Copper Should Replace Aluminum Connections
QUESTION: We bought a 13-year-old house that has aluminum wiring throughout. Can you tell me if the wiring is safe? We’ve read a number of horror stories about fires caused by electrical problems with it.
ANSWER: The safety of aluminum wiring depends on whether corrective measures were taken by the previous owner. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that houses with aluminum wiring are a potential fire hazard. During the period between 1965 and 1973, because of the shortage of copper and its high cost, aluminum was used to wire about 1.5 million houses.
Although aluminum wiring was approved by the National Electrical Code, it was later found that there was dangerous overheating in 15- and 20-amp branch circuits at some of the connections between the aluminum wires and outlet receptacles, switches, fixtures and appliances.
Anyone who has aluminum wiring should be alert for the following trouble signs: Cover plates on outlets or switches that feel warm to the touch; sparks, arcing or smoke at outlets or switches; strange odors, especially the smell of burning plastic around outlets and switches; outlets, lights or entire circuits that don’t work.
Even though you may not find any of these trouble signs, the potential for a fire may exist. It can occur at an outlet that has nothing plugged into it.
Correcting the problem does not require rewiring the entire house. The method recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires connecting a short piece of copper wire to the end of the aluminum wire by using a special compression-type crimp connector. The copper wire is then used for the connection to the outlets, switches, fixtures and appliances. The special connectors, called Copalum Compression Connectors, and the crimping tool are manufactured by AMP Special Industries, Valley Forge, Penn. 19482.
The corrections described should be made by a licensed electrician who has this equipment. Connecting the copper pigtail to the aluminum wire using a wire nut is not an approved method.
You can check your outlets and switches to see if the wire terminations were pigtailed prior to your purchasing the house, but take precautions against electrical shock. If the aluminum wiring in your home has not been corrected, you should take care of this problem as soon as possible.
Son’s ‘Artistry’ Needs More Than Paint Coat
Q: My 4-year-old son decided to use the living room wall as a canvas for his new crayon set. I’ve had problems in the past trying to repaint over stains when I was unable to completely remove them. What’s the best procedure for dealing with this problem?
A: Your first impulse may be to try to paint over the stain, but many stains cannot be covered with paint alone. Rust, grease or oil, crayon wax and magic marker ink may be activated by the solvent (water or oil) in the paint and bleed back through the new paint. This is true regardless of how many coats of paint you apply. You must either seal over the stain or remove the offending material from the wall before painting.
The best approach is to try to remove the stain material. Check with your paint dealer for products containing solvents that will remove splattered latex paints, grease, crayons and other stains. Pour some cleaner on a clean cloth, wet the stain and let the cleaner work for a couple of minutes. If you just try to scrub the stain away, you may also remove some wall paint.
If the stain comes off the paint, spot prime the stain area and then repaint the wall.
If the stain proves difficult to remove, you can seal in almost any stain with a shellac sealer. The shellac is fast-drying so it does not activate the stain material, but covers it over.
To avoid the shiny spots due to higher sheen over the shellac sealer, seal the entire wall with shellac, not just the stain.
How to Straighten Old Sagging Floor
Q: We’ve just bought a 50-year-old house. Not surprisingly, the floors are sagging. How big a job would it be to straighten them out, or should I just forget it? Structurally, everything seems to be in good shape.
A: In older houses, built before lumber was graded for strength, sagging floors were a common problem. Fixing them is hard work, but is a possible project for the ambitious remodeler.
First determine how much sag or deflection you have. This can be measured while a helper holds a straight-edge that spans the floor from wall to wall. Or, measure the distance from the basement floor to the bottom edge of the floor joist, both where the ends of the joist rest on a center wall or support beam and at the center, where the sag is greatest.
To straighten the floor, you’ll need a helper or two, a scissors or hydraulic jack, extra joists of the same size and length as existing joists, a 4-by-4 long enough to reach from the top of the jack to the bottom edge of the joists, a supply of 16-penny nails, a hammer and a rule.
Set the jack under the center joist, at the center of the room. Measure and cut the 4-by-4 post so it reaches from atop the jack to the bottom edge of the joist. Now, working carefully, and being sure the 4-by-4 post is exactly plumb, use the jack to raise the post and jack the sagged joist until it is level. Depending on the amount of sag you have, you may want to do this in stages and use temporary props to prop each floor joist until they are all raised, then complete the job in a second stage.
When the joist is level, set a new joist alongside the old joist. The ends of the new joists must be setting atop the foundation on one side and the support beam or wall on the other side. While the jack holds the old joist straight, drive the nails through the new joist and into the old one. Nail the two doubled joists together at 16-inch intervals. Remove the jack and check to be sure the joists are now straight.
For further information on any home problem, write to Popular Mechanics, Readers Service Bureau, 224 W. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019.
