GFCI breakers for Al wiring

[Larry Caldwell]

The simplest thing is just to install a GFCI breaker rated Al/Cu. That will protect the whole circuit. Don't forget to coat the wire with antioxidant before inserting it into the breaker. It would be a good idea to redo every device on aluminum wire with modern rated devices. There was nothing wrong with aluminum wire, it just has different physical properties than copper, and the old contacts went bad. Definitely remove all the old stab-in connectors, which were the worst offenders. Even large gauge wire like service entrance should be re- torqued every few years. Use a torque wrench and torque the lugs to spec.

[Coyote]

All wiring devices like receptacles, switches, GFCI breakers etc. are marked for Alum. and or copper usage. Some are copper only some are will work with both.

If in doubt you could make a short jumper. If your circuit conductor is #

12 or #10 alum. use a copper #12 conductor spliced to the circuit conductor using a copper/alum. butt splice A compound such as peremetx could also be used to coat the conductors. Permitex is a paste like compound that contains both copper and aluminum metals.

[runderwo]

Hmm, I can't seem to find anything marked Al/Cu at the local home improvement amusement parks. I do find several which specifically say to use only with copper wiring. I'll pay a visit to a contractor supply this week, they will probably have a better selection.

Yeah, I'm going through room by room and checking every outlet, switch and fixture. Any 20A breakers on a 12awg Al circuit will be replaced with 15A breakers. I'm also expecting to encounter 14awg to the bathrooms and will be dropping new wire there. I already found one example of aluminum nutted to *stranded* copper on a lighting fixture... that got me moving on the whole thing. I'm hoping it won't be requiring enough work to necessitate a permit, but it could go either way at this point.

[runderwo]

I'm under the impression that current AFCIs don't protect against the type of arc faults Al joints are prone to.

I'm not installing GFCIs to mitigate the Al risk, it's to mitigate the general risk of operating electrical devices near water.

Switches and outlets do, actually, but GFCI outlets seem to be an exception.

Do you have any references that show currently marketed AFCIs to reduce the risk of bad Al connections?

[runderwo]

Well yeah. I guess what I'm learning here is that such things do exist and are labeled as such, and that I've been looking in the wrong places :-)

Yeah, once I've taken care of the grunt work inside, I'll get an electrician to take care of the rest (furnace, AC, service drop, etc). Thanks!

[runderwo]

I read that the butt splice method is not a good idea and that is why the COPALUM pigtail splice exists. Same deal with the Ideal purple wire nuts vs Scotchlok wire nuts that are spring loaded. In both cases the latter exerts more force on the aluminum wire keeping it from loosening as it inevitably expands and contracts.

[gfretwell]

There is a new device out there called Alumiconn by King Innovation that is as good as Copalum and you don't need any special tools or training. It is a small terminal block with set screws in an insulating jacket.

[Bud--]

I would rather pigtail to copper and connect the copper to the breaker, as in N8N's post. The breaker connection is probably heated by the breaker trip mechanism, and heat cycling with aluminum is not a good idea. Aside from that, I don't see any advantages in direct connection. In any case, I would use the connection procedures in

UL fixed aluminum expansion problems with new alloy aluminum and CO/ALR devices. But most of the installed aluminum branch circuit wire is probably "old technology". (Aluminum oxidation is a problem with new and old wire.)

-- bud--

[meow2222]

no, I didnt realise they were parallel only. Where I am in the world we dont have AFCIs.

NT

[Coyote]

You are correct...CP/AL spring loaded nuts could be used. I used Scotchlock spring loaded nuts for years and never had a problem

[runderwo]

Yeah, that looks like a good product and it's even UL listed. But it's not listed by CPSC as an approved repair method (yet). This might be the best way to go in the end, the product makes sense and is not that expensive.

[runderwo]

in

Yeah, I've been using that as a rough guide, they've omitted mention of the "normal" CO/ALR butt splices sold at Home Depot and such though. So I'm not sure where they fit into the whole scheme, but I suspect they're about as good an idea as the purple wire nuts also sold there (which is to say, not at all).

Yeah, in my case it's silver-colored wire through and through, so it's not the copper clad type aluminum that is supposed to be safer. Thus requiring scraping, anti-oxidant, and a thermally-safe fit at every connection.

[runderwo]

Do you have a suggestion where I could find such a nut? All the Scotchlok nuts I have found on their site say Copper connections only... though it certainly seems that CO/ALR spring nuts do exist somewhere.

[Tim Smith]

In general, what is reasonable to buy at Home Depot, and what should be bought from an electrical supply company?

For example, if I want to replace an outlet, or a switch, is one of the cheap ones from the bins at Home Depot OK? If not, how about the more expensive boxed ones there?

How about wire, cable, conduit, wire nuts, and things like that?

[Nate Nagel]

Anything with a brand name (Leviton etc.) and marked "spec grade" is as good as the "good stuff" from the supply house. Might be more expensive, but that's another issue.

see above...

nate

[gfretwell]

CPSC is not a nationally recognized testing lab, it is a political entity.

[gfretwell]

The only NRTL listed CU/AL wirenut is the purple Ideal #65

[Dave Martindale]

Not just bedrooms, but *all* branch circuits? The only AFCI's I've seen so far are twice the width of a standard 15 A breaker, so that's going to cause a lot of problems with panel space on upgrades. My own house panel could fit one or two AFCI's if they replaced existing 15 A breakers, and then it would be full.

Dave

[gfretwell]

Generally speaking you can probably beat the supply house on a lot of common homeowner type stuff at the home depot. What you don't get is service and things that are not as common. The price break at a supply house will not kick in until you are a "case price" customer who spends enough there to get on the "good customer" price sheet. They don't want to compete with home depot for the homeowner market.

[Bud--]

I don't know what your "normal butt splices" are. Butt splices join wires end-to-end with a sleeve which is usually crimped to the wire.

The only listed splice devices for aluminum branch circuits I know of are Alumiconn, as in gfretwell's post, and purple Ideal 65 wirenuts. Alumiconn is new and looks real interesitng. In the research done for the CPSC, the Ideal 65 didn't work better than other wirenuts with antioxide paste, and had flamability issues. I think that is in alreduce.htm. Scotch doesn't make wirenuts listed for aluminum. But Scotch is recommended by alreduce.htm based on the extensive testing done for the CPSC.

-- bud--