Home wiring made entirely of copper is not always an affordable pleasure and very often you have to deal with faults in aluminum conductors in multi-storey buildings of the last century. The most popular of them: a wire broken off to the very wall, which must be extended and re-connected.
Step 1: Prepare the injured wire
When a malfunction is found, and this is a burnt out or broken off aluminum conductor, then before performing any actions, it must be properly prepared.
This can be done in 3 simple steps:
- Strip insulation from the conductor as far as possible. Sometimes the wire is broken off to the very wall and you have to widen the hole with a construction chisel or puncher.
- Check the integrity of the core along the entire length of the stripped area.
- Strip the aluminum core with a fine emery cloth or a thin file.
Now that the wire is ready for extension, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 2: What is the best wire to build aluminum
If, when building up an aluminum conductor, many craftsmen use a conductor made of the same material, fearing early oxidation, then this is not entirely correct. After all, modern quick-release couplings allow making the transition from aluminum to copper efficiently and reliably.
Therefore, when building up an aluminum conductor, you can use a copper cable, the main thing is to use the correct material for the connection.
Step 3: Aluminum / copper terminals - the most correct solution
The aluminum wire is stripped, a new copper cable is purchased and prepared, it remains only to connect them. What to apply in this case.
A good and high-quality connection is available in two cases: when crimping with a sleeve or when using German reusable WAGO terminals. And if a special hydraulic press is needed for casing, which is not relevant for one-time use, then the terminals are an affordable and correct solution to this situation.
Figure 3: Terminal WAGO The manufacturer WAGO produces terminal blocks specifically for aluminum / copper transitions, the cost of which is not high, but the service life, on the contrary, is quite long.
Step 4: Install the terminal and check the line is working
WAGO terminals are installed in a few seconds: just insert the stripped wire into the corresponding hole. There are self-clamping products with a spring contact, and there are with special latches (both the first and the second are of sufficient quality and durable). The terminals do not require additional insulation, since the conductive elements are in a dielectric case.
It remains only to check the serviceability of the connection by turning on the appropriate circuit breaker and visually inspecting the terminals with aluminum and copper conductors. If the connection is of good quality, there is no burning of the wires and the smell of burnt insulation is not heard, then the junction box can be closed. Or install an outlet or a switch in place, its conductor build-up took place exactly in this place.