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That electrician at the coffee shop told me to stop using wire nuts on aluminum wiring
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logan6483mo ago
Copper and aluminum expand at different rates so wire nuts can actually loosen over time and cause fires lol. They make special purple wire nuts for aluminum but most electricians just use a rated anti-oxidant paste and aluminum rated connectors instead.
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davis.dakota3mo ago
Did the electrician actually explain why or just tell you to stop? The real issue is aluminum wiring expands and contracts way more than copper when it heats up and cools down, so wire nuts can back off over time and cause arcing. You're supposed to use special connectors that are rated for aluminum to copper connections, like the AlumiConn ones, and always apply a noalox paste to prevent oxidation. Also, I've seen people put a little torque seal on the screws to spot if anything ever starts loosening up.
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