Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 10:22:23 -0500
From: Bud-- 
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair alt.engineering.electrical misc.consumers.house alt.building.construction
Subject: Re: Aluminum Wiring Question (CO/ALR devices)

If I was doing it, I would use wire-nuts, but I would use the procedure 
in the paper at
       http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/alreduce.htm
(This is a paper writen by a PhD Professional Engineer based on 
extensive testing of aluminum connections done for the Consumer Product 
Safety Commission. It includes a wide range of fixes for aluminum wiring 
based on that research.)

In addition to a detailed procedure for connecting to CO/ALR devices, 
the paper has a detailed procedure for using wire-nuts with aluminum 
wire - including brand names. My impression is that wire-nuts, when 
installed in accordance with the procedure, are more reliable than 
CO/ALR devices (particularly in a wire-through configuration that has 2 
connections to the device per wire splice).

Ideal #65 wire-nuts, which are probably the only UL listed ones for 
aluminum wire, are definitely not recommended by the paper.

bud--



Harry Muscle wrote:
> I have a question to do with the aluminum wiring I have in my house ...
> 
> There doesn't seem to be much objection to the safety of CO/ALR devices
> (switches and oulets), unlike twist ons (read P.S.)  The biggest
> objection being that you can only change your switches and oulets, not
> your lights, GFCI, etc.
> 
> My main problem that I still need a solution for in my home is
> connecting my CU approved lighting to the AL wiring.  What do you think
> of the idea of using a CU/ALR outlet to make the transition between AL
> and CU.  I'd place an oulet box in my attic (all the lights I'm
> concerned about have an attic above them), put an CU/ALR outlet in it,
> connect the AL wire to two of the screws and connect the CU wire to the
> other set of screws.  The only thing left is the grounding wires which
> I could connect to two seperate gounding screws in the box or if code
> requires it use a twist on.
> 
> So has anyone ever tried this?  Any comments, feedback, etc?
> 
> Thanks,
> Harry
> 
> P.S. I know the Ideal-65 purple twist on connectors are considered safe
> by some for pigtailing aluminum to copper wire, however, there's also
> others who still consider them fire hazards.  I'm hoping to stay away
> from these if possible and would rather make any aluminum to copper
> connections in some other way.  Hence my question.
>