I completed an inspection on a 33 year old house with aluminum wiring. Before opening the panel, I used my “Ciruit Alert” and covered all four corners of the panel box. I was leaning on a chest freezer directly in front of the panel. The alert indicated a current. I was surprised and tested the box again. This time I did not make contact with the freezer. The alert indicated no current. I have had the unfortunate experience years ago of going dead to ground and woke up in the hospital. In this case I declined to inspect the electrical and wrote up that a licensed electrician should be consulted.
Comments Please.
Your call, and probably the right one. When in doubt, err to the side of caution. Chances are pretty good you would have had to defer some items to an electrician anyway with the presence of aluminum wiring in a 33 year old home. No telling what you would have found behind the cover panel.