Definition
Single-strand aluminum wiring installed in many 1965–1975 homes — its connections loosen and oxidize over time, making it a documented fire risk at outlets and switches.
Why is aluminum wiring a problem when utilities still use aluminum?
Scale and connections. Utility feeders use large stranded aluminum with engineered terminations that handle its quirks. 1960s–70s branch circuits used small solid aluminum at ordinary outlets and switches — where aluminum's thermal expansion loosens screws, its surface oxide resists current, and every loose, oxidized joint becomes a heat source. The CPSC found these homes dramatically more likely to reach fire-hazard conditions at connections.
Does it require a full rewire?
Often not. The recognized permanent repair short of rewiring is remediating every connection point — COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors that bond a copper pigtail to each aluminum conductor — done circuit by circuit under permit. Full rewiring becomes the better answer when walls are already opening for a remodel or the home also needs panel and circuit-count corrections.
How do you know if your home has it?
Built or expanded between roughly 1965 and 1975 is the flag; confirmation is printed on the cable jacket ('AL' or 'ALUMINUM') visible in the panel, attic, or crawl space. Warm cover plates, flickering, or a faint plastic smell at outlets are the symptoms that skip the archaeology and justify an inspection this week. Insurers increasingly ask the question at renewal, too.
In the Puget Sound
The 1965–75 construction wave built out big parts of Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton, Lynnwood, and Federal Way — exactly the housing stock where we find original aluminum branch circuits still in service.
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Trade: Electrical