Calgary Electrician and Electrical Services

REAL CANADIAN ELECTRIC LTD.

Serving Calgary and Area

Is the Aluminum Wiring in your Home Safe?


As the price of copper increased drastically in the 1960s a cheaper alternative was found for wiring homes. Aluminium was cheaper but not as safe as copper wiring. Aluminum wiring is soft and can develop small cracks if the wire is bent making the wire a fire hazard. Wires are bent at the termination sites. Which are your plugs, switches and junction boxes. This is good news as your home does not need to be completely rewired if you have aluminum wiring. Proper and regular maintenance of your switches and plugs are needed to make your home safe. To maintain proper connection the wires must be pigtailed. Pig tailing is when the existing aluminum wire and the electrical device is bridged with a new copper wire. An anti-oxidant is also applied to the aluminum wires to prevent them from corroding. In most cases taking these steps eliminates the need to rewire and is a long term solution for the safety of your aluminum wiring. If you are wanting to update your outlets and your home has aluminum wiring then you must consult an electrician.