As a home inspector I see a lot of crazy stuff.

Recently I inspected a town home and found over 15 electrical problems, but one particular circuit won the prize for the most issues. Just about everything that could be done wrong was done wrong. A Perfect Electrical Storm, so to speak, and possible calamity waiting to happen.

So what’s the big deal?  Arcing is the big deal!

Have you ever watched a movie where there was an explosion while someone was tinkering with an electrical circuit? That’s an arc!

Arc’s occur when electricity gets a little out of control and jumps from one place to another. If it jumps from a live wire to the neutral or ground wires you can get a pretty big arc with lots of sparks that can cause a fire. Arcing can also occur from loose connections or oxidation (largely from aluminum wiring) which can cause overheating of the wires and possibly a fire.

So let’s look at the issues with this one circuit that could cause arcing and fire, or just a shock to a passerby.

1. Missing lamp cover: incandescent and fluorescent lamps can explode when hit or when water contacts the hot surface. Flying glass, electrical shock, and the discharge of mercury into the air from the fluorescent lamps are the three main concerns.
2. Fixture loose from box: exposed live wires creates a shock hazard and stress on the wire connections could cause arcing.
3. Fixture junction box not secure: fixture could fall off the wall causing injury. Shock and arc hazard from wires stress and exposed wires.
4. No support for incoming wire: wires must be supported within 12 inches of the fixture box so that they are not accidentally tugged or pulled creating an arc or shock hazard. This was an unfinished basement so the exposure is much greater.
5. No junction box for branch circuit: all wore connections must be contained within a junction box with a cover. If there are issues with connections that might cause arcing the box is meant to contain the explosion and prevent fires.
6. Improper aluminum to copper connection: special connectors must be used with aluminum wiring to prevent fires.

So what’s the Problem with Aluminum Wiring?

Maybe nothing!

Aluminum was introduced in the 60’s and early 70’s when the price of copper skyrocketed. And aluminum is routinely used for the large service wires that feed electrical panels today, and for dedicated systems like furnaces, dryers, etc. And these circuits work quite well because the proper wire connection hardware is used.

You see, aluminum expands and contracts much more than copper when it gets hot. And wires get hot when electricity is run through them. If the wire connections are not rated to handle the expansion of aluminum wiring, the wires can become loose and arcing or overheating can occur.

As long as aluminum wiring is connected to lamps, outlets, switches, and other devices, with proper hardware rated to handle aluminum wiring, then everything should be fine.

This town home was wired with aluminum branch circuits. I mentioned I found 15 problems? Well, many of the problems were inoperative outlets or outlets that worked intermittently. This is a clear indication of loose wires and a significant fire hazard. I called for a complete audit of the entire electrical system for this home a licensed electrical contractor who has experience with aluminum wiring.

Aluminum is a very good conductor of electricity. But it needs to be installed correctly. Once installed the way it should be, it should provide a home with a safe source of electricity.