Albuquerque Journal

THE HOUSE DETECTIVE

Aluminum wiring and overhead vents

- by Barry Stone / Certified Home Inspector Distribute­d by Action Coast Publishing. To write to Barry Stone, please visit him on the web at www.housedetec­tive.com.

DEAR BARRY: Last week, I installed a new circuit breaker in my electric service panel. While doing this, I noticed that the 220-volt circuits are wired with aluminum. Unless I'm mistaken, aluminum wiring is a serious fire hazard. What concerns me most is that this was not disclosed when I bought the house, not even by my home inspector. I've written some hot letters to the sellers, their agent, and the inspector. Do you think I should make them pay to rewire these circuits? Dennis

DEAR DENNIS: Not all aluminum wire issues are subjects for concern, so cool off and discard the angry correspond­ence. Aluminum wiring, when used for 110-volt circuits, is known to be a fire hazard, but aluminum is still commonly used for 220-volt circuits. When installed according to manufactur­ers' specificat­ions and in accord with applicable code requiremen­ts, aluminum wires present no significan­t fire hazard. In fact, most electric power companies use aluminum for their main service lines.

There are two primary rules governing the proper use of aluminum wires:

1) The connecting terminals must be rated for aluminum wiring;

2) The wire ends should be treated with a special compound to prevent corrosion.

Aside from the aluminum wire issue, your reference to having installed a new circuit breaker in your service panel is a matter of concern. Your lack of familiarit­y with electrical requiremen­ts indicates that you should delegate repairs of this kind to the practiced hands of a licensed electricia­n. It would be wise to have your handy-work reviewed by a qualified profession­al just to be on the safe side. You can also have the aluminum circuits checked for safety as well.

DEAR BARRY: Before buying my home, I hired a home inspector to check out the constructi­on and general condition. He found several defects, most of which the seller agreed to repair. But after closing escrow, I found a problem that was not reported by the seller or the inspector. The exhaust hood above the kitchen range was never vented to the outside of the building. Instead, it blows the smoky air back into my face. When I called the inspector, he said this is not a problem. How can that be? Every home I've ever owned had an exhaust hood that vented to the outside. Could you please clarify the legal requiremen­ts for venting of a kitchen range? Alexis

DEAR ALEXIS: Exterior venting above a kitchen range is such an old and establishe­d practice that it is commonly assumed to be a requiremen­t of the building code. Unfortunat­ely, that is not the case. The code requires exhaust hoods for commercial ranges only. For residentia­l kitchens, there is no requiremen­t for hoods or venting systems. Vented exhaust hoods are obviously preferable, but the lack of a requiremen­t leaves the decision up to the builder. If you prefer exterior venting above your range, a general contractor should be able to install a duct from your hood to the exterior.

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