Home Page link

lighted switches & aluminum wiring

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
lighted switches & aluminum wiring Yumpin.Yimminie 08-25-2006
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by on August 25, 2006, 4:16 am
Our home has aluminum wiring. In the past, a couple of light switches
went bad and I replaced them with lighted switches.

A couple more switches went bad. This time they control the same
light. I went out to Lowe's to buy lighted switches. But this time
the lighted switches they had specified "not to be used with aluminum
wiring."

Now the previous lighted switches that I installed I honestly don't
remember reading anything about not installing them if you have
aluminum wiring.

We are concerned about safety. So what is the actual guidelines now
for lighted switches and aluminum wiring. Is it that lighted switches
should not be used with aluminum wiring at all - or - does the vendor
that supplies Lowe's lighted switches just being very conservative.

I'm kind of perplexed as why this is a concern at all. It seems like
the little bit of electricity being used by a lighted switch is
miniscule in comparison to what a light fixture would use.

Would appreciate any insight anybody could provide.

Thank you,
Jim


Posted by RBM on August 25, 2006, 6:57 am
I doubt it has anything to do with the light in the switch, but rather the
screw terminals were made for copper wire only. Find a switch that says on
the terminals cu-al these are rated for either copper or aluminum



> Our home has aluminum wiring. In the past, a couple of light switches
> went bad and I replaced them with lighted switches.
>
> A couple more switches went bad. This time they control the same
> light. I went out to Lowe's to buy lighted switches. But this time
> the lighted switches they had specified "not to be used with aluminum
> wiring."
>
> Now the previous lighted switches that I installed I honestly don't
> remember reading anything about not installing them if you have
> aluminum wiring.
>
> We are concerned about safety. So what is the actual guidelines now
> for lighted switches and aluminum wiring. Is it that lighted switches
> should not be used with aluminum wiring at all - or - does the vendor
> that supplies Lowe's lighted switches just being very conservative.
>
> I'm kind of perplexed as why this is a concern at all. It seems like
> the little bit of electricity being used by a lighted switch is
> miniscule in comparison to what a light fixture would use.
>
> Would appreciate any insight anybody could provide.
>
> Thank you,
> Jim
>



Posted by Joseph Meehan on August 25, 2006, 8:34 am
RBM wrote:
> I doubt it has anything to do with the light in the switch, but
> rather the screw terminals were made for copper wire only. Find a
> switch that says on the terminals cu-al these are rated for either
> copper or aluminum

Or you can pigtail copper wire using an approved connection device.


>
>
>
>> Our home has aluminum wiring. In the past, a couple of light
>> switches went bad and I replaced them with lighted switches.
>>
>> A couple more switches went bad. This time they control the same
>> light. I went out to Lowe's to buy lighted switches. But this time
>> the lighted switches they had specified "not to be used with aluminum
>> wiring."
>>
>> Now the previous lighted switches that I installed I honestly don't
>> remember reading anything about not installing them if you have
>> aluminum wiring.
>>
>> We are concerned about safety. So what is the actual guidelines now
>> for lighted switches and aluminum wiring. Is it that lighted
>> switches should not be used with aluminum wiring at all - or - does
>> the vendor that supplies Lowe's lighted switches just being very
>> conservative. I'm kind of perplexed as why this is a concern at all. It
>> seems like
>> the little bit of electricity being used by a lighted switch is
>> miniscule in comparison to what a light fixture would use.
>>
>> Would appreciate any insight anybody could provide.
>>
>> Thank you,
>> Jim



--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit



Posted by RayV on August 25, 2006, 9:37 am

Joseph Meehan wrote:
> RBM wrote:
> > I doubt it has anything to do with the light in the switch, but
> > rather the screw terminals were made for copper wire only. Find a
> > switch that says on the terminals cu-al these are rated for either
> > copper or aluminum
>
> Or you can pigtail copper wire using an approved connection device.
>
>

Depends on what you mean by approved and who approved it. The purple
wire nuts are UL approved but the CPSC does not approve.
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/twistcpsc.htm


Posted by Bud-- on August 26, 2006, 4:36 am
RayV wrote:

> Joseph Meehan wrote:
>
>>RBM wrote:
>>
>>>I doubt it has anything to do with the light in the switch, but
>>>rather the screw terminals were made for copper wire only. Find a
>>>switch that says on the terminals cu-al these are rated for either
>>>copper or aluminum
>>
>> Or you can pigtail copper wire using an approved connection device.
>>
>>
>
>
> Depends on what you mean by approved and who approved it. The purple
> wire nuts are UL approved but the CPSC does not approve.
> http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/twistcpsc.htm
>

Research done for the CPSC showed the purple wirenuts were generally not
any beter that other wirenuts and were worse than some others. As far as
I know they are the only ones UL listed for aluminum wire.

I believe the marking on devices that are UL listed for aluminum wire is
CO/ALR.

The original aluminum wire, which started to be used often for 15 and
20A branch circuits about 1965, had problems with expansion, as in the
post by bowgus. This was essentially fixed about 1972 with changes in UL
standards requiring a new aluminum alloy and the CO/ALR device rating.
It still could be a problem for old technology wire.

Pre and post 1972 wire has a problem with aluminum oxide, which is an
invisible clear insulator and forms rapidly on the very reactive aluminum.

Good information on working with 15 and 20 amp aluminum wire branch
circuts is at:
http://www.inspect-ny.com/aluminum/alreduce.htm
This is written by a professional engineer and has a wide range of fixes
based on the extensive research done for the CPSC. [The CPSC appears to
have attempted to force a recall on aluminum wire.] It includes
recomendations on wire nuts. A technique common to many fixes is to put
antioxide paste on the wire and abrade it to remove the oxide.

If I had aluminum wire I would probably pigtail to copper for any device
on circuit with a high amp load using the techniques in the paper. Also
redo wirenuts back to the breaker and pigtail the breaker connection as
described in the paper.

bud--


Page 1 of 2       1 2 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
wiring 3 switches in parallel March 3, 2007, 12:00 pm
Wiring 2 switches to an outlet. October 24, 2007, 11:46 am
Wiring 3 way switches for detatched garage lights November 29, 2005, 2:27 pm
Wiring Switches & Outlets 101 - Extremely Simple Pics April 23, 2008, 11:06 pm
Aluminum Wiring options. January 31, 2007, 1:04 pm
Aluminum Stove Wiring June 25, 2007, 8:07 pm
Aluminum Wiring Question (CO/ALR devices) October 26, 2005, 3:53 pm
Aluminum Wiring Refit Approach June 15, 2005, 10:18 pm
Pigtailing Aluminum wiring with copper.... September 3, 2006, 4:36 pm
Info to backup safety of aluminum wiring? August 9, 2005, 11:25 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap