FAQ

Do you perform Aluminum Mitigation? Do you install AlumiConn connectors?

No, we do not. We do not consider this to be a good solution to the problems presented by aluminum wiring. Houses which were built and wired in the late 60’s and early 70’s were often wired with aluminum wiring. Most insurance companies will no longer insure homes with aluminum wiring. If they are willing to, the premiums are usually cost prohibitive. This is because the risk of fire with these homes is great enough that it is a bad bet for the insurance company. Some insurance companies do accept Aluminum Mitigation, or Alumiconn connectors as a solution to the problem. The insurance companies still charge a higher premium after Alumiconns have been installed. This additional cost added up over a five year period is generally more expensive than the cost to rewire a home.

One of our objections to the Alumiconn solution is that any home that is 45-55 years old has likely had remodeling of one sort or another done over time. Homeowners who worked on their own houses and contractors often didn’t understand the dangers of tying copper and aluminum wires together without a proper connector and an anti-oxidation compound. It would be easy to miss a junction box in an attic covered by insulation, or buried in a wall and patched over (which happens more than it should). Unless a home has been completely rewired there is no way to know that every last splice has been “repaired” which leaves potential fire hazards remaining in the house. Another problem with Alumiconn connectors is that due to their mechanical design and their outer insulating sheath, they are much larger than normal “wire nuts”. As a result they take up most of the room in an existing electrical box. It can be impossible to fit the Alumiconns and a receptacle or a GFCI in a box all together depending upon the size of the box which was originally installed. This can violate “box fill” requirements and cause other hazards like overheating conductors or connections. These are some of the reasons that we believe that the only safe way to remedy a home which was wired with aluminum wiring is to completely rewire that home.

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