Hampden South

Aluminum Wiring...What You Need to Know

Nov 08, 2000

Many houses in South Hampden neighborhood built between 1965-1972 were wired with aluminum wiring . An electrical related fire is 55 times greater with a house wired with aluminum compared to one wired with copper. You can reduce the risk by the addition of a copper connecting ?“pigtail?” wires between the aluminum wire and the receptacles. This work must be done by a licensed electrician using a special connector and tool. It can be done for about $25/outlet. There is a lot of consumer information about this on the Internet. Search under Aluminum Wiring.
It is important to recognize symptoms of connection problems:
Cover plates that are warm to the touch
Flickering lights
Smoke from outlets
Burning plastic odor from outlets
Tripping circuit breakers for no apparent reason
Unusual static on radio or TV
Contact your electrician if you experience any of these symptoms.