Aluminum wire going to make a comeback?

[Elektrishun]

Hasn't been used in residential since after the mid 70's but still used for HV service conductors.

Probably "click bait" article but this was on the cover of a recent edition of Electrical Business Magazine:

"Copper cannot keep up with electrification ​

It's time to revisit our conductor standards and get going with aluminum."​

Article link:

Copper cannot keep up with electrification - Electrical Business

As shortages loom, it’s time we revisited our conductor standards to find alternatives

www.ebmag.com

Be aware that the author might be a little biased:

"Peter Pollak is retired from the Aluminum Association Inc., where he was responsible for Product Standards and Electrical Services activities for nearly 35 years."


He makes some comparisons between copper and aluminum and then there's this statement:

"Value proposition

At the time of writing, the price of copper was around $4.00/lb while aluminum came in at around $1.00/lb, which means $1-worth of aluminum can provide the electrical conductance of $8-worth of copper."

That price difference could change real quick if aluminum was suddenly in higher demand. Besides the price there is other differences to keep in mind such as copper has greater conductivity/ampacity than aluminum.

I don't understand where the author gets the $1 al is equal to $8 copper. If #6 bare aluminum is the same weight as #8 bare copper (see link below) and they both have similar ampacities (for example, in the CEC, #6 Al @ 90 C is 85 amps and #6 Cu at 90 C is 80 amps) then it should be $1 of aluminum is equal to $4 of copper wire. Or did I miss something?

Weight of bare aluminum and copper equivalent conductors:

Weight Of Bare Aluminum Conductor & Copper Equivalent

Size AWG Approx. Net Weight (lbs./mft) Copper Equivalents 64321 24.639.249.462.378.5 86543 1/02/03/04/0 99.1124.9157.5198.6 211/02/0 266,800cm (7)266,800cm (19)336,400cm397,500cm 250.4250.4315.8372.5 3/03/04/0250,000cm 477,000cm (19)477,000cm (37)556,500cm (19)556,500cm (37)636,000cm715,500cm...

nassaunationalcable.com

I know there is a lot of electricians who don't like aluminum wire because it is a softer metal that requires greater care during installation and more maintenance afterwards. I have it in my house and it hasn't been a problem. That said, I have gone over most of my electrical and ensured that the terminations are made proper. My main panel has been cleaned up and terminations checked at least twice since taking ownership.

Here's a good overall comparison of copper vs aluminum conductors:

https://www.anixter.com/en_us/resources/literature/wire-wisdom/copper-vs-aluminum-conductors.html

 

[Tom O]

I thought it caused some fires due to not being as pliable as copper.
When I moved into my house in 1980 I had to replace the 220 dryer wire because it was heating up and discolouring I could smell it upstairs.

 

[Elektrishun]

I thought it caused some fires due to not being as pliable as copper.
When I moved into my house in 1980 I had to replace the 220 dryer wire because it was heating up and discolouring I could smell it upstairs.

If it isn't installed properly, copper will do the same thing. A bad termination, too loose or too tight, will heat up under load.

 

[slow-poke]

Other problems with aluminum:
- It creeps (25x more than copper), so you tighten down the screw, and a few years later the screw is no longer tight.
- Some insurers either refuse to insure or crank up your insurance rates to the point that it's cheaper to just re-wire the house in copper.

$1-worth of aluminum can provide the electrical conductance of $8-worth of copper." ==> requires grade 4 arithmetic, but let's not let that get in the way of a little salesmanship.

 

[Elektrishun]

Other problems with aluminum:
- It creeps (25x more than copper), so you tighten down the screw, and a few years later the screw is no longer tight.
- Some insurers either refuse to insure or crank up your insurance rates to the point that it's cheaper to just re-wire the house in copper.

$1-worth of aluminum can provide the electrical conductance of $8-worth of copper." ==> requires grade 4 arithmetic, but let's not let that get in the way of a little salesmanship.

But how does he arrive at that calculation? If aluminum is $1/lb and copper is $4/lb it sounds like the author is suggesting you will use 2 lbs of copper for every 1 lb of aluminum in the same application.

In practice you go down in conductor size when using copper due to it's ampacity rating which means the weight will go down, too.

Based on those weights and conductor equivalents in the link above it would be for every lb of aluminum conductor you would use a lb of it's copper equivalent - no?
If that's correct it's $4 Cu for every $1 Al.

 

[Johnwa]

The first day we moved into our current house (built in 1973) my son was playing with his Xbox and bzzzt a wire burnt off in the receptacle box. Now after a number of renos throughout the house there’s no aluminum wires left. Copper is way more forgiving than aluminum for the average homeowner.

 

[Brian Lawrence]

If it isn't installed properly, copper will do the same thing. A bad termination, too loose or too tight, will heat up under load.

NEVER NEVER use Aluminium Wire in electrical conditions. 98% of the people DO NOT know how to install it correctly therefore. Aluminium Wire causes fires! Aluminium wiring has been banned in Canada for many years due to it's dangerous qualities. Copper WILL NOT do the same thing if your following the Electrical Code and is sized properly for the task that you have . As a master electrican in the province of Alberta and someone asked my to install Aluminium wire because they are to cheap to purchase Copper wire then I would not walk, but run away. Please do yourself a favor and NEVER use ANY Aluminium wire in ANY electrical situations. I have shown my certifications if you have ANY questions please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

 

[Elektrishun]

NEVER NEVER use Aluminium Wire in electrical conditions. 98% of the people DO NOT know how to install it correctly therefore. Aluminium Wire causes fires! Aluminium wiring has been banned in Canada for many years due to it's dangerous qualities. Copper WILL NOT do the same thing if your following the Electrical Code and is sized properly for the task that you have . As a master electrican in the province of Alberta and someone asked my to install Aluminium wire because they are to cheap to purchase Copper wire then I would not walk, but run away. Please do yourself a favor and NEVER use ANY Aluminium wire in ANY electrical situations. I have shown my certifications if you have ANY questions please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected].

Apparently not banned in Ontario:

https://esasafe.com/assets/files/esasafe/pdf/Electrical_Safety_Products/Flash_Notices/19-30-FL.pdf

Aluminum wiring is still used in Canada for a lot of light industrial and industrial buildings service feeders. I am not sure of it's use beyond High Voltage service applications.

 

[Elektrishun]

@Brian Lawrence

I did a quick buzz through the 2021 Sask Interpretations to see what it states about aluminum and it mentions several applications. For example:

22-808 -WIRING METHODS (SEE APPENDIX B)The wiring methods shall be of the type listed in Table 19.

• PVC conduit along with PVC boxes, straps and approved expansion joints as required. Wire within the conduit must be approved for a wet location or damp location if the barn is equipped with adequate humidity control;
• TECK 90 cable along with approved connectors, non-corrosive boxes, and straps; or
• Non-metallic sheath cable except in any location where it may be susceptible to damage by rodents; and
• Wiring for watering bowls may be of aluminum. Terminations shall be protected with an antioxidant and effectively sealed.

https://www.tsask.ca/public/images/2021_CEC_Saskatchewan_Interpretations.pdf

I agree that copper is superior and less problematic for a variety of reasons but aluminum is not banned in Canada.

 

[BaitMaster]

We use aluminum for services/feeders both underground and overhead almost exclusively.

the smallest size available is #6. So equivalent to #8 copper.

Copper is used for motor terminations because of thermal sinking and lack of creep/expansion.

Aluminum for everything else.

The code allows this, and it is common practice.

Services and feeders cost quadruple when done with copper.

Example: #1/0 3c ACWU is 6$/ft. #1 copper 3c Teck is 23$/ft.

That’s 100A service cable like for a house service.

Overhead lines are all aluminum fyi.

Needs to be installed properly etc but as long as it’s not subject to mechanical strain it’s more then fine and makes it way more affordable.

Again, the code allows it. We install aluminum feeder conductors to code.

My 2c.

 

[KeeponDragon]

I had a 220 service run from the main panel of my house to the workshop.
We used aluminum, because I'm almost always on a restricted budget.
And my elekchikun made sure it was the proper gauge for the distance an amperage I needed.
It probly saved me over 1000 dollars.
I've been running my gear in there for almost 3 years.
I've had no issues...and thankfully no smelly indications of bad connections etc.
So it definitely isn't banned here in BC.

 

[BaitMaster]

Aluminum is about a third as dense as copper. So 1ft copper wire of same guage weighs about 3x as much as aluminum wire. So not only are you saving 1$ vs 4$/lb, you are saving again because 1lb of aluminum is triple the volume of material.

So even though you upsize 1 size to run aluminum, it’s still a win when each size is maybe 25% larger conductor surface area……

 

[Darren]

I used #6 aluminum ACWU (similar to teck cable), to feed my small shop, and to feed the two sub panels in my big shop, and to feed my big lathe. Of course, noalox on all the connections, and properly torqued. No issues passing inspection.

My main 200A service is fed with 4/0 aluminum, no issues.

I wouldn't use it for any branch circuits though, and my insurance wouldn't permit it either.