That old panel swap in a 1950s house changed my mind about aluminum wiring

Last month in Denver I gutted a whole electrical panel and just hated dealing with the aluminum branch circuits. A guy from the supply house told me to just use the purple wire nuts with the anti-oxidant and stop overthinking it. Has anyone else had better luck with those than replacing everything?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_williams512d ago

1991, when I bought my first house, I had a Denver electrician tell me "rip it all out or it'll burn down." Scared me into replacing everything. Then my buddy insisted I watch him do his 1950s ranch with those purple connectors. Three years later, zero issues. I tested his circuits with a meter just to be sure. The anti-oxidant paste really does the job if you clean the wire good first. So now I'm on that camp too, just use the damn purple nuts and move on.

maryt6212d ago

Oh yeah, those purple nuts work fine if the wiring ain't chewed up or brittle already.

bettywood9d ago

Oh man, exactly! I did the same thing on my 1960s place after a friend talked me into trying them. I was real skeptical at first, but cleaned the wires up good and they've been solid for like four years now. I mean it's not the prettiest fix but it works.