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Dear Mr. Electrician:  Is aluminum wiring safe to use?  I am planning to have the electrical service to my house upgraded. The licensed electrical contractor will be installing aluminum wire for this installation.   Answer:  Yes, it is safe to use aluminum wiring for new installations and upgrades.  More information is below. Table of Contents: Inspecting Aluminum Wire Repairing Aluminum Wire Oxidation NOTE: Some text links below go to applicable products on Amazon.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  Using my links helps to keep this website FREE. Aluminum wire does have a questionable past, and problems still occasionally surface to this day from improper installations that date back to the 1960s and 1970s. New types of wires, aluminum-rated devices, and equipment with aluminum wire approval have all been tested to be safe.  Click here to read a short history of "Aluminum Building Wire" published on Wikipedia.   Top Of Page ALUMINUM WIRING INSPECTION There is no need to panic if you own a house built in the 1960s or 1970s and wired with aluminum throughout.  However, you must take steps to ensure the wiring is properly installed and operating well. The issues with aluminum wiring became apparent over time.  It turns out that the alloys used to make that wire back then were prone to oxidation.  As the oxidation at the connection points got worse, so did the resistance of the connection.  This caused the connections to overheat, arc, and burn.  The aluminum connection would melt due to a lower melting point than copper. After this discovery, an anti-oxidant compound was then required on all aluminum wiring connections.  However, the aluminum alloy has since been changed.  The oxidation problem has been eliminated.  On new aluminum wiring installations, an anti-oxidant is not required unless specified by the device or equipment manufacturer. Another problem with aluminum wire was its greater expansion and contraction capacity than copper.  The wire would get warm and expand when carrying a large electrical LOAD, such as an electric heater.  When the LOAD was turned off, the wire would cool and contract.  Over time, this caused the connections under screw terminals to become loose, leading to arcing, burning, and melting. When installing aluminum wire, all connection and termination points must be rated and approved for their use. Top Of Page It is possible that a previous owner took the necessary precautionary measures to ensure that the existing wire was connected properly.  However, you will have no idea if the repairs were done, or done correctly unless you investigate or have an inspector or electrician take a look. The simplest thing to do is look at your electrical switches and receptacles inside the electrical box.  Turn off the power at the circuit breaker before doing this.  If you remove the wall plate over a switch or electrical receptacle outlet, using a flashlight, you may see the aluminum wires wrapped around the screw terminals. Try to see if an aluminum wire is connected directly to the screw terminal.  Also, look inside the electrical box for purple-colored wire connectors commonly used for aluminum-to-copper...