light bulb. Electricity always is seeking an easy way to travel. Sticking your fingers, screwdrivers, or car keys into light sockets or receptacles provides these charged particles with an alternative path to moving along a wire. An improperly grounded toaster can cook more than your bagels. For now, you’ll need to keep a few rules in mind when dealing with your electrical system:
1. Don’t handle anything electrical if you’re wet or are standing on a wet surface.
2. Never overload a circuit beyond its capacity.
3. Extension cords are for temporary use only.
4. Never start an electrical repair or addition until you’re sure how to do the job correctly and the power is shut off.
5. When a problem is beyond your expertise, call a licensed electrician.