Fads come and go…that’s what makes them fads in the first place.  When we’rein the middle of one, it seems like the most natural thing possible, whether or not you find it personally appealing.

And yet once a fad loses its luster, you wonder what people ever saw in it in the first place.

Take the 1970’s, for example.  Do any of these ring a bell?

• 8-track tape players
• Disco
• Lava lamps
• Mood rings
• Water beds
• And let’s not forget Flower Power!

Turning the corner, the early 1970’s also marked a new trend in electrical wiring when aluminum surpassed copper in popularity.  Why? It pretty much all boiled down to cost.  Aluminum was (and is) considerably cheaper than copper and, back then, was the best non-copper conductor of electricity available.

Still, what the building industry and home owners learned all too quickly and clearly is that aluminum wiring, while not inherently dangerous, is more likely to start a house fire than copper because of its poor-quality connectors.  These connectors were prone to oxidize from the use of dissimilar metals in the copper and aluminum connections. Oxidation, in turn, weakens the connection thus creating the potential for electrical fire.    

Fast forward to today and we see that most insurance companies will decline coverage for houses wired with aluminum. That doesn’t mean you don’t currently have insurance.  It does mean, however, that if you attempt to sell it, the prospective owners probably won’t be able to close until the house is rewired.

Not sure whether you have aluminum or copper wiring?  If so, contact Excel Electric to schedule a whole-house wiring and safety inspection. Unsafe wiring isn’t something you have to live with.