Ask Me Help Desk - Aluminium wiring for DIY

I've got an early 70s bilevel that, to my dismay, seems to have aluminum wiring. I've read all of the stuff online about the various fixes (copalum, ideal nuts, alumiconn, etc), and am wondering if any of these are really possible DIY solutions?

From what I can tell, copalum is the most "permanent" solution, but it seems that most of the advice about it comes from people who "sell" it, so it's hard to know for sure whether it's better than any of the simpler/cheaper solutions.

So, any experience/advice for dealing with aluminum wiring for the DIYer? I've got fixtures that need replacing/upgrading, and I'm kind of stuck in an analysis paralysis mode right now.

Thanks,

Mike

You have to be certified to use the Copalum method. Part of that certification is that you must be a licensed electrician that can work on the main panel.

The easiest method for a DIY person is to turn off the breaker to the circuit.
Then remove the faceplate and the device you want to check.

You are looking for any evidence of overheating or burning. All connections must be tight.

For switches and receptacles you need to make sure that they are "COAL" type devices. For wire nuts, you would be best served replacing the wire nut and pre- coating the conductors with an antioxident.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donf

You have to be certified to use the Copalum method. Part of that certification is that you must be a licensed electrician that can work on the main panel.

The easiest method for a DIY person is to turn off the breaker to the circuit.
Then remove the faceplate and the device you want to check.

You are looking for any evidence of overheating or burning. All connections must be tight.

For switches and receptacles you need to make sure that they are "COAL" type devices. For wire nuts, you would be best served replacing the wire nut and pre- coating the conductors with an antioxident.

Thanks for the info. I definitely realize that copalum is a professional-only solution (and an expensive one for the installer involved). I just wasn't sure if the other options (including co/alr devices and/or antioxidant coatings) were "good enough" to get me by since those are DIY solutions that I can tackle more cheaply than the multi-thousand dollar quotes for copalum.

Mike