TIL the hard way about aluminum wiring in my house

I went to swap out a light switch in my 1970s house in Denver and the wire literally crumbled in my hands. Had to call in a senior guy to pigtail everything with copper, cost me $350 but at least the place isn't a fire risk now. Anyone else run into brittle aluminum wires on old jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantschmidt1mo ago

Wire literally crumbled in my hands" - at least my walls have built-in confetti now.

richard_dixon2mo ago

Did you check if the breaker itself is arcing too?

lopez.karen2mo ago

Nah, if it starts arcing I'm not sticking around to check lol.