Aluminum Wire: Addressing Some Common Misconceptions
Let’s start with a heavy one. There is a common misconception out there that aluminum wire is or was banned at some point in the past.
This is because of the risk of fire when aluminum wire is not installed properly. It is not banned, never was banned (at least nationally), and only produces a risk of fire when not properly installed.
In fact, not only is it not banned but there are a lot of homes out there that have aluminum wire. Moreover, aluminum wire still has express use cases in construction and power transmission.
For instance, aluminum wire is still largely used in construction as aluminum triplex and quadruplex wire, for power service entry to buildings.
Part of this myth is that aluminum is dangerous. It has a different conductivity from copper as well as a different thermal expansion coefficient, which can result in the overheating and disconnection of terminals and connections (therein lies the fire risk) but with appropriate installation and inspection, these issues are effectively nonexistent.
The bottom line is that when installed appropriately, aluminum is a perfectly suitable alternative to copper.
Aluminum wire, uninsulated aluminum wire, is the preferred option for high-tension power cables and other overhead power transmission, not only because it is more affordable than copper, but because it is far lighter.
Actually, it’s worth noting that in some instances aluminum is also preferred to be used because it incurs a lower risk of theft, since it has a much lower market value than copper.
Now let’s talk about this common misconception that aluminum is not a good conductor, which is patently false.
While it is strictly speaking true that copper has a higher conductivity than aluminum, aluminum actually has a higher conductivity-to-weight ratio compared to copper, which in some instances makes it preferable.
In addition to this fact, there are numerous other advantages to aluminum, such as its low cost and high flexibility, which should be addressed.
Another misconception is that aluminum wire is not suspect to corrosion. Both copper and aluminum are subject to corrosion and exposed wire, cable and terminals should be protected with anti-corrosion compounds.
With that said, aluminum actually does offer slightly better innate protection against corrosion than copper does.
Lastly, there’s a pervasive myth out there that aluminum, perhaps due to the similarly fallacious concept that it doesn’t offer appropriate conductivity, is not appropriate for high-voltage applications.
This is false. Of course, the right gauge must be utilized, but as has already been illustrated, aluminum is the preferred conductor in high-voltage, overhead power transmission. They wouldn’t use it for that if it wasn’t good with high voltage.
Here for Aluminum Wire?
If you landed here looking for high-quality aluminum wire, you can learn more online at EWCS Wire. They carry a wide range of copper and aluminum wire including fire alarm and security cable, welding cable, marine cable and a variety of other specialized electrical cable.
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