subject: Ensure Safety Of Your Appliances With Aluminium Wiring [print this page] Aluminium cable use was quite popular in 1960s and 1970s. Today also we see many houses made during that time period with aluminium wiring. After that period, it became unpopular in use and again early 1990s aluminium wiring came up with advanced features and uses. But there are many apprehensions in the minds of users that aluminium wiring is not a safe option, which is not true. Looking at the issues in detail, it can be safely inferred that the issue is with connections and not with the cables.
The aluminium cable has been used on different electrical equipment with the connection points with a copper termination. The users should understand that these two metals do not work well together. The galvanic corrosion can cause these connections to become unstable over time. The two metals react differently as they expand/ contract differently. In the worst case, this can lead to sparking also. The connections tend to become loose due to different levels of expansion and contraction of wires. This leads to arcing, oxidation, building up of more heat and all this can ultimately cause fire.
There have been many innovations made to address these issues associated with older wiring, such as introduction of dual rated connectors that can accept both copper and aluminium. Anti- oxidants have been created to reduce oxidation. Also, in order to improve the properties of the metal, the aluminium cable manufacturers made improvements by adding some percentage of other metals in the wire. These new metals helped in controlling the cold flow and creep. While these innovations have been helpful, they do require more maintenance and continuous monitoring.
While you may come across some buildings with aluminium wiring which require some corrective work which may be done with the help of a construction consultants. Some of the common correction can be as follows:
If the aluminium wire is found to be terminated on devices then they can go for tightening of connections or applying some anti-oxidant to reduce some amount of oxidation
If the wire is not terminated on approved connectors, then the devices need to be replaced or they can go for pig-tailing of a small piece of copper wire to the aluminium wire so that the copper portion can be terminated on the device
You can also take some preventive measures to avoid unwarranted situations by following simple steps:
If the wiring was done around 40 years back, then an electrician for inspection is must. If it is newer than that, then inspection is optional and advisable
Watch out for any indication of sparking, tripping, damaged wires etc.
When going for a new wiring, take care of the existing wiring also
One very important thing that you should take care of as a user is obtaining a permit from authorities. This will makes it possible that the inspection work is done by contacting the local electrical inspection body. While the cost of obtaining permit will add to the total cost but having the work inspected by a reliable body will ensure safety in the longer run.
