Aluminum and Copper-A Rusty Relationship

More commonly, however, what happens is that the increased oxidation increases the resistance in the electrical circuit. Higher resistance means that more heat is generated in the circuit. Every wire has an upper limit of the operational heat it can tolerate under regular use. Eventually, the wire gets too hot and combusts.

In the 60's and 70's, there were many house fires caused by aluminum wiring. While the technology for crafting aluminum wire has advanced significantly, aluminum is still less electrically conductive than copper. It can only tolerate a lesser electrical load than a like-sized copper wire could.

There are several different means for properly splicing aluminum and copper wires together. Furthermore, technological advances have created equipment terminations capable of safely accepting either metal without fear of corrosion.

Unfortunately, none of these solutions existed when the aluminum wire was originally installed in houses. When updating a home known to have aluminum wiring, the only two options are to either rewire it outright with copper or go through every single connection and remake them with the proper terminations- a potentially time-intensive process, depending on how accessible the wiring is.

Are There Any Better Options?

Why, yes! There are. If you feel excessively lavish in your electrical needs, have access to a manufacturer that will make it for you, and are willing to spend literal fortunes, you can use gold and silver electrical wiring- both of which share certain advantages and drawbacks over copper and aluminum.