You may have aluminum wiring and not even know it. Aluminum wires expand and contract easier than copper wires, which could lead to dangerous wire connections, oxidation problems, or arching. These issues could become a possible cause of electrical fires.

 

Back in the 1970s, when some homes were wired with aluminum wiring, there were no connections and devices that were compatible with aluminum wiring systems. But today, we have better technology and the proper devices to defeat this problem.

 

If your house has an aluminum wiring system, it is essential that you get an aluminum safety upgrade. Some insurance companies will not insure or will cancel insurance policies if the homeowner doesn’t get the aluminum safety upgrade completed. New home buyers are aware of aluminum wiring problems and will not purchase a home unless the safety upgrade has been completed. The Ontario Electrical Safety and the electrical company that did the upgrade will provide you with a letter certifying the upgrade. 

 

Aluminum wiring connections that have not been addressed are time bombs waiting to cause problems in the future.

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These are examples of aluminum wiring hazards:

An average Canadian home experiences over 2000 power surges a year. External power surges are caused by lightning, power outages, nearby industries, and hydro suppliers. More than half of all power surges originate from within the home, such as fridges, a/c units, sump pumps, blow dryers and other motor-driven equipment.

 

Both powerful and small surges are dangerous. While powerful surges can instantly damage electronics and appliances, small surges damage electronics and appliances slowly.

 

The average home gets hit with up to 20 power surges a day. More than 40% of all computer crashes, power supplies and data losses are caused by power surges. To protect your electronics and electrical appliances from power surges, it is important that you get a panel surge protector installed by a licensed electrical contractor. A panel surge protector gives you up to 30% more life to your appliances and electronics.

 

Panel surge protectors warranty insures up to $1,500 per item and up to $25,000 per occurrence, so if a power surge damages your appliances, you don’t have to go to your insurance company. 

Old fuse panels usually have oversized fuses that can lead to fires as the wiring is only rated for a specific size of fuse. This is a common problem as most of the time, when the fuse blows; we replace it with a fuse that is readily available to us without bothering about its size. 

 

The problem that arises from a wrong-size fuse is that of wire melting due to the overload of heat. This can lead to a fire as, in such cases, the fuse will not be able to blow and do its job.

 

A breaker panel is easier to reset when a breaker trips, and an average person would replace it with whatever size is available. The new breaker panels that are available in the market are like an incentive to the new homes. Even insurance companies do not provide insurance to houses with 60-A services. Therefore, it is essential to upgrade your house wiring system to at least 100 A.

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Many times with old fuse panels, there is no main grounding system, so when a new breaker panel or service is installed, a grounding system is also done for your safety. An electrical safety permit must be pulled to do a panel or service change so it must be completed by a licensed electrical contractor.