Aluminum wiring “the asbestos of the electrical world.” Why is there such a fuss over aluminum wiring? It can be difficult to obtain home insurance with it,  and it’s more prone to cause fires.

So why do some houses have aluminum wiring? Well, for starters, In the mid 1960’s to the late 1970’s, aluminum wiring was widely used. The Vietnam War caused a copper shortage thus making aluminum a cheaper, more affordable option for home builders wiring homes. 

Due to the increase of appliances such as toaster ovens, hair dryers, air fryers etc. Homeowners are now drawing more electricity than the typical use in the 60’s and 70’s. 

Aluminum wiring heats up and expands and contracts at a greater rate than copper. This can lead to poor connection between the aluminum wire and the switch, receptacle or terminal resulting in a higher risk of fire.

If your home has aluminum wiring, it’s not the end of the world. You are able to replace aluminum wiring and retrofit your home with copper wiring. This can be fairly expensive costing approximately $10,000 or more depending on the size of your home. 

If retrofitting the entire home is outside of your budget, you can consider putting adapters on your aluminum wiring to allow the actual switch, receptacle or terminal to be attached to copper wiring. This can mitigate fire risk. You can also choose to run dedicated copper wire to specific rooms that use more electricity such as your bathrooms or kitchens. This prevents you from having to replace the entire house, and focuses only on the high electricity rooms. 

The Ontario Electrical Safety Code, allows for aluminum wiring to be used in residential, commercial and industrial structure. If aluminum wiring is installed properly and according to manufacturer instructions it can be a safe way to run wire in your home.

In our Niagara Region there are still many homes with aluminum wiring. For example, most of the semi-detached houses in the North End of St.Catharines were built in the 1970’s and utilized aluminum wiring. It is important to check the wiring in order to be fully informed prior to purchasing a property. We at Your Niagara Home Team are aware of the area in Niagara that aluminum wiring was installed, and have experience representing Buyers and Sellers with aluminum-wired homes. Give us a call and we can assist you!