Brooklyn House Rewiring addresses the aluminum branch wiring installed in homes during the 1960s and 70s, a known fire hazard at its connections. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper as it heats and cools, which loosens terminations at outlets, switches, and splices over time and creates the loose, hot connections that start fires. Depending on the home we remediate the wiring with copper pigtails made at every device using CO/ALR-rated connectors, or we replace the aluminum branch runs with copper outright. All of it is done by a NYC-licensed master electrician under permit and inspection so the fix is safe, code-compliant, and documented.
During a copper shortage in the 1960s and 70s, many homes were wired with aluminum branch circuits, and the problem is not the wire itself but its connections. Aluminum expands and contracts with heat far more than copper, so terminations at outlets, switches, and junctions gradually work loose, and a loose connection arcs and overheats. That is why aluminum-wired homes see warm cover plates, flickering, and the occasional scorched receptacle. The failure point is the joint, which is exactly what remediation targets.
Where a full rewire is not warranted, the accepted remediation is to pigtail a short copper lead onto the aluminum at every device using connectors rated and listed for the job, and to install CO/ALR-rated outlets and switches designed for aluminum contact. This puts a copper-to-device connection at every termination while retaining the aluminum in the walls. Done correctly at every single device, it removes the loose-connection risk. We use only listed connectors and rated devices, because a partial or improvised job is worse than none.
In some homes, especially during a renovation or when the aluminum is extensive or already damaged, replacing the aluminum branch runs with copper is the better long-term answer. We fish new copper cable through the existing cavities, retire the aluminum, and land everything on grounded devices and a properly protected panel. This eliminates aluminum from the branch circuits entirely rather than managing it at the connections. We will walk you through whether remediation or full replacement makes more sense for your specific home.
Aluminum remediation and replacement are filed under a NYC electrical permit, performed by a licensed master electrician, and inspected and signed off. That documentation matters for insurance and resale the same way it does for knob-and-tube, because a buyer's inspector will flag aluminum wiring. We provide the paperwork that shows the hazard has been properly addressed. Every connection is made to code, never with unlisted connectors or unlicensed labor.
We remediate and replace aluminum branch wiring throughout Brooklyn, including Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Carroll Gardens.