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"Pigtails" cut aluminum wire's fire risk

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

April 6, 2006

What can you tell me about aluminum wiring? From what I've heard and read, aluminum wiring is unsafe and a fire hazard. So when I purchased my home and my inspector found some aluminum wiring (he said it should be replaced) I hired a licensed electrician. He made a repair he called "pigtailing." Because of the high cost, $3,300, I started thinking:

Do more people have this problem?

Would a bank approve a mortgage or would an insurance company insure a home with aluminum wiring?

Why have I never heard of a home burning down because of aluminum wiring?

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Did I waste money on these repairs? Is aluminum wiring unsafe?

-- Gary Constanza, Ridge

Well, if not repaired correctly, aluminum wiring problems can be a fire hazard. You took the proper steps in making the repairs. Problems with aluminum wiring normally occur at the connections, either at outlets or switches.

Walter Tigar, general manager of Wanerka Electric in Bohemia, says there's no need to replace all the aluminum wiring in a home. Because aluminum wire has a higher expansion and contraction rate than copper wire, the connections at the outlet and switch terminals can loosen over time, Tigar says. These loose connections are what heat up and spark, posing a risk of fire.

"What's done is called 'pigtailing,'" Tigar says. "A special connector is used in each outlet or switch, and that connector keeps aluminum wire from loosening." Pigtailing, or splicing, to the special connector, usually called a COPALUM, virtually eliminates the hazards, Tigar says.

As you can imagine, pigtailing at every receptacle and switch can be time-consuming. Homeowners on Long Island can expect to pay $30 to $35 for each opening, Tigar says. This is a repair procedure - less expensive than rewiring the entire household - and must be performed by a licensed electrician. It is the only aluminum-wiring repair considered to be "permanent" by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and it complies with most local building codes. Another area of concern could be the breaker switches at the service panel. Tigar says all such breakers should be rated for use with aluminum wire.

According to the CPSC's research, about 2 million homes nationwide were built with aluminum wiring between 1965 and 1973. Signs of aluminum wiring failure include flickering lights, hot face plates on switches and outlets, circuits that don't work and the smell of burning plastic.

To check if a home has aluminum branch circuit wiring, examine the markings on the surface of the wire in basements, attics and garages. Aluminum wiring will be marked with the letters "AL" or "ALUMINUM" every few feet.

As for homeowner's insurance, I made a few calls to agents and was told that if the proper connectors were used in the repair process, obtaining a policy should not be a problem. "It all depends on the company," says Robert Zabbia of Zabbia Insurance Agency in North Massapequa. "In most big companies, it's not a problem. You might see it mentioned on some of the homeowner applications. Where it might be a concern is with smaller companies writing homeowner policies."

Several publications on aluminum wiring are available at www.cpsc.gov. Other excellent Web sites that offer information on aluminum wiring:

www.tooling.tycoelectronics .com/wiring_dangers.stm

www.safetyauthority.ca/ser vices/esp/The_Facts_About_Aluminum_Wiring_In_ The_ Home.pdf

www.esainspection.net

www.inspect-ny.com/alumi num.htm