So I’ve been hearing a lot of comments from my inspector friends that target new home inspections that a few particular builders in the central Fl area are using copper-clad aluminum wiring in their new home builds.
Now I have focused my business towards the home insurance requested inspections and I haven’t been asked to do a 4-point on a brand new house, so I haven’t seen it or had to report on it yet, but I know it will be coming sooner than later.
I want to be ready when it does and I’m wondering, as all you out there come across this wiring, how are you planning or how have you mentioned it in your 4-point reports.
Copper clad aluminum is a listed and approved wiring method. As to whether or not it is any good is to be seen because it’s just now being aggressively marketed as a cheaper alternative to copper. Personally I think that it’s junk. For one you need to use an AWG size bigger conductors than copper which means that box fill can become a problem.
Based on historical data, it will be about 15-20 years before these new construction homes “require” a 4-point.
Hopefully by then Citizens will craft a clearer or more defined protocol for the Electrical portion.
I believe it could be a while before I see it in my inspections, but I’m not one to sit around and wait on having a solution being implemented in a new form. I like to have a game plan just in case haha
I have also read in other forums of this wiring used as far back as 2004-2006, so I “could” see it rather soon as insurance companies request more 4-points.
I haven’t had a 4 point, but I have done pre-drywall on new homes in Central Florida as well as about a dozen 11 month inspections.
Granted it’s not a huge sample size, but all had copper wiring. Also granted that most of them were from The Villages builder, but some were from other builders outside of The Villages.
I’m not seeing copper clad Aluminum. I do see twisted, multi-strand Aluminum as the main feed, but that’s never been a problem and been around forever.
Thinkin’ out loud here, but why wouldn’t copper clad aluminum still have the expansion/contraction properties of regular aluminum that can loosen a weak connection or termination?
I have done better research on this in the past, but here is a quick link about new alloys.
In the United States, solid aluminum wires made with AA-8000 series aluminum alloy are allowed for 15 A or 20 A branch circuit wiring according to the National Electrical Code.
The AA-8800 series retains the expansion/contraction properties of the earlier alloys. Still thinking out loud, maybe it isn’t as big a problem with copper clad aluminum because electricity actually “flows” on the surface of wire rather than through the core of a conductor. So…maybe…the aluminum core is not expanding and contracting as it does with plain aluminum wiring.
I had an insurance company require a 4-point on a 2018 home last year. Some companies are requiring it on all new policies regardless of the age. They explained that one, they want to have a baseline on the current condition to compare to future Inspections. And two, they are looking for any reason to refuse writing in Florida. As far as the post is concerned, I have only see copper used for BCW in new construction from multiple builders. I just mark what type of wiring is present on the 4-point, but I also do not use the citizens form.
haha