 The Shock Doctors ECRA/ESA #7001377 |
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Writing your Prescription for Electrical Safety July 2010 |
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"News You can Use around Your Home".  Approximately 450,000 homes in Canada were wired with aluminum between the years of 1965 and 1976.
Aluminum wiring is one of the most serious fire concerns in a home.
Looking at resell homes, for yourself or for your adult children? You will need to view the open rafters in the basement with a new perspective.
Learning how to spot aluminum will prepare you against any nasty surprises. There are solutions to the aluminum wiring problem and they don't have to break the bank. Read on...
Terry Carman |
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Why is it a hazard? | |
Aluminum wire itself is safe and a good conductor of electricity. Problems with aluminum wiring are almost entirely related to the points of connection.
When electricity flows through metal, the metal heats and cools, expands and contracts. Each metal does this by a different amount. When two different metals are joined end-to-end, the differences in the expansion properties allow the connection to become loose. A loose connection results in sparking, arcing, oxidation and heat buildup and finally the possibility of a fire. Receptacles, light switches and fixtures are obvious
Shock Doctor Home Inspection June 25th
Both wires and receptacle badly burned.
 | connection points. The electrical panel has multiple connections as well.
The average 3 bedroom home will have 165-195 connections throughout the house (3 connections per device)and an average of 96 connections in the electrical panel. Every connection is a potential hot spot. |
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| Identifying Aluminum Wiring | |
The word ALUMINUM can be seen on the blue wire in the center. | It's not always possible to determine if you have aluminum wiring without a professional, but a good place to start is to look at any exposed wires between the open floor joists in the basement, up in the attic, or at the service panel.
If the wiring is aluminum and was manufactured before May 1977, the outer covering of the cable will be marked, at least every 12 inches, with the word ALUMINUM, or an abbreviation, ALUM, or AL.
Aluminum wiring danger signals include unusually warm or warped outlets and switch cover plates, strange odors in the area of receptacles and switches and periodic flickering of lights. |
| Plan of Action | | | If aluminum wiring is present, the good news is that it does not need to be torn out or replaced as solutions are available at a reasonable cost. The Electrical Safety Authority supports 3 approaches:
Replacement with copper wiring is always the best and most permanent solution, but is usually reserved for when you are having major renovations completed. Replacing the existing wiring when walls and ceilings are open significantly reduces the cost of replacement.
Installing specially designed CO/ALR light switches and receptacles is deemed acceptable, but does not address the connections performed at light fixtures.
"Pig-tailing" with an antioxidant compound is the third method. This technique would be used to address the connections found at light fixtures. It is considered by most professionals to be an inferior repair unless great care and expertise are used when making the connections safe.
Have a qualified electrician with experience in this area go through the house to work a plan within your budget to ensure your home is safe from electrical fire.
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| Ask the Doctor? | | | Dear Doc,
I am concerned. I have 3 children under the age of 5 in the house, and want to replace my receptacles with the new, code compliant tamperproof ones, but I have read they are not available in the CO/ALR type that is rated for aluminum wiring, which we have. What can we do?
Dear Concerned,
You have two options available to you. Rewiring in copper is a permanent solution which has the potential to increase the resale value of your home, as well as provide complete peace of mind.
If the budget is the most crucial factor, pig-tailing to tamperproof receptacles would be the prescribed method.
If done professionally, you get both the safety of the approved connection and the safety of tamperproof receptacles for your young and busy household at a modest cost. |
| Do YOU have a question for the Doctor? | |  If you have a question about the health of your electrical system or just wondering about a little "plastic surgery", ask the doctor: Just click below and send your question to terry@theshockdoctors.ca |
The pictures used in this month's newsletter were from a home inspection done for a client in Orillia last week. She called because she had two outlets she couldn't make work. She was unaware that there was aluminum present and that it was well underway to presenting a serious fire hazard in her home.
Yours for a safe home,
ECRA/ESA
# 7001377  |
Cheri 
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If you or someone you know has aluminum wiring, print this coupon.
It is worth TRIPLE REWARD MILES towards making your aluminum wiring safe. Remember, you can now collect AIRMILES ® reward miles when making electrical improvements to your home. | | ® TM Trademarks of AIR MILES International Trading B.V. Used under license by LoyaltyOne, Inc.and Progressive Electrical Services ltd. |
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