Aluminum wiring repair cost
Remediating aluminium branch wiring costs $2,000 to $8,000, typically $4,000. It was installed in roughly two million American homes between 1965 and 1973, and it is not a defect you can ignore.
National average
$4,000
per project
On this page
- What it costs
- Why aluminium fails at connections
- The two accepted repairs
- The signs, and what to check
- Insurance, and selling
- Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to rewire the whole house?
- Can I do the pigtailing myself?
- Is copper-clad aluminium the same problem?
- How do I find a COPALUM installer?
- Does this affect the panel or the range circuit?
Remediating aluminium branch wiring costs $2,000 to $8,000 for a typical house, typically around $4,000. Full rewiring costs $8,000 to $30,000. The cheap version, copper pigtailing with approved connectors at every device, is what most households do and it is what insurers usually accept.
Aluminium branch circuit wiring was installed in roughly two million American homes between about 1965 and 1973, when copper prices spiked. It is not a defect you can ignore, and it is also not a reason to panic.
What it costs
| Approach | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Copper pigtailing with AlumiConn connectors, per device | $30 to $80 |
| COPALUM crimping, per device | $50 to $120 |
| Whole house pigtailing, 60 to 100 devices | $2,000 to $8,000 |
| Whole house COPALUM | $4,000 to $12,000 |
| Full rewire, 1,500 sq ft | $8,000 to $20,000 |
| Full rewire, 2,500 sq ft | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| Inspection and assessment first | $200 to $600 |
| Replacing devices with CO/ALR rated ones | $15 to $40 each |
Why aluminium fails at connections
The wire itself is fine. What fails is every point where it is joined to something.
Aluminium expands and contracts more than copper with temperature. Over decades of heating and cooling under load, a screw terminal loosens. A loose connection has resistance, resistance makes heat, heat accelerates the loosening. It is a cycle that ends at a device box.
Aluminium also oxidises, and unlike copper oxide, aluminium oxide is a poor conductor. And where aluminium touches copper directly in the presence of moisture, galvanic corrosion sets in.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission found homes with aluminium branch wiring were considerably more likely to have a connection reach fire hazard conditions than homes wired in copper. That is the reason this matters.
Note the distinction: aluminium service entrance and feeder cables, the large ones from the meter to the panel and from a panel to a subpanel, are completely normal, are still installed today, and are not the problem. The issue is small-gauge branch circuit wiring behind outlets and switches.
The two accepted repairs
COPALUM crimping is the CPSC's preferred method. A special crimp permanently joins a copper pigtail to the aluminium conductor and the joint is sealed. It requires a technician certified and equipped by the manufacturer, and finding one is the hard part in many areas.
AlumiConn connectors are a set-screw connector listed for aluminium-to-copper joints. It is far more widely available, considerably cheaper, and accepted by most insurers. It is the practical answer for most households.
What is not acceptable: ordinary wire nuts, purple twist-on connectors sold as aluminium-rated but not listed for the purpose, or simply retightening the existing screws. Retightening buys a few years and the cycle resumes.
CO/ALR devices, outlets and switches rated for direct aluminium connection, are permitted and are a partial answer. They address the device terminals and not the splices inside the box.
The signs, and what to check
- Warm switch plates or outlet covers
- Flickering lights on one circuit
- A faint burning or fishy smell near a device
- Outlets or switches that have stopped working intermittently
- Discolouration or scorching around a device
- The letters AL or ALUMINUM stamped on the cable sheathing in the panel or the attic
If any of the first four are present, that circuit wants attention now rather than at the next convenient time.
To confirm what you have: look at the cable sheathing where it enters the panel. Aluminium branch cable is marked. So is copper-clad aluminium, which is a different and less problematic product.
Insurance, and selling
Many insurers will not write a new policy on a house with unremediated aluminium branch wiring, and some will not renew. Others require documented remediation. This is frequently how homeowners discover they have it.
At sale, it is disclosed, it is flagged by any competent inspector, and it is negotiated on. Remediating before listing costs $2,000 to $8,000 and removes the conversation; not remediating costs more than that in the negotiation, usually.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to rewire the whole house?
No. Pigtailing every device with approved connectors is a recognised remediation and is what most insurers accept. Full rewiring is the right answer if the house needs more circuits anyway or is being renovated.
Can I do the pigtailing myself?
The connectors are available and the work is not complicated. Two arguments against: insurers usually want documentation from a licensed electrician, and the whole point is that every connection must be right, across sixty to a hundred boxes.
Is copper-clad aluminium the same problem?
No. Copper-clad aluminium has a copper skin, so connections behave like copper. It is not subject to the same concerns and does not need remediation.
How do I find a COPALUM installer?
They are certified by the connector manufacturer and are genuinely scarce in many regions. Most households end up using AlumiConn for that reason, which is a legitimate choice.
Does this affect the panel or the range circuit?
Large aluminium conductors, the service entrance, feeders and often the range and dryer circuits, are normal and safe with the right connections and anti-oxidant compound. The concern is 15 and 20 amp branch circuits.
Read next
Electrical inspection cost$200 to $600per eachAn electrical inspection costs $200 to $600, typically $350. It is the cheapest way to find out whether the wiring in a house is a maintenance item or a five-figure project.
House rewiring cost$600 to $1,700per sq ftRewiring costs $6 to $17 per square foot, so $9,000 to $25,500 for a 1,500 square foot house. Those figures usually exclude the wall repair, which can be a third of the project.
Ungrounded outlet fix cost$150 to $600per eachFixing an ungrounded outlet costs $150 to $600 per location. A three-prong outlet with no ground behind it is far more dangerous than a two-prong one, because it looks safe.
How long does electrical wiring last$8,000 to $30,000per projectModern copper wiring lasts 50 to 70 years and often longer. What ages out first is the panel, the devices, and the fact that a house wired in 1968 has a fraction of the circuits a household now needs.
Electrical outlet installation cost$140 to $350per eachAdding an outlet costs $140 to $350, most often $230. Nearly all of that is the visit: the device costs $5 and the work takes half an hour, so do them in batches.