Had a homeowner argue with me about aluminum wiring last week

I was doing a panel swap in a 1970s house near Portland, and the homeowner kept insisting I leave the aluminum branch circuits alone because "they worked fine for 50 years." He said his uncle was an electrician and told him aluminum wiring was safe as long as you don't touch it. I had to show him the scorch marks behind his own outlets where the connections were failing. Has anyone else run into homeowners who won't listen to modern safety codes?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma3061mo ago

Man that's rough. People really don't get how dangerous that old aluminum wiring can be once it starts oxidizing and loosening up. Good on you for actually showing him the proof instead of just arguing about codes.

sam_rivera1mo ago

Haha yeah I learned that one the hard way. I had a buddy who kept insisting his 70s house wiring was fine and I was just being dramatic. So I pulled out this wire from his attic that looked like it had a fuzzy sweater on it from oxidation. He still tried to play it cool until I told him how much it cost to rewire a house after a fire and suddenly he was all "oh maybe you're right." Guess I'm not the most convincing salesman when I'm covered in drywall dust and insulation though.