Aluminum Wiring Repair in Calgary
How You Can Keep Your Family Safe From The Dangers Of Aluminum Circuitry Without Ripping Out Your Walls ... I'll also reveal you how to fix it without spending a truckload of cash doing it.
If your house was built throughout the late sixties to the mid seventies, there is a great chance that aluminum circuitry was used rather of copper for its electrical circuits. Aluminum was used since there was a shortage of copper due to the Vietnam War.
Nevertheless, with time, trouble emerged - particularly ... houses were burning down with the aluminum connections to gadgets - outlets and changes - as the cause. As a matter of reality, research study performed by Franklin Research Institute for Consumer Item Safety Commission (CPSC) exposed that houses developed with aluminum electrical wiring are 55 times most likely to catch fire than houses wired with copper. There is absolutely nothing incorrect with the aluminum itself. It is an excellent conductor and less pricey than copper. The problems develop since aluminum expands and agreements far faster than copper when used. This can trigger a loose connection, creating spaces that can trigger sparking and fire. Intensifying the problem even more is the truth that aluminum almost right away begins to oxidize the minute it is exposed to the oxygen in our air. This reaction forms an oxide finish on the wire similar to rust types on iron.
This oxide lowers the ability for the wire to conduct electricity resulting in even more heat. Eventually, it can become hot enough to melt or burn fixtures - such as wall outlets and changes - where the exposed aluminum is in contact with the brass connections. So the problem is the exposed aluminum around the connections - and the connections themselves. When considered to be risky in 1974, aluminum electrical wiring was all however ceased in home applications. Regrettably, it was too late for the homes currently installed with it.
If your house is fitted with aluminum electrical wiring, you can be dealing with other problems aside from the apparent threat of fire. Some insurance provider will not insure homes with aluminum electrical wiring unless it is updated to present day electrical code. This can cause unfortunate and undesirable financial responsibilities if you were attempting to sell your house or get your restorations gone by a government inspector. Furthermore, if your insurance provider finds that a fire in your house was caused by aluminum electrical wiring connections, they may decline your claim for monetary settlement. Now there are several solutions to this bad scenario, however the very first thing you have to do is determine if you have aluminum electrical wiring to begin with. You can get an electrical contractor overseen by a master electrical expert to have a look at it for you.
However the easiest way to do this is to look at the printed or embossed markings on the outer coat of the electrical circuitry, 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 few feet along its length. If for whatever reason, you can not see any wiring, then there is another, albeit a little more involved method of checking.
Here are the 3 easy actions:
Action 1 - plug a hair clothes dryer or light into any wall outlet, turn it on and leave it on.
Action 2 - go to your circuit panel and journey (turn off) the breaker corresponding to that outlet. You'll know you have the right breaker when your hair clothes dryer or light is off when you inspect back on it.
Step 3 - unplug the gadget and eliminate the outlet from the wall and examine the circuitry connected to it. DO NOT DETACH THE WIRING. You can make the connection even worse if you do.
You must 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. Nevertheless, if the exposed wire below the screws is white, it is aluminum. Got it?
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