Copper to aluminum connector - InspectionNews

Richard Roshak · #1 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 02:27 PM

Is there a specific color connector used when pigtailing copper to aluminum. Over the past week I have seen purple and red.

Rich

Jim Robinson · #2 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 03:02 PM

I think the two currently UL listed copper to aluminum connectors (other than the CompAlum system) are purple. I'm not sure how long that has been the case. In our area about 10 years ago it was allowable to wire nut with NoLox and standard wire nuts. That is no longer the case here.

Jim Luttrall · #3 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 03:42 PM

There is NO approved wire nut connector for aluminum to copper.

The only appoved connection is the retermination using the Copalum system.
Anything else is for emergency repairs on a short term basis.

See the CPSC website

Jim Robinson · #4 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 04:26 PM

Interesting take. Both products are indeed UL listed. The info from Inspect-NY and the CPSC is all from 13 - 15 years ago, and the product remains UL listed to this day.

http://www.idealindustries.com/media...compliance.pdf

The newer product just became listed around 2006. It is tested by the same person referenced in many other articles, Jesse Aronstein. He's still pretty down on the Ideal 65, but has high hopes for the AlumiConn. Edit: The new connector info starts on page 9.

http://www.alcopstore.com/reducing-f...inum-homes.pdf

In my area, it is basically impossible to get someone to do the Amp crimp, so it doesn't really help as an option.

Jim Luttrall · #5 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Pigtailing with some types of connectors, even though they might be presently listed by UL or certified by CSA for the application, can lead to increasing the hazard.[5][6] (See Figure 1.)

Quote:

Repair by pigtailing, using COPALUM connectors installed by a qualified
electrician, is the only method considered by the U.S. consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC") to be a permanent repair. Their recommendation is based on extensive testing.

While there is improvement and even UL listing of other devices, Dr. Aronstein reiterates the CPSC position in this 2007 paper. And further, he discusses the problems with UL listings of some of the connectors. As far as I can see, the only CPSC approved repair for aluminum wire short of replacing it is still the Copalum method.

Jim Luttrall · #6 (**permalink**) 07-17-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

The Aluminum Industry Wins in Court
Initial investigations into hazards associated with aluminum wiring were spearheaded by the CPSC. The federal agency works very closely with manufacturers and testing organizations like the UL. Its findings are taken seriously due in part to its ability to impose industry standards.
In the mid-1970s, the CPSC began distributing information concerning the potential hazards of aluminum wiring. It also was working to seek relief for people with homes wired with aluminum. This resulted in a 1976 lawsuit filed by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation against the CPSC, ending in 1979 with a federal appeals court ruling that deemed electrical distribution items not to be consumer products.
Since the CPSC has jurisdiction over consumer products, the area of electrical wiring falls outside of the CPSC’s boundaries. As a result of this ruling, the CPSC investigations into the potential hazards associated with aluminum wiring ceased and efforts to change testing standards or to remove certain products from the UL listing lost their steam.

Some interesting tidbits from Aluminum Wiring Risks 2