Aluminum Wiring Replacement
Kochs Electric is a professional electrical company that replaces outdated aluminum wiring – which poses serious safety risks to every house and business we serve – with modern, code-compliant copper wiring systems designed to protect your home from arc flash, overheating, and fire risk.
5 Highlights on Aluminum Wiring Replacement
- Fire hazard remediation: Aluminum wiring oxidizes and corrodes at connection points, creating resistance that generates heat. Kochs Electric identifies every degraded termination, outlet, and switch before any work begins.
- CO/ALR and COPALUM solutions: We install listed CO/ALR receptacles, AlumiConn connectors, and COPALUM crimp connectors where full rewiring isn’t feasible — each method meets NEC code requirements.
- Licensed, permitted work: Every aluminum wiring replacement job we complete carries a pulled permit and passes inspection by a certified building inspector or fire marshal.
- Full-panel assessment: We trace each branch circuit from the load center to the outlet, checking ampacity ratings, bus bar connections, and breaker compatibility before we replace or retrofit any wire.
- Insurance-ready documentation: Many insurance carriers require certified remediation of aluminum wiring. We provide written inspection reports and permit records your carrier will accept.
Why Choose Our Aluminum Wiring Replacement
Kochs Electric has built a trusted reputation for aluminum wiring replacement across residential and commercial properties, serving homeowners and businesses throughout Indiana. You can trust our licensed electricians to bring the certifications, tools, and hands-on experience needed to assess every circuit correctly the first time.
We don’t guess. We use a calibrated multimeter and torque wrench on every termination. We strip, inspect, and re-terminate each connection with anti-oxidant compound applied to bare aluminum conductors before any copper pigtail or AlumiConn connector goes on. That step alone prevents the unsafe, oxidized connections that cause arc flash events in older homes.
Our team pulls every required permit before work starts. We schedule the inspection and stay on-site until the building inspector signs off. You can request a quote or review your project documentation online at any time. You get a complete paper trail — permit, inspection record, and remediation report — ready for your insurance carrier or home inspector.
We work on single-phase residential panels and three-phase commercial load centers, handling all electrical needs efficiently – including new wiring installations. Whether your service entrance needs a full rewire or targeted pigtail splices at each outlet and switch, we scope the job accurately and price it fairly. No upsells. No unnecessary work. Just qualified aluminum wiring replacement done to current NEC code.
Signs You Need Aluminum Wiring Replacement
1. Warm or discolored outlet covers: Aluminum wire expands and contracts with heat cycling. Over time, that movement loosens terminations at receptacles and switches. A warm cover plate or yellowed plastic around an outlet signals an overheated connection that needs immediate inspection.
2. Flickering lights on a dedicated circuit: When a lighting system or branch circuit feeding a light fixture or appliance flickers without an obvious cause, corroded aluminum connections at the junction box or panel are a common culprit. Degraded contact at the terminal creates resistance, and resistance creates heat.
3. Tripped breakers with no clear overload: A breaker that trips repeatedly under normal load may be responding to a faulty connection rather than a true overload. Aluminum wiring that’s oxidized at the bus bar or lug can cause intermittent faults that trip the breaker without drawing excess amperage.
4. Insurance carrier flags your wiring: Home inspectors and insurance carriers routinely flag pre-1972 aluminum branch circuit wiring during property sales and policy renewals. If your carrier has issued a notice or declined to renew, certified aluminum wiring replacement or a listed remediation method resolves the issue.
5. Visible arc damage at outlets or switches: Black scorch marks or visible sparks inside a receptacle or on a switch face plate indicate an arc flash event has already occurred. That’s a non-compliant, hazardous condition. The affected circuit needs to be de-energized, inspected, and rewired before the outlet or switch goes back into service.
Our Aluminum Wiring Replacement Process
Step 1 — Assessment and circuit tracing We start by tracing every branch circuit from the load center to its endpoints. We label each circuit, document the wire gauge, and note every outlet, switch, and junction box on the run.
Step 2 — Permit application Before we touch a wire, we pull the required electrical permit from your local building department. Work starts only after the permit is issued.
Step 3 — De-energize and inspect We de-energize each circuit at the panel, then inspect every termination point for oxidized, corroded, or overheated aluminum conductors. We photograph defective connections for your records.
Step 4 — Remediation or full rewire Depending on scope, we either install COPALUM crimp connectors or AlumiConn connectors with anti-oxidant compound at each device, or we pull new copper wire through the existing conduit or route new runs entirely.
Step 5 — Torque, test, and inspect We torque every lug and terminal to the manufacturer’s listed specification, test each circuit with a multimeter, and schedule the final inspection with the building inspector.
Step 6 — Documentation and sign-off You receive the signed permit, inspection approval, and a written remediation report.
Brands We Use
Kochs Electric selects listed, rated components from manufacturers with proven performance in aluminum wiring replacement and remediation.
- AlumiConn
- COPALUM
- Ideal Industries
- Leviton
- Hubbell
- Square D (Schneider Electric)
- Eaton
- Burndy
- Ilsco
- Noalox (Rectorseal)
Every product we install is UL listed and NEC compliant. Safe aluminum wiring replacement starts with the right materials.
Other Services
| Aluminum wiring replacement | Replace aluminum wiring | Aluminum to copper rewire |
| Aluminum wiring remediation | Fix aluminum wiring | CO/ALR outlet installation |
| Aluminum branch circuit repair | Aluminum wire upgrade | AlumiConn connector installation |
| Residential aluminum wiring replacement | Home aluminum wiring fix | COPALUM crimp repair |
| Aluminum wiring inspection | Aluminum wiring assessment | Oxidized aluminum wire termination |
FAQs About Aluminum Wiring Replacement
What is aluminum wiring replacement?
Aluminum wiring replacement is the process of removing outdated solid aluminum branch circuit wiring and installing new copper wire, or remediating existing aluminum connections with listed connectors and CO/ALR devices to meet current NEC code.
When was aluminum wiring used in homes?
Builders used aluminum branch circuit wiring extensively from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s. If your home was built or wired during that period, a licensed electrician should inspect every circuit.
Why is aluminum wiring a problem?
Aluminum oxidizes faster than copper. That oxidation increases resistance at connection points. Increased resistance generates heat. Over time, that heat damages insulation, disrupts power flow, degrades outlets and switches, and creates serious risks – including conditions for arc flash and fire.
How does aluminum wiring replacement work?
A licensed electrician traces each branch circuit, de-energizes it at the panel, and either pulls new copper wire or installs listed connectors — COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn devices — at every termination point with anti-oxidant compound applied to the aluminum conductor. This professional electrical repair process restores safe, reliable power to every affected circuit.
Can aluminum wiring be repaired instead of fully replaced?
Yes. The CPSC recognizes COPALUM crimp connectors and AlumiConn connectors as acceptable permanent repair methods when installed by a qualified electrician. Full rewiring is the most thorough solution, but listed remediation methods meet code in many situations.
Does aluminum wiring replacement require a permit?
Yes. Any aluminum wiring replacement or remediation that involves opening walls, replacing devices, or modifying circuits requires a pulled permit and a final inspection by a certified building inspector.
How long does aluminum wiring replacement take?
A single-family home with standard branch circuits typically takes one to three days depending on the number of circuits, the remediation method selected, and whether full rewiring or connector-based repair is performed.