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Not every system in a house will burn your home down around you when it does fail. As an Electrician myself, I would NEVER have my family live in a home with aluminum branch circuits. Too many problems, and too disastrous of an outcome when they do go bad for my tastes.
Loose/bad connections on any system can and will heat up to the point of causing a fire.
The burn on the old outlet was most likely caused by the arc from a loose connection. I'd be surprised if this didn't also trip the breaker at the panel.
Not every system in a house will burn your home down around you when it does fail. As an Electrician myself, I would NEVER have my family live in a home with aluminum branch circuits. Too many problems, and too disastrous of an outcome when they do go bad for my tastes.
LOL! Guess my area would be a ghost town if everyone felt the way you do.
2/3 of my neighborhood was built with aluminum, and no house fires to date with them. But a loose copper connection did char a house up the street.
Like Scott2187 said :"Loose/bad connections on any system can and will heat up to the point of causing a fire."
ANY system...
Plumbing can fail.
Gas connections can fail.
Besides, the OP... the one WITH the problem - says it's copper.
Loose/bad connections on any system can and will heat up to the point of causing a fire.
The burn on the old outlet was most likely caused by the arc from a loose connection. I'd be surprised if this didn't also trip the breaker at the panel.
Fully aware of that, but I wasn't responding to the OP, but rather to the individual post I had quoted.
LOL! Guess my area would be a ghost town if everyone felt the way you do.
Laugh all you want, I am willing to bet you don't have the experience I do in actually seeing burnt connections on aluminum wiring in homes. At least 20 to 1 for a burnt outlet or switch with AL wires to those with Copper conductors.
You are willing to take the risk in spite of decades of proof that AL wiring in homes is dangerous... I am not.
Just as you do not have mine, which is that the only problem in MY neighborhood was with copper.
that was a faulty installation to begin with.
as an electrical contractor, i would not lay my head down at night in a house wired with pre series 8000 aluminum (not available in the '60's, so that is what you have), much less allow my family to be put at such risk.
not going to debate this with anyone, just giving you the perspective of someone working in the industry.
as an electrical contractor, i would not lay my head down at night in a house wired with pre series 8000 aluminum (not available in the '60's, so that is what you have), much less allow my family to be put at such risk.
Okay.. I don't want to belabor the point either....
but what I bolded above makes no sense, as my house was built in 1966.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onceahogalwaysahog
copper wire and copper outlet
You're almost certainly describing loose wires on your outlets. It is very simple to correct, but it isn't exactly innocuous. Loose wires can lead to the generation of enough heat to start a fire.
If you have any experience with wiring and know enough to do this safely you can probably diagnose and fix by yourself, otherwise, a $500 (or less) electrician's bill is cheap insurance.
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