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An old timer at a supply house told me to stop using wire nuts on aluminum and switch to Alumiconn connectors after I had a call back on a house in Decatur
He said the oxidation creep was going to keep causing loose connections no matter how much Noalox I used, so I swapped over last month on a 12-outlet rewire and everything torqued down solid first try - has anyone else found those push-in connectors actually hold up better long term?
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barbaradavis1d ago
Has anyone else noticed how this whole thing ties into bigger issues in other parts of life? Like I swear, my old toaster oven has the same problem - the heating element expands and contracts so much that the screw terminals loosen up every few months and I have to retighten them. The push-in connectors just make so much sense for anything that heats up and cools down, whether it's wiring in a house or a kitchen appliance. That spring steel idea is basically the same as those tension clamps they use on car battery terminals.
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drews551d ago
The #12 Alumiconns are rated for 20 amps but I've seen guys push them on 15 amp circuits without issues. One thing though - you mentioned Noalox, but that stuff is actually for copper/aluminum connections, not for preventing oxidation on aluminum itself. The real issue is that aluminum expands and contracts way more than copper under load cycles, so even with good torque, it can loosen up over time. Alumiconns have that spring steel insert that keeps constant pressure, which is why they hold up better than wire nuts with just a spring inside. I'd still use a small dab of Noalox on the stripped wire before pushing it in though, just for the anti-corrosion benefit.
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