What is involved with having an electrician check aluminum wiring?

8/23/2017 at 4:09:40 PM

You don't need to replaced but you need to put copper tails with oxidizing paste everywhere. Electrician need to open every switch receptacle and light and make sure the is no coper aluminum inproper connection .also it need to be inspected . I usually charge 12 dollars per standard switch and receptacle and light , gfci and dimmers as charged extra as neded

8/23/2017 at 4:20:45 PM

Hello Marilynn.

Great question.

In terms of complete replacing, rewiring the electrical is the best solution, having copper instead of aluminum is ideal. However, not everyone will be in a financial position to do this.

The next best solution is treating the aluminum and then maintaining it with a periodic inspection.

When a technician from Kirsch Electric comes to your home to offer a treatment of all the aluminum, he/she removes every switch, receptacle and light fixtures. Part of the job is the visual inspection of the electrical device; our techs know what they're looking for, signs of deterioration or discoloration - all hints of potential hazards.

After the visual, our tech performs the other part of the job, treating the wiring and installing a new device (switch or receptacle). The process is complete with a new cover plate.

Once complete, our techs leave you with a sense of reassurance that the electrical is safe and sound. Any problems or potential for problems will have been addressed.

Cost-wise it all depends on how big the home is, whether there are vaulted ceilings with light fixtures and chandeliers and how accessible the home will be made for the day of work. It saves us time and saves you money if you move furniture and make all the receptacles accessible.

Hope this helps and all the best.

Henry Kirsch

8/23/2017 at 6:31:58 PM

To do this properly an electrician would come into your house and remove all receptacles, switches and light fixtures. He would assure that the correct devices were used to accommodate the connection of aluminum wiring, change the old wire connectors to new CU/ALR rated wire connectors and add anti-oxidant paste(Noalox). While doing this he would also inspect the quality of the wiring to make sure no signs of overheating and arcing have occured.

Most electricians charge from $65-$95/hour. The time required for a job like this would depend on the size of the house, and also if there were many devices not correctly rated for CO/ALR. The replacement of these devices would increase the price of the job considerably.

Aluminum wiring if maintained correctly is still considered safe by the ESA, but insurance companies are getting more and more difficult to give coverage. If cost was no issue then replacement would be advised both for personal safety, price of insurance, and later resale of the home. But replacing the wiring is a lot of labour and is not cheap.

8/23/2017 at 7:38:22 PM

Marilyn,

To add a note, every aluminum to copper pigtail that is repaired will require an ESA permit and inspection carried out that only LEC's can apply for. This does add a bit to the cost to the job, but it does ensure that the person who does the work is a licensed contractor and does the work 100% as it should be done, and it is registered with the ESA as an electrical project completed by a Licensed contractor. It is great for your insurance company as well. I have seen both handymen and journeymen electricians do this work wrong and only cause more trouble than good, so be cautious on who you hire and be sure to get an ESA inspection. The wire connectors MUST be aluminum approved, paste should be applied to every joint, and even the existing wire nuts installed from 1970 must be changed if they are not aluminum approved, which most electricians do not check or change. Some people also over fill the boxes by creating these pigtails and do not change the boxes which can cause overheating, especially where dimmers are installed or gfci receptacles.

8/23/2017 at 8:56:46 PM

Hi Marilynn,

I'm assuming we're in the same part of Milton (Dorset). We had aluminum converted to copper a few years ago, let me know if you have any questions.

At the same time we added a number of potlights on the main floor and led light bars in the closets. It's something you may want to look into while the electricians are on site.

8/24/2017 at 9:25:47 PM

You might find this informative:

https://trustedpros.ca/articles/electrical/aluminum-wire---whats-all-the-hype

John Kuehnl-Cadwell

Master Electrician

Datawise Solutions Inc

9/14/2017 at 7:57:01 PM

I find it rather interesting that some of you contractor's are suggesting that nolax be applied when installing copper pigtails with aluminum wire. If you contact the Marr Company that manufactures the #63 & #65 marrettes they will tell you that nolax is not to be used. ESA says to use the approved marrettes according to the manufacturer specifications.

9/14/2017 at 8:17:40 PM

Gerry, not sure where you see the manufacturer recommending no paste, it is not in their documents nor packaging that I saw, but as an anti-oxidant, it will add to the protection against corrosion, which is why it must be used on all stranded aluminum wires by code. Solid wires, when twisted with other solid wires make more strands so the paste acts as an extra measure, it always has been used on aluminum wires of any sort. I have taken apart many houses connections with original aluminum wiring using aluminum rated marrettes only to find 20-30% has oxidization inside the marrette and making a weak connection. I have also revisited jobs that I have done in the 1980's where paste was used on these joints and they are still in perfect condition. It is an extra measure of assurance the oxidization is kept to a minimum and stopped if possible. Some people go beyond code minimum for the extra protection, the paste, when used as per manufacturers specs, nearly stops all oxidization, assuming it is not too thick preventing heat dissipation.

9/16/2017 at 8:37:55 AM

ESA says to follow the manufacturers specs. T&B Canada engineers whom I spoke with, told me that no paste is required when connecting solid conductors. You do not twist the wires together with pliers but let the marrette do the twisting. They said the only situation where an inhibiting compound is to be used is when a stranded conductor is introduced. Right from the horses mouth.

9/16/2017 at 9:10:14 AM

Ontario Electrical Safety Code. Rule 12-118(2) requires a joint compound, capable of penetrating the oxide film and preventing its reforming, be used with stranded aluminum conductor connections.

It has also been brought to the attention of ESA that the excess use of non-petroleum based inhibitors may result in the failure of approved aluminum to copper & aluminum to aluminum wire connectors. This is why the ESA says to follow the manufacturers specs when it pertains to wire nuts.