Aluminum Wiring Fire Hazard

Between roughly 1965 and 1973, copper prices spiked and builders across the country — very much including the subdivisions booming around Dallas at the time — wired hundreds of thousands of homes with aluminum branch circuit wiring. If your DFW home was built in that window, this is the one article on our blog you should read to the end.

Why Aluminum Wiring Is a Problem

Aluminum itself conducts electricity fine. The problem is what it does at connections:

• It expands and contracts more than copper with every heating/cooling cycle, gradually working terminations loose.
• It oxidizes — and aluminum oxide is resistive. Resistance means heat, heat means more oxidation.
• It creeps — aluminum deforms under screw pressure over time, loosening the joint further.
• It was terminated on devices designed for copper in most original installations.

The U.S. CPSC found that homes with pre-1972 aluminum wiring are dramatically more likely — its research cited a figure of roughly 55 times — to have connections reach fire hazard conditions than copper-wired homes. The failures happen at outlets, switches, fixtures, and junctions: exactly the places you can’t see.

Which DFW Homes Have It

The 1965–73 construction boom built out large parts of Lake Highlands and East Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, Farmers Branch, Irving, and older sections of Plano and Arlington. Check your panel: aluminum branch wiring is usually stamped “AL” or “ALUMINUM” on the cable jacket. Note the distinction — large stranded aluminum feeders (for ranges, AC, subpanels) are still used safely today; the hazard is the small solid-strand branch wiring to outlets and lights.

Warning Signs

Warm cover plates, flickering lights, dead outlets, a burning smell, or breakers that trip without obvious cause. Many aluminum-wired homes show no symptoms at all — until they do.

Your Remediation Options, Honestly Ranked

• COPALUM crimps — the CPSC’s gold-standard repair: a copper pigtail cold-welded to each aluminum conductor with a dedicated tool. Permanent, and what we recommend where feasible.
• AlumiConn connectors — a listed, lug-style alternative accepted by most insurers; excellent when box fill allows.
• CO/ALR-rated devices — better than nothing, not a full remediation; most insurers no longer accept them alone.
• Full rewire — the forever fix, priced accordingly; often staged room-by-room or paired with a remodel.

What is not an option: ordinary wire nuts on aluminum, standard devices, or ignoring it. Texas insurers increasingly ask, and misrepresenting it can void coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to rewire my whole house?

Usually not. Proper pigtail remediation at every termination point satisfies the CPSC guidance and nearly all insurers at a fraction of rewire cost. We’ll count your devices and quote both ways, flat.

Can I sell a home with aluminum wiring?

Yes, but expect it in the inspection report and the negotiation — see our guide to pre-purchase electrical inspections. Remediating first, with documentation, protects your sale price.

Home built between 1965 and 1973? Call Bright Way Electrical Contracting at (817) 932-1099 or book an aluminum wiring assessment — licensed master electricians, 10-year workmanship warranty, serving DFW since 1998.