I inspected a panel today that appears to have aluminum coated copper 120Volt branch wiring.
Would I call this out as defective or is it acceptable.
If this is older wiring I suspect what you actually have is tinned copper. The other option is copper coated aluminum. I have never seen aluminum coated copper.
Do you mean copper clad aluminum? How old is the wiring? It could be tinned copper if it’s more than 60 years old and has rubber insulation. Any photo’s?
Or what Jim said. :mrgreen:
I won’t have the pictures ready until tomorrow morning but this wiring is in a fuse box in a 57 year old house the conductors are what I cal BX.
Is tinned copper OK. The tin color is the outside cladding & the core is definitely copper
Tinned copper is old, and generally it’s cloth-covered with “rubber” insulation. Although the conductor (tinned copper) is fine, the system as a whole is subject to failure. The rubber insulation dries and cracks, eventually begins falling/flaking off which creates a hazard.
You should certainly recommend that the wiring be evaluated by a qualified electrician. In many cases, this wiring system will require replacement.
Yep, what Zinco Carita Pope said…when ever I find it here in slightly warm AZ the rubber portion of the insulation is failing.
The biggest problem with tinned copper conductors is insulation failure where they’re subject to heat, typically at ceiling lighting outlets. Over the years the heat from the fixture dries out the rubber insulation, it becomes brittle and can break off. The caveat is that the conductors within the cable are still good, so if the cable is accessible, like in a attic, it can be repaired.
One other problem is that most fixtures manufactured today will come with some sort of note or instructions regarding their use in home built prior to 1985. Usually this note will require that the conductors supplying the fixture be either 75° C or 90° C conductors. That means that these fixtures cannot legally be installed where the fixture supply conductors are only rated for 60° C.
I lost my conversion chart for Celsius to Fahrenheit the day after I graduated High School. What temperature in F is 60 degrees C?:neutral:
60° C * (9/5) + 32= 140° f
The condition of the conductors look fine, but the multiple wires under a lug is a problem. Type S fuses are a suitable replacement for standard plug fuses. They’re designed to prohibit the incorrect size fuse being installed. Here’s some more info on fuses from Bussmann:
Double and triple tapped, conductors incompatible to the size fuses, at least one of the conductors appears to be scorched near the connection. I see enough to refer this to a licensed electrician. No telling what else is present we can not see.
I would advise updating the entire service panel(s). One panel, not 5. Breakers instead of fuses. Have all wiring reviewed when panels are replaced.
Seems antiquated, and as others have notede some unsafe conditions.