There are basically three reasons why aluminum wiring may be of concern:

1. It has a tendency to oxidize, which increases the wire’s resistance, resulting in the wire overheating at the receptacle.
2. It is more malleable, or softer, than copper and is therefore more easily nicked.
3. Because of its high thermal expansion, it has a tendency to change shape at the terminal screws and thus become loose or creep off.

Aluminum branch wiring, which feeds the switches, lights, and plugs, was used in our area of Escambia County between 1966 and 1974. Some homes from that time were wired with copper. The larger aluminum feeders for major appliances are still in use today.

Aluminum wiring does fail at its points of connection at a higher rate than copper, but it is important to point out that aluminum wiring is used extensively in power distribution and in most homes in the United States, including new homes built today. The problem lies with the branch circuit wiring, those wires feeding power to the switches, lights, and plugs throughout your home. The larger aluminum feeders for appliances such as heating, air conditioning, and the electric range are still in common use.

It is getting increasingly difficult to find a company to write an insurance policy if your home has aluminum branch circuits. Citizens Insurance offers two alternatives to rewiring: both the Copalum and AlumiConn retrofits. However, it is my understanding that this is a Citizens-only approved alternative, and the property would still be considered a higher risk with a potentially higher insurance premium. For these reasons, we strongly recommend rewiring over other alternatives.

Minimal to none. Using the techniques that we have pioneered, we are able to use the existing wiring as pull wires, and this aids us in removing the aluminum branch circuits and replacing them with copper wire to current code. In most cases, all the plugs, switches, wiring, and wall boxes can be safely removed and replaced without any damage to existing drywall. If, however, it is necessary to cause a blemish in the drywall, we do any repairs if needed.

In most cases, no. If the electrical service on the exterior is in good working order and has not been weathered too severely, we can simply clean up the electrical connections and ground it to current code. The large appliance circuits for the 240-volt appliances are usually fine and can be reused if they have not weathered, even if made with aluminum, as the problem is with the branch circuits. Often, the inside circuit breaker panel will need to be replaced because the older breaker panels will not accommodate the modern arc-fault breakers that the code requires. So in summary, an aluminum rewire usually involves cleaning up the main service, a new subpanel, and rewiring the switches, lights, and receptacles.

The work usually averages about a room a day, so approximately 6 to 9 days on a typical home. We do a room at a time, with all work complete in the area that we are working in by the end of the day. Power is only affected in the room or area in which we are working, so any disturbance to your normal schedule or activities is minimal.

There are, of course, many factors that determine the cost of a rewire for insurance compliance, but a typical 1,400 square foot ranch-style home costs about $9,300. Just give us a call for a free estimate.

It has approved two acceptable alternative methods for ensuring aluminum branch wiring is not a fire hazard and is insurable.

AlumiConn: An aluminum-to-copper connector that is attached to existing aluminum wiring at each receptacle, switch, and light, providing a safer connection, according to King Innovation, manufacturer of the connector.

Copalum: This connector is considered an acceptable repair method by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Copalum permanently connects old-technology aluminum wire to a short length of copper wire. The copper wire is then terminated to outlets, fixtures, etc.