Dan just lightly scuff the aluminum plate with steel wool, sandpaper or
whatever then wipe it down with solvent to make sure it is clean and shiny
prior to installing the tape. The problems Ron was referring to are a common
misconception as most electricians didn't follow the proper methods for
installing aluminum wiring and this was the cause of the house fires. Also
aluminum wire is less forgiving than copper and very brittle so any slack at
all in installation can cause the wire to break resulting in a short and
resulting fire. All those high tension wires you see around the country are
made from aluminum and I haven't seen any of them on fire lately.
Doug Rupert
