Welcome to my Homepage Blog. Here you'll find stories about inspections I have done and facts I think are interesting to share with you. Come back often to see what's new.
-Glenn, a.k.a. The House Whisperer
| Did Your Home Inspector See This? |
| Written by Glenn Stewart |
| Monday, 30 November 2009 14:35 |
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During the 1970's, aluminum (instead of copper) wiring became quite popular and was extensively used. Since that time, aluminum wiring has been implicated in a number of house fires, and most jurisdictions no longer permit it in new installations. We found this electrical subpanel during a recent Home Inspection in Moraga. But don't panic if your house has aluminum wiring. Aluminum wiring, when properly installed, can be just as safe as copper. Aluminum wiring is, however, very unforgiving of improper installation. The main problem with aluminum wiring is a phenomenon known as "cold creep". To make the problem worse, aluminum oxidizes, or corrodes when in contact with certain types of metal, so that the electrical resistance of the connection goes up. This in turn causes the connection to heat up and corrode and oxidize still more. Eventually the wire may get very hot, melt the insulation or fixture it's attached to, and possibly even cause a fire. What did your home inspector see? |
| Last Updated on Monday, 30 November 2009 14:55 |
