On 1 Sep 2014 at 18:16, Jan Steinman via EV wrote: > > Do you live in a house with aluminum wiring in it?
Actually, yes I do, and you probably do too. > > Because they all burned down in the 70s when it was tried and then > banned. It might be going a bit too far to say "they all burned down," but SOLID aluminum wire for 15-20 amp branch circuits was indeed a disaster. I won't go into the details here, but you can look them up on the web. However, STRANDED aluminum wire is widely used for high current branch circuits, feeders, service entrances, and has been for many years. It's completely safe when sized and installed properly. It needs connectors approved for AL, and proper application of an anti-corrosion compound such as NoAlOx. Aluminum saves a TON of expense over copper in home wiring. That said, I'd hesitate to use aluminum wire where corrosive chemicals or mists might be present - in an EV with flooded batteries, for example. I also think you'll have trouble finding terminals on EV components that are suitable for AL conductors. Further, I haven't seen any aluminum wire that's as flexible as copper welding cable. (Not to say that it's impossible, just that I haven't seen any.) FWIW, some folks mistake tinned copper wire for aluminum wire. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
