Aluminum house wiring

doopstr · 07-30-2005, 11:35 AM

I just had a house inspection performed on a house that I intend to purchase. I was informed that the house was wired with aluminum and not copper. It was built in 1969 and I understand that aluminum was used instead of copper to save money. I also understand that it was later determined that aluminum can have major problems and they no longer use it.

I now plan to have an electrician inspect the house to give me an overall status of the installation. I also want to get a quote on what it would cost to install copper ends on the aluminum wires using the COPALUM method. This is supposed to be an approved fix and help keep the house from burning down.

I have also just found out that a lot of home owners insurance carriers won't offer a policy on houses with aluminum wiring. I believe they will offer a policy on a house that has had the COPALUM procedure done. I can't see going through the expense of pulling all the dry wall and completely replacing the aluminum with copper.

So the reason for my post. Does anyone here own a house with aluminum wiring? If so have you gone through the COPALUM retrofit? How did you make out with that and what did it cost? I am seeing pricing on the web that it could cost $60 a box to do this. So it would cost at least $6000-$8000 to do this house.

Of course I would basically insist that the sellers cough up the money for this since I (and other buyers) will have a very difficult time getting a home owners policy if its not fixed. The worst case is the sellers baulk and I walk away from the house (with my deposit)

hypertech · 07-30-2005, 2:08 PM

I would say walk. There are going to be things wrong with any house you buy you don't know about, and if you do know they cheaped out on the wiring, who knows what else is substandard in the house.

chef chris · 07-30-2005, 2:50 PM

It wasn't because they 'cheaped out'...Most houses used aluminum around that time.

Aluminum wiring can be dangerous...but it's also possible to replace it if you're handy. Does the home have an attic or basement? If so, you can do alot of the wiring yourself & have a pro remove the panel & hook everything up.

Just a thought.

SDCGTSX · 07-30-2005, 2:57 PM

Electrical wiring isn't a DIY project for a novice. Burning down your home isn't a fun thing to explain to your wife...

Titand19 · 07-30-2005, 9:31 PM

It's not worth it I would say. I have Al in my apartment, but it was built in the 50's. You would be better off bringing the house down and starting from scratch. Is the property value high? A good amount of people in my neighborhood buy the homes for the land and tear em down. The market is blown up right now though, it will slow down soon.

ferrari527 · 07-31-2005, 5:03 AM

i was thinking about having my house rewired, got a quote from a reputal electician for 1k.
edit: the house is approx 3k sq ft

doopstr · 07-31-2005, 9:33 AM

Rewire the whole house for just $1k?

The house is a 4 bedroom colonial about 2750 sq. ft.

I would imagine all the other homes in the neighborhood also have aluminum.

chef chris · 07-31-2005, 5:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doopstr

Rewire the whole house for just $1k?

The house is a 4 bedroom colonial about 2750 sq. ft.

I would imagine all the other homes in the neighborhood also have aluminum.

Not a bad price for that labor. Sounds like a good sized home...is the price worth the cost of the wire re-do?

Scottman111 · 07-31-2005, 6:57 PM

I'm actually surprised that a house built in '69 would still have aluminum, but I guess it wasn't a full law until later

for sure.... but anyways, the only reason aluminum can't be used is because it heats up anywhere that the wire is twisted or spliced wrong (such as under bad wire nuts), connected to a device (like a plug or switch), or where it's bent and/or folded over to tight. this causes a hot spot or fire, so like you were saying about doing the COPALUM rewiring, it's safe as long as no negative twists or bends are present. So like chris said above, I wouldn't think a whole re-wire is worth it at all. Especially with how big that house is and how much you would pay for material (especially all new copper wire)

I've helped my boss do a small house using the COPALUM method and yes it was a pain in the ass so I would expect to be charged pretty high, but not as high as you saw on the interent quote. If you get a couple different electricians fighting over your job you'll eventually get a reasonable price at the least.

The only real reason I would rewire the whole place is if the house has ever had water damage. Water makes aluminum corrode very badly and produce hydrogen gas (which is a

), so you might have a whole house of damaged wires. Just something to check on

p.s. -- ferrari527, I don't know how you got a 3k sq. ft. house rewired for only 1k.

Was that a complete rewire or just a few rooms, or an electrician desperate for work???

07-30-2005, 11:35 AM	#1
doopstr You get an F Join Date: Jan 2001 Age: 37 Posts: 10,572	Aluminum house wiring I just had a house inspection performed on a house that I intend to purchase. I was informed that the house was wired with aluminum and not copper. It was built in 1969 and I understand that aluminum was used instead of copper to save money. I also understand that it was later determined that aluminum can have major problems and they no longer use it. I now plan to have an electrician inspect the house to give me an overall status of the installation. I also want to get a quote on what it would cost to install copper ends on the aluminum wires using the COPALUM method. This is supposed to be an approved fix and help keep the house from burning down. I have also just found out that a lot of home owners insurance carriers won't offer a policy on houses with aluminum wiring. I believe they will offer a policy on a house that has had the COPALUM procedure done. I can't see going through the expense of pulling all the dry wall and completely replacing the aluminum with copper. So the reason for my post. Does anyone here own a house with aluminum wiring? If so have you gone through the COPALUM retrofit? How did you make out with that and what did it cost? I am seeing pricing on the web that it could cost $60 a box to do this. So it would cost at least $6000-$8000 to do this house. Of course I would basically insist that the sellers cough up the money for this since I (and other buyers) will have a very difficult time getting a home owners policy if its not fixed. The worst case is the sellers baulk and I walk away from the house (with my deposit)

07-31-2005, 5:03 AM	#6
ferrari527 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Southern Cali Posts: 1,062	i was thinking about having my house rewired, got a quote from a reputal electician for 1k. edit: the house is approx 3k sq ft Last edited by ferrari527; 07-31-2005 at 5:05 AM.

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07-30-2005, 2:08 PM	#2
hypertech Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 536	I would say walk. There are going to be things wrong with any house you buy you don't know about, and if you do know they cheaped out on the wiring, who knows what else is substandard in the house.

07-30-2005, 2:50 PM	#3
chef chris Homeless Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern DEL-A-Where? Age: 35 Posts: 9,587	It wasn't because they 'cheaped out'...Most houses used aluminum around that time. Aluminum wiring can be dangerous...but it's also possible to replace it if you're handy. Does the home have an attic or basement? If so, you can do alot of the wiring yourself & have a pro remove the panel & hook everything up. Just a thought.

07-30-2005, 2:57 PM	#4
SDCGTSX Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Age: 31 Posts: 1,208	Electrical wiring isn't a DIY project for a novice. Burning down your home isn't a fun thing to explain to your wife...

07-30-2005, 9:31 PM	#5
Titand19 East Coast Boost.! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: NYC & LI Posts: 4,847	It's not worth it I would say. I have Al in my apartment, but it was built in the 50's. You would be better off bringing the house down and starting from scratch. Is the property value high? A good amount of people in my neighborhood buy the homes for the land and tear em down. The market is blown up right now though, it will slow down soon.

07-31-2005, 9:33 AM	#7
doopstr You get an F Join Date: Jan 2001 Age: 37 Posts: 10,572	Rewire the whole house for just $1k? The house is a 4 bedroom colonial about 2750 sq. ft. I would imagine all the other homes in the neighborhood also have aluminum.

07-31-2005, 6:57 PM	#9
Scottman111 No gf, not preggo Join Date: Mar 2005 Age: 23 Posts: 11,082	I'm actually surprised that a house built in '69 would still have aluminum, but I guess it wasn't a full law until later for sure.... but anyways, the only reason aluminum can't be used is because it heats up anywhere that the wire is twisted or spliced wrong (such as under bad wire nuts), connected to a device (like a plug or switch), or where it's bent and/or folded over to tight. this causes a hot spot or fire, so like you were saying about doing the COPALUM rewiring, it's safe as long as no negative twists or bends are present. So like chris said above, I wouldn't think a whole re-wire is worth it at all. Especially with how big that house is and how much you would pay for material (especially all new copper wire) I've helped my boss do a small house using the COPALUM method and yes it was a pain in the ass so I would expect to be charged pretty high, but not as high as you saw on the interent quote. If you get a couple different electricians fighting over your job you'll eventually get a reasonable price at the least. The only real reason I would rewire the whole place is if the house has ever had water damage. Water makes aluminum corrode very badly and produce hydrogen gas (which is a ), so you might have a whole house of damaged wires. Just something to check on p.s. -- ferrari527, I don't know how you got a 3k sq. ft. house rewired for only 1k. Was that a complete rewire or just a few rooms, or an electrician desperate for work???