How You Can Keep Your Family Safe From The Dangers Of Aluminum Electrical Wiring Without Ripping Out Your Walls ... I'll likewise reveal you how to fix it without investing a truckload of cash doing it.
If your house was built during the late sixties to the mid seventies, there is a likelihood that aluminum wiring was utilized rather of copper for its electrical circuits. Aluminum was utilized due to the fact that there was a shortage of copper due to the Vietnam War.
However, gradually, problem emerged - particularly ... homes were burning down with the aluminum connections to devices - outlets and switches - as the cause. As a matter of fact, research study conducted by Franklin Research study Institute for Customer Item Security Commission (CPSC) exposed that homes constructed with aluminum wiring are 55 times more likely to ignite than homes wired with copper. There is nothing wrong with the aluminum itself. It is an outstanding conductor and less expensive than copper. The problems occur due to the fact that aluminum expands and agreements far much faster than copper when used. This can trigger a loose connection, producing spaces that can cause sparking and fire. Intensifying the problem even more is the fact that aluminum nearly right away begins to oxidize the minute it is exposed to the oxygen in our air. This reaction forms an oxide covering on the wire much like rust kinds on iron.
This oxide reduces the ability for the wire to conduct electrical energy leading to a lot more heat. Eventually, it can end up being hot sufficient to melt or burn fixtures - such as wall outlets and switches - where the exposed aluminum touches with the brass connections. So the problem is the exposed aluminum around the connections - and the connections themselves. When deemed to be unsafe in 1974, aluminum electrical wiring was all but terminated in home applications. Regrettably, it was far too late for the homes already set up with it.
If your home is fitted with aluminum wiring, you can be facing other problems aside from the obvious danger of fire. Some insurer will not insure homes with aluminum circuitry unless it is upgraded to present day electrical code. This can cause unfortunate and undesirable financial commitments if you were attempting to sell your home or get your renovations gone by a federal government inspector. Additionally, if your insurance company finds that a fire in your home was triggered by aluminum wiring connections, they might decline your claim for monetary payment. Now there are numerous services to this bad scenario, but the very first thing you have to do is identify if you have aluminum wiring to begin with. You can get an electrical specialist managed by a master electrician to take a look at it for you.
However the easiest method to do this is to look at the printed or embossed markings on the external jacket of the electrical wiring, which show up in unfinished walls or ceilings in basements, attics, or garages. Cable with aluminum conductors will have "Al" or "Aluminum" and other information marked on one side of the cable coat every couple of feet along its length. If for whatever factor, you can not see any wiring, then there is another, albeit a little more involved way of checking.
Here are the 3 simple steps:
Step 1 - plug a hair dryer or light into any wall outlet, turn it on and leave it on.
Action 2 - go to your circuit panel and trip (switch off) the breaker corresponding to that outlet. You'll know you have the right breaker when your hair dryer or light is off when you examine back on it.
Step 3 - unplug the device and eliminate the outlet from the wall and check the circuitry attached to it. DO NOT DETACH THE CIRCUITRY. You can make the connection even worse if you do.
You should have the ability to see the bare wire below the screws. It is easy to recognize aluminum because of its colour. If you an orange color, this is copper. However, if the exposed wire below the screws is white, it is aluminum. Got it?
