Aluminum wiring repair - AlumiConn pigtail connections 

One very important aspect left out is that it is crucial to use a calibrated TOPRQUE SCREW DRIVER to tighten the screws of the Alumiconn connectors ! Tightening "by feel" with a regular scredriver, as shown in the video, may get the AL wire damaged, creating a hotspot. Same goes for the CO side, that will create a hotspot if torqued too loose .

Thank you for helping us learn by being basic and easy to understand!

I used these in a house with aluminum wire... and NEVER had another issue with outlets burning up. Before installing these, I had problems with a couple outlets. I lived in that house for 19 years and was 100% satisfied with Alumiconn connectors.

Helpful, thanks!!! The hardware store sold me some aluminum wire for a lamp- I have to connect it to solid copper wire- and don't want to buy a connector (time issue). After seeing this, I cannibalized a copper extension cord that didn't work well anyway, and that should work fine. No reason to do copper-aluminum if I can avoid it! I had no idea....

This problem with aluminum wall were from the beginning of use. My father would come home from work and talk about the problems you discuss . He rewired our whole house top to bottom

Good job explaining! Thank you.

From what I've been reading, the AlumiConn 2-port and 3-port connectors installed with a torque screwdriver are the only "good" way for a homeowner to safely remediate. The wire nuts tend to become a fire hazard and burn up (though I've also read that proper wire twisting before capping can help avoid it), and I don't think the AL rated outlets are considered as safe either. Aluminum wires will still work their way loose over time. Disadvantages of the Alumiconn connectors: they're $3 each, and tough to pack into tight boxes. But it sounds like they're the only real safe option.

Excellent information!

Thanks, learned a couple of things.

Thank you for this excellent video, very illustrative... I will send this link to my clients in my Inspections Reports to reinforce our explanation regarding aluminum wiring.

I wanted to see that Al/Cu fusing machine 😎 cool video, man! 👍🏻

If I get this right, the cu/alr receptacles work with no pigtail and without anti oxidant compound BUT they're not as good for OLDER homes because the brittle aluminum might crack or break while attempting to bend and screw into the outlet, correct?. In that case, it's probably best to use the alumiconn connectors (rather than the twist connectors) to avoid this cracking or breaking, correct? Fantastic vid btw, gave it the thumbs up.

Excellent video

Good info. Just earned another subscriber 👍

Thanks for the video. Does the ceeling, or vanity light fixture side where the copper wire is not solid have to have these connectors as well?

Thank you for the video.

Damn good video. Dealing with this RN

Do we have to use the Alumiconn connectors along with the AL outlets / switches? Is this the best solution?

I have only one aluminum circuit controlling just a ceiling fan and 2 recessed lights. I understand about the pig-tailing at the switch box and the endpoints but is it necessary to have a pigtail at the electrical panel. I was told it was required but would like to verify if that is true or in what situation it would apply. thanks

Great video

I have a question,my house has aluminum wiring,here recently i noticed that one of the outlets was acting wonky so i decided to replace it, i went to home depot and they carried a outlet called aluminum /copper, one side looks like aluminum screws and one side looks like copper screws, if some houses have copper wiring and some houses have aluminum wiring but mainly exclusive one or the other what good does a aluminum /copper outlet do me? i would guess it would be better to have aluminum/ aluminum on both sides correct? so why do they even sell that kind of outlet ? thank you for your time!! Funny thing is that the outlet im replacing is also aluminum /copper,one side is aluminum and one side copper and it has been in this house for at least 30 years,once i opened up the outlet to replace it i noticed the aluminum side was kinda burn t a bit but the other wires on the copper side were pristine, what gives?

What about inside the breaker box. Can copper and aluminum be on the neutral bar or you must pig tail to bar?

Is there a 4 port Alumicon connector. I have outlets with three wires and one going to the outlet.

Doing this now. Using alumiconn and when I torque to their recommendation it seems to deform the aluminum wire. The wire itself seems in good condition, is this normal when using alumiconn and torquing to 10 inch pounds?

My home has very brittle aluminium wiring. What do you think about wago connectors?

Thanks for the info. Did you link where to buy the connectors? Super expensive everywhere I have looked?

Can you use “Ideal” wire nuts with “ideal” anti corrosion noalox solvent?

I NEED YOUR HELP with AlumiConn! Thanks for this info. What's your opinion on Ground? Obviously hot and neutral need the alumiConn, but do you think one can save a few $$$ by not using on ground?

In my area there are tons of neighborhoods and houses with aluminum wire and no one I know has had any issues with getting insurance coverage. I have aluminum wire and have had coverage with one of the big insurance agencies for 20 years. I replaced most of the outlets and switches years ago with CO/ALR devices and have never had an issue. As far as pigtailing in some situations, I just pigtail a piece of copper with the aluminum, add antioxidant paste to a wire nut, secure with the nut and wrap with electrical tape. I've had zero issues in 20 years.

Great information, thank you. In the process of attempting to replace light switches and wall sockets in my mid 80s home I found out I had cooper clad aluminum wiring because the wire was too thick to go into the quickwire holes. How do you deal with this issue? Can it be treated like cooper wire and use the screw terminals? Are there any precautions? TIA

what gauge is the copper connection/pigtail?

Great video thank you Do you have to pigtail copper to aluminum in the box if you’re getting an outlet or a switch that is compatible with aluminum and copper?

Please help. I bought some of the 3 way alumni to copper terminals and they melted it happened twice on the same set of wires what would cause that?

QUESTION: WAGO Connectors, What about Copper and Alum wires connecting in a WAGO With WAGO Alu-Plus Contact Paste?

how do you know if your outlets are CU/ALR, do you just have to look for the aluminum connection.

I just had a 220v. 30 amp dryer receptacle melt and burn to a crisp and fry the dryer cord too. Of course it's an aluminum wired house. What gets me is that it was pigtailed -- although it looks like it was done quite a while ago. It MAY have started at the copper and aluminum wire connector which may or may not have had anti oxidant applied. My guess is that the copper/aluminum connection came apart under one of screw caps, started shorting, fryed the cap, and sent the whole electrical current mess into the outlet.which burned it up. Your thoughts? Also, the connection is 220v, 30amp 3-wire for an electric dryer. I have the option of hooking up a gas dryer and being done with it. Again, your thoughts?

can i use the connectors with the three holes on all receptacles even though they only need two? curious because idk which receptacles need what. thank you advance and thank you for posting this video.

Oh, second question, different topic. I see on the King Innovation site for AlumiConn connectors that they recommend using a torque screwdriver on the screws, which I see on Home Depot's site they have a Husky that will do the required 10 and 15 inch pounds for $56. Some comments there say it's very tough to guess the right amount of force to use on the aluminum conductor -- undertighten and that warming/cooling you mentioned could let it work itself out from under the lug's screw. Overtighten, and the aluminum could crack and break free of the connector. What are your thoughts on torquing the set screws on the AlumiConn?

if your using a plastic box does the AL ground still need an Alumiconn or can you jpoin by other means to the CU ground? Also do you need these connectors at the panel box also?s

All the outlets with aluminum wire I'm dealing with have a red and black wire to one side of the outlet and a white to the other side with no ground wire connected. How do I go about using the connectors?

“AlumiConn Aluminum to Copper Lug is approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), UL, and numerous insurance companies as a safe method for aluminum wiring repair.” The AL/CU wire connectors (nuts) are not considered a permanent solution to pigtail. As noted in a comment below the AlumiConn lugs MUST be torqued to specifications. They sell a special driver to do this, it runs around $135. Don’t use a regular screw driver, be safe not sorry.

When you come out of the alumiconn connector with new copper wire can you go back to receptacle if it is marked au/cu or will you have the came issue ,... copper pigtale to alum screw..i.e., do now have to buy new Copper only receptacle ... Thanks

I MUCH prefer WAGO lever nuts. They are spring loaded and will manage creap without loosening where anything that screws down will still work loose

How do you connect three aluminum ground wires with one copper ground wire?

Quick question. My parents house has copper wiring. Recently they remodeled their bathroom and installed a GFCI outlet to replace a standard plug by the sink (following code). Not long after that work was done they suddenly lost all power in the adjacent room. They suspect it’s the GFCI they installed. I noticed in the GFCI instructions that it says ‘only to be used with copper’ so I feel it’s feasible that the GFCI could be the culprit. Is it possible for them to have a GFCI with aluminum wiring? If so, how? Thank you

I’m planning on putting in the alumicons. Is it necessary to pigtail to copper for the ground wire? No current running through it, but it’s still aluminum.

What about dimmer switches? Is it okay to use the pigtail method? I’m starting to see forums say that you can’t use dimmer switches with aluminum wiring. I just installed one today. Something told me to put my ear up close to the switch and I hear a fair humming sound...

Be careful when replacing old recepticles with new ones guys once you do this you have to bring up the branch circuit ok with arc/fault and or gfi protection t/r rated plugs, tr/wr rated plugs outside per 406.4,d thru out the home where ever you changed them out to new

I have not found a GFCI outlet that had Aluminum capacity.... pigtail is really hard for an already cramped box due to a GFCI.

Do they make 4 port alumiconn? I can’t seem to find them anywhere. Thanks.

The connector one is not good for 12 gauge above

QUESTION: Since the WAGO is a spring clamp it should be much better when Aluminum expands and contracts., The screw doesn't move. Comment?

So if the wiring just goes to 1 outlet or switch you can just buy the 2 port Alumiconn Connectors?

Ok so let’s say I go with the Alumiconn connections...on the new outlet, I’m also replacing old switches and outlets, will use a copper one now that I have a pigtail of copper from aluminum or will I use an aluminum still?

I have a copper home, but the ceiling fan I want to install has aluminum wiring, what can I do?

The problem with the AlumiConn connectors is that they take up so much space. There are some boxes in our house that already barely have room for the existing wiring. We’d have to have an electrician retrofit newer, larger boxes to allow for the additional connectors.

BIG HEADS UP... Do NOT use Ideal Type 65 "Twister" wire nuts to pigtail residential aluminum wiring. Under an agreement with the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Ideal no advertises, markets, or recommends the type 65 wire nuts for the use described in this video. The was after several structure fires were attributed to the use of Ideal type 65 wire nuts. Underwriters Laboratories did not independently verify the results of the original tests conducted by Ideal, even though UL's published standards require said testing before UL certification is granted. The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) relied on the UL listing in approving CSA listing of this product. Currently, the only product available, tested and fully certified for this use are the Alumiconn connectors, as described in the latter part of this video. They are readily available on eBay, Amazon and many online electrical resellers. Separately, insure that ALL aluminum wiring is properly protected by either Are Fault Combination Circuit Breakers (AFCI-CB) or Dual Function (Arc Fault/Ground Fault) Combination Circuit Breakers (AFCI/GFCI-CB). As of 2017, the National Electric Code (NEC) requires Arc Fault breakers for all dwelling spaces in a new home, or whenever a breaker panel is replaced. If ANY wiring does start arcing, an Arc Fault breaker can cut off power before a fire starts. If nothing else, update your breakers. Be careful and stay safe, Bruce

Part of the reason Aluminum becomes brittle is that it is work hardening. The more you work (bend) it, the harder (and more brittle) it will become. That said, you really only want to go into these boxes once.

What about Wago 773 connectors with their Alu plus contact paste? The connectors are less than 25 cents each.

Wait. I’m confused. If the whole house is wired with aluminum, there would be no need for the Alumi con correct? I’d just need to make sure that all of my outlets and switches are aluminum wire compatible, correct? I’ll have an electrician do it but I want to understand it. Is it common for a 60’s hose to have BOTH aluminum and copper if there has been NO newer additions?

I don't understand what scenario I'd use the 3rd port in the 3-port connectors? I have to pigtail a few inches of copper on the ends of my aluminum when replacing an outlet or switch in our house, because whoever wired the ones I've seen so far didn't leave an inch of extra slack to pull the outlet free or make a new shepherd's crook for the screws (they all used the holes in the back). It's awful -- you can barely get the outlet clear of the box opening! So pigtail it is. In the 2 or 3 I've done so far (which I now learn I have to go back and do right, since I used regular wire nuts), there was one 3-wire romex coming into the box, so I wire-nutted my 4" of copper to each, connected the outlet, and (barely) stuffed it all back in (these are all shallow boxes so far, so I guess the AlumiConns will require me tracking down some deeper old-work boxes I can install through the hole in the drywall, after carefully breaking out the old box). However, I know there will be some outlets I encounter with 2 romex's coming in, and both sides of the outlet used. In many of those, the little metal deal between the screws is broken off, because the top one is on the light switch. Would the 3rd port work for that scenario? Or only when the little metal deal is not broken out, and top and bottom both are always powered?

do you have link where to buy connecters

I was wiring houses in the late sixties. It wasn't that we were cheaping out on wire costs, the problem was that we couldn't even purchase copper wire due to mine workers union strikes. The NEC (National Electrical Code) prohibits direct connection of dissimilar metals. And as to "not enough breakers", Again I refer to the NEC which was the same then as it is now. Which is 3 watts per square foot for calculating the number of lighting circuits in a single family residence. No contractors or inspectors were "fudging" the number of lighting circuits that I know of.

Where is the information on torquing the connections per the instructions?

i couldn't find a 2 way, can i keep a 3 way for a 2 way split ?

Install arc fault devices guys ok

Thanks for this informative video. However, my understanding is that you never join Aluminium and Copper wires together by using Twist caps due to fire hazards.

If I have aluminum wiring where is the copper come from that you are talking about?

If the aluminum wire is 12 gauge, does the copper wire need to be 14 gauge or can it also be 12?

I have a question that i am wondering. If i pig tie the aluminum to copper wires. do i still have to use a co/alr outlet to wire it back on or can i use one with out the co/alr ?

Can Pigtailing with Alumicon conectors be used on Air-conditioning unit wires that is aluminum, my house was build in 2003 and Aircond. company telling me i have aluminum wires, i do not know how is it possible, i thought no one used aluminum wires in 2000`s .

I talked to an electrician and stated that I could switch my breakers to arch fault breakers and it will solve the problem....does any one have comments about that??

so does everything need to be done?...outlets switches and fixtures?ya didnt explain the 4 alumiconn

Purchased a 1970's house 3 months ago. Previous owner just before the sell, spent $8,000 replacing out lets, doing alumicon and adding a brand new breaker box. I still can't get insurance coverage.

So Alumiconn or CO/AU Outlets? A little contradiction in the comments.

Actually it's the other way around--you *should* use fixtures with brass screws specifically _because_ aluminum is softer than copper. Hardware suppliers started using steel rather than brass when the price of aluminum spiked in the mid-60s, and it's the steel screws, not the aluminum wire that's the culprit here. Hardware made specifically for aluminum and copper wire will be manufactured to work with aluminum wiring, and will not require the added complexity & more potential failure points that pigtails make. Copper oxide is a semiconductor, and also not desirable. The blue-green II oxide is less conductive than the brown I oxide, and should be considered a problem. Whenever I go into a junction box, I see that as an opportunity to clear faults caused by people before me, and to renew connections that have become less than ideal with time. This includes removing all oxides and wires made brittle by work hardening. A good electrician will have already cut off the wire that may have been work hardened by fishing it through the conduit, and will leave a generous amount in each junction box so future electricians can snip off the old fixtures, strip the wire to expose shiny new copper or a fresh length of aluminum that hasn't been nicked or cracked from work hardening. With copper, all you need to do is expose a bit of non-oxidized wire and attach that. With aluminum wire, you need to take the additional step of burnishing off the oxide and immediately dressing the wire ends with NOALOX or a similar approved anti-oxidant coating. I said "approved" because that can of CRC or WD-40 is probably _not_ going to fit the bill. If you have newer AA-8800 aluminum wiring, you may be able to skip the anti-oxidant dressing, but using it can't hurt. Needless to say, the key is to buy CO/ALR fixtures and use them. Now that I found WAGO wire joiners, I'll never use another wire nut again. Wire nuts twist wires, and while that _should_ result in a spiral connection with lots of contact area, it often doesn't, and all the twisting work hardens the metal, and that causes metal fatigue and breaks. WAGO PUSH WIRE (the brand is all-caps) fasteners are rated for aluminum and copper, and as the name suggests, requires no twisting.

What do you do with the ground wire?

I've heard the purple wire nuts can leak out the cream. I try to install them open end up or on the side at least. I didn't know alumiconns had cream in them. Any issues there I wonder? All expensive and a pain in the ass in cramped boxes Anyway. Argh!

Hello everyone, here are the AlumiConn connectors amzn.to/31aW5GU

What about ground? There's no ground wire available in the box

I am confused. With the Alumincon connectors, I don't see where the black wire figures in. On your new outlet it is going to need a black wire to the gold screw and a white wire to the silver screw. I only see a white wiire coming out of the Alumincon.

Wait a minute. If aluminum tends to loosen over time, then how can BOTH parts (wire & outlet) being aluminum solve the problem? Seems it would result in DOUBLE the loosening effect.

so no alumicon for the ground ?

5:02 your welcome

I live in an apartment where my own room and my dad's room are on one signle socket. And its all aluminium wire. I was wondering why the socket was getting warm and now I know, its the old type of socket with NO termials, just the push in wire thingys ] o o] ---==== ---==== and they're so old its got that fiber insulation instead of the plastic or rubber.... how has this appartment building not burnt up. the fuse boxes have 30 amp fuses.

please people if you are going to do this just buy the correct copper gauge 10 is compatible with 12 gauge aluminum....and so on never 12g copper on12g aluminum.... i have gone through so many fuses after the unexperienced electrician i hired used the wrong gauge mix

absolutely have to torque those alumicons to inch pounds...

I have been doing research on this and it seems like there are two sides to this coin. Some articles conclude it is still safe with the right outlets and some still scream these "solutions" are just as dangerous. Why the controversy? Is it like the Federal Pacific box?

Jim West

Totally forgot to mention needing the $150 torque screw driver for the AlumiConn!

Don’t forget to use the proper driver 10 for aluminum and 15 for copper…..

Anyone know what to do do with stranded aluminum?

No LED

Thanks for useful video. Can I use regular industrial butt splicers AND anti oxidant grease, if I can't get these "allumicons" locally? Electrical Inspectors have a course in their curricula, called Electrical Idiocy; belong in a very elitist circle, only for Moronic Supreme Priests of the Consumer Electrical Religion. They all have to excel on it to get the mark.

Aluminum wirenuts are not considered approved method of repair by UL or most Insurance companies. Neither is changing the device. In Florida its alumicons or crimp thats it

Wago 221 series lever nuts is another great solve for this problem. Use them instead of wire nuts with your pigtails.

Or use wago 221 for ~$0.50 with some contact paste. They're rated for Al.

1. Rewire home with copper 2. Alumiconn 3. Not as safe use CO/ARL, not CPSC approved like 1 and 2. Purple Wire nuts are a hazard!

And another thing back in the days they did not provide you with the deep boxes for that crap those exposed another words you won't have enough room to stuff those bars theirs no room in a shallow box I've been a electrician for 41 years now if you come across that you got to trouble shoot this crap I suggest you use a continuity testers if I would to tell you it's a night mare most trailers have aluminum wires man the way this guy explained your not gonna have choices what's this running a blow dryer now if you can't use the circuit on the modern age like now why would you take the chance on creating any type of a chance of a fire starting in any part of the place your living under and you know what this crap you can not takeachance on any boot leg shifty electrical

On the retire if you got to retire so be it better be safe than sorry what I experienced is that it's trash man you will be spinning your wheels my advise retire the caball