Trivia Question about Aluminum Wiring
td...@news.delphi.com
is used almost exclusively in stoves and yet a no-no for almost all other
uses per the codes and standards. I figured I would use the Net to help
him with his quandary.
Answers???
Mark Champion
: An electrical engineer I work with is puzzled as to why aluminum wiring
: uses per the codes and standards. I figured I would use the Net to help
: him with his quandary.
Stoves are suppose to get hot?
--
Mark Champion
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Aluminum in contact with steel causes galvanic corrosion.
later...
--
Andre Pelletier | sorry Quebecois, but you screwing your future
St. Boniface, Manitoba | will screw my futur
--------CANADA---------| l'an prochain, mon pays...Canada
Louis Riel, founding father of Canada, 1885.
Tom Kopec NE1G
I've never seen aluminum wire *in* an electric stove. I've seen aluminum wire
*feeding* electric stoves, though. Most household wiring larger than about 8ga
is aluminum, for cost and weight reasons. (the dividing line is fuzzy, because
6ga Al is about the same as 8ga Cu current-capacity-wise..)
Aluminum wire is fine, if you use the proper connectors and terminals, and
proper technique in making the connections.
Most internal stove wiring I've seen has either been tinned stranded copper,
or that strange high-temp wire that looks like tinned copper but won't solder.
..tom
--
+===
Tom Kopec NE1G
Digital Equipment Corporation
Assistive Technology Group
Maynard, MA
+===
The opinions and comments expressed herein are my own and rarely, if ever,
reflect those of my employer.
+===
Rick Jansen
|> >: An electrical engineer I work with is puzzled as to why aluminum wiring
|> >: is used almost exclusively in stoves and yet a no-no for almost all other
|> >: uses per the codes and standards. I figured I would use the Net to help
|> >: him with his quandary.
Aluminium is often used for high-power tension lines. The wires need to be
thicker, but the cost and the weight are still lower than copper wires. Maybe
that is the reason. A stove draws quite some current, I believe.
Rick Jansen
--
ri...@sara.nl
S&H's a module and s&h's looking good
Massoud Ajami
>Subject: Re: Trivia Question about Aluminum Wiring
>From: sscp...@horus.sara.nl (Rick Jansen)
>Date: 19 Jul 94 10:40:00 +0100
>Rick Jansen
>--
>ri...@sara.nl
Also, aluminum oxidises in low temperature but protects the wire, on the
other hand, copper wire oxidises in higher temperature but oxidation
continues. Aluminum wire must be clean befor use, aluminum dioxide is a
diode.
--
Peace and Prosperity!
---==< 110 >==---
Robert Horton
Speaking of aluminum wire.....
There I was the other day, replacing a power cord on one of the venerable
pieces of equipment on our lab, when the idea struck me that I should test
the old cord to see if it was hot. With a flash of insight, I decided that
I should be able to see sparks between the wires when briefly touching them
together, if the connections were good.
One of the wires was copper, and the other aluminum.
The effect was dramatic - it made a flash like a photographic bulb, and a
loud pop. The end of the aluminum wire was missing - I assume it ignited.
Disclaimer - don't try this at home...
-Bob
Henry Spencer
>An electrical engineer I work with is puzzled as to why aluminum wiring
>is used almost exclusively in stoves and yet a no-no for almost all other
Aluminum is lighter and a lot cheaper than copper, but trickier to work
with. (In particular, the sloppy practices that electricians get away with
using copper will cause trouble with aluminum, and people found out about
this the hard way some years ago, giving aluminum wiring a bad name.) So
it shows up in places where the wires get fat enough for it to be worth
the trouble, notably power lines. I hadn't heard about it being used
in stoves, but it makes some sense, for the same reason.
--
SMASH! "Sayy... I *liked* that window."| Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
"I enjoyed it too!" "Hmph! Some hero!"| he...@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
mgah...@vt.edu
>Aluminium is often used for high-power tension lines. The wires need to be
>thicker, but the cost and the weight are still lower than copper wires. Maybe
>that is the reason. A stove draws quite some current, I believe.
thats just cause aluminum is less dense than copper, hence the lines are
lighter and easier to support. I don't current draw in a stove is the reason
(Al has higher resistance than copper)
C Martin
(TD...@DELPHI.COM) writes:
>An electrical engineer I work with is puzzled as to why aluminum wiring
>is used almost exclusively in stoves and yet a no-no for almost all other
>uses per the codes and standards. I figured I would use the Net to help
>him with his quandary.
I can't say about stoves, I've never noticed aluminum wiring used there.
A number of years ago, aluminum was tried in home wiring. It was used
just like copper. The main problem occured at screw terminals where due
to aluminum's softness, the screw would loosen after a while. This caused
a poor contact which caused heating and thus fires. Bad thing to happen.
This gave aluminum wiring a very bad name with electricians and local
building codes. Since then equipment has been modified to properly handle
aluminum wire. You can see the 'Cu-Al' stamped somewhere on switches,
outlets, etc. if they can handle copper or aluminum. I suspect you'll see
it being used for homes sometime in the future, when most people who
remember it's first use have retired.
martin johnson
>In article <30c8ks$q...@news.delphi.com>, td...@news.delphi.com
>(TD...@DELPHI.COM) writes:
>>An electrical engineer I work with is puzzled as to why aluminum wiring
>>is used almost exclusively in stoves and yet a no-no for almost all other
>>uses per the codes and standards. I figured I would use the Net to help
>>him with his quandary.
A rear window brake light was spliced in with copper wire by the previous
owner of my 1985 Olds Delta 88. While trying to repair the ensuing brake
light failure (6 years later), I found that the splice was hot
(temperature-wise), and was forced to actually read the manual to discover
that all the wiring was Aluminum. I've cut out the resistance causing
corrosion and respliced it in the usual copper to copper way. Hope it
will last another 6 years. Dont expect the rest of the car to!
--
______________________________________________
| martin johnson mar...@uiuc.edu |
| "mind your business", on first US coin |
|____________________________________________|
Leon Kanopka
on Long Island, NY in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The expansion of
the wire at the connections to outlets, switches, etc. causes the wire to
come loose. This in turn allows the wire to corrode at the connection
because it is exposed to more air. This creates more resistance in the
connection, then more heat. The heat builds and gets worse and worse
until trouble starts. The recommendation now is that all aluminum wiring
be pigtailed with copper ends. A special crimp connector is used to put
the pigtail on. It uses a certain amount of pressure to crimp the
connection so that this problem will not develop. A loose copper
connection does not generate as much heat as a loose aluminum connection.
I guess this is because of the oxidation factor, but I don't know. My
recommendation is to get rid or the aluminum, especially in high current
circuits like refrigerators and air conditioners. Just last week the
parents of a friend of mine (house built in late 50s) had a near disaster
when the outlet behind the refrigerator caught fire. Fortunately the
smoke detector went off and the circuit breaker tripped before any real
fire broke out. Any way that is my two cents on the subject.
--
--
Leon ni...@panix.com
NI2P
Disclaimer: These opinions are MINE!