Whenever I am inspecting a home from the late 1960's to the mid-1970's -- usually 70's houses -- there is one concern I do not want to miss. I pay special attention at the circuit breaker panel. Do you see what I see? That lower conductor is copper. The upper four are all aluminum. When an inspector sees aluminum wiring, at least in my book, it automatically requires a referral to a licensed electrician. Even if it does not look bad, in visible areas, we have no clue what it might look like at receptacles or inside junction boxes. I can tell you that some of the most grizzly connections I have ever seen involved overheated aluminum wiring. There is, usually, no easy solution for it. One can live with it, have it replaced or get it "pigtailed" a process done by an electrician. The problem is, that is not such a cheap little process either. The clients need to be informed of all options, and costs, by an electrician. Steven L. Smith Bellingham WA Home Inspections 
Those 70's Houses
Check out "This Day In History" -- music and vintage television from the 1950's through the 1980's. I enjoy writing these articles because they take me back to my days in radio broadcasting. Click on Elvis' gold record, below, to revisit those golden hits of yesteryear.
10 comments • Steven L. Smith, Bellingham WA Home Inspector • July 23 2009 05:00PMComments
This blog does not allow anonymous comments
Post © 2013 Steven L. Smith, Bellingham WA Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection, Inc). Design © 2013 Market Leader, Inc. All rights reserved, Inc. All rights reserved.
Logos and service marks owned by copyright holder.
Thanks for passing this information along; I will keep it in mind the next time I have a transcation that involves this year in a house.
I have noticed this in several houses and it needs to be passed along to the new owners that they need to have thier electrical checked by a qualified electrition.
Bad stuff that aluminum wire. Couple that with a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel and you have a fire just waiting to happen.
And of course our State SOP's require us to call for further evaluation by a licensed electrical contractor.
Your picture makes it pretty easy to see what you're talking about. I believe I can now inspect a panel box. Thanks.
In my 8 years of inspecting, I have only seen one house that had aluminum wiring installed. I guess that it was not widely used in this area...
Helping you live your American Dream...
I can say Fedderell Pasifick, I just can't spell it.
Our last house had a Federal Pacific Stab-lok box and aluminum wiring. We lived in it for 12 years. Prior to us an electrician lived in it for 15 years. Both of us raised our families there, more or less. Every year I would go into the box and tighten things down. Never had a problem, but....
Steve - I cringe at the thought of this being the case in my parents home, which I will pne day need to unload. Believe it or not, my Dad was an electrical engineer.
Carol,
With any luck that will not be the case.
Steven: Luckily, here in Fort Worth, I cannot remember seeing any aluminum wiring. But, back in Ohio, it was occasionally seen. The best response, in my opinion, is to run away quickly. Do not walk... run !