Changed my mind about aluminum wiring after a sit-down with an old timer

I always told homeowners to rip out all aluminum wiring. Then I had coffee last month with a retired electrician named Don who worked on houses from the 60s and 70s. He showed me photos of solid copper connections he'd seen corrode worse than any aluminum splice he'd fixed. Said the problem was never the wire itself, just bad installation and dissimilar metals. He had a point. I still prefer copper but I'm not as quick to condemn the aluminum stuff anymore. Has anyone else worked with houses where the aluminum wiring actually held up fine for decades?

3 comments

3 Comments

rowan_reed6819d agoMost Upvoted

Solid copper connections he'd seen corrode"... that's the part people forget.

phoenixk6419d ago

Ha, right? Copper doesn't just give up and rot for no reason. People act like it's some magical metal that lasts forever. Bet that connection was sitting in a puddle of something nasty for years before it finally said "I'm done.

gavin_kim18d ago

Maybe it was just sitting in some puddled up water from a backed up drain or something for ages. People don't realize how fast even good quality copper can go when it's constantly wet with the wrong stuff. A little bit of maintenance checking those spots every few years would probably catch it before it ever gets that bad.