Update on using aluminum wire in old houses

My boss, Frank, told me to always pigtail aluminum with COPALUM connectors, not just twist on a wire nut. I thought he was being too careful until I saw a melted outlet in a 1972 split-level last month. The homeowner said they just used regular connectors. Anyone have a go-to brand for those crimp connectors besides the usual ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew1mo ago

Yeah, Frank's right on the money. Those purple wire nuts are okay for a quick fix, but a proper crimp is the only way to sleep at night. I've had good luck with the Burndy brand ones.

perry.nancy1mo ago

My only experience with aluminum wire was trying to fix my cousin's lamp, and let's just say the fire department gave it a solid review.

bettyk5313d ago

...and that's exactly why I keep a box of those Burndy crimps in my van even though I mostly just do little side jobs now. @the_drew mentioned them and I swear by the Hypress H14 crimper you can get for under a hundred bucks. I was wiring my sister's garage last spring and ended up using one on an old aluminum run in the attic that was tied into a junction box from the 70s. The thing that sold me was how the crimp tool click locks before you can pull it off, so you know the connection is solid.