Aluminum electrical wire in homes linked to fires

CTV Winnipeg Published Friday, October 24, 2014 7:15AM CST Last Updated Friday, October 24, 2014 7:16AM CST

If your house is forty to fifty years old, you might want to take a closer look at what's coming out of your electrical panel.

Winnipeg homeowner, Bev Masters, said shes had five fixtures melt on her over the past few years. Simple tasks like flicking a switch or pulling out a plug make her cringe.

Masters believes the problem is the aluminum wiring running through her home, so shes going to pay nearly $15,000 to switch it.

Masterss home is one of thousands in Winnipeg built in the fifties and sixties, when electricians chose aluminum wiring over copper to save money.

Fire investigator Ken Swan said he sees about two to three fires a year that can readily be identified as aluminum wire fires.

Swan said the material of the wire isnt the issue. Unmaintained points of connection and the use of unrated fixtures create what he calls cold flow.

"It tends to pull away from a tightened connection making a very loose, bad connection that is going to inherently arch and spark and create heat," said Swan.

Electrician Chuck Lewis said he's completely rewired four houses this year, some at the request of the insurance provider to eliminate risk.

"If that risk is aluminum wire, they take it away, now they've got a safe investment," said Lewis.

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Aluminum electrical wire in homes linked to fires