Aluminum Wiring vs. Copper Wiring

Aluminum and copper are the two most preferred elements used for electrical wiring. However, each of these metals is different in its performance, structure, durability, and so on. Hence, it’s imperative to know about the pros and cons of both the types in order to choose right product for your requirements.

Aluminum wiring is done mostly in houses, power grids, and airplanes, and so on. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity as well as lighter in weight, which makes the job easier for the long distances wiring. In terms of cost, aluminum wiring is much more affordable than the copper wiring. However, Aluminum wiring needs to be done very carefully. If not installed correctly, risks for house fires are extremely high. Adding to this, this metal also gets corroded when comes in contact with metal compounds. There is high risk for wear and tear in aluminum wiring because of high dependency on expansion and contraction rate.

Significantly, copper wires offer the most perfect electrical conductivity when compared to aluminum wires. Copper wires does not get affected too much with the expansion and contraction process so as the aluminum wires. Importantly, copper is ductile, which allows it to be drawn into fine wires. The disadvantages associated with the copper is its heavy weight and high cost.

Coming to the conclusion: The above discussion can be concluded simply. If you are looking for a long time, rust resistant, low maintenance and high performing wiring, you can go for copper wiring.

6 Reason to Choose Copper Wiring

Copper wiring has been around for many years and is still commonly used today. With copper wiring, you are presented with a number of different benefits. If you plan on doing any wiring in the near future, copper wire should most likely be in your plans. Here are a few of the many benefits that you can get by using copper wiring in your wiring project.

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Best Conductor

Out of all of the different metals and wire out there, copper is the best conductor out of all of them. You can get more power in a piece of copper than with any other option you have. This makes it efficient and helps you get the job done better than you could otherwise.

Flexibility

When you are using an electrical wire, there is a good chance that you will need it to be flexible. When you wire something in a house, you will most likely have to bend the wire around several different things. You might have to go into a very precarious angle to get the job done. This makes copper wire very desirable as it is very flexible. Even though it has some flexibility, you are not going to lose any toughness, either. It is not brittle when you bend it, so it will not crack or break.

High Melting Point

It really takes a lot to melt a copper wire. Therefore, if you are worried about safety, copper wire is going to be one of your best options. If an overload or surge comes through the wire, it is not likely to melt or burn. This means that your odds of a fire starting as a result of a power problem are going to be greatly decreased.

Does Not Loosen

When you use copper wiring in a home, you are less likely to have to go back and fix it in the future. When materials other than copper are used to wire things, they can sometimes loosen where they are connected and come unattached. This can lead to some seriously dangerous conditions and waste a lot of time fixing everything.

Avoid Incompatibility Problems

Most appliance and electrical equipment manufacturers specify that copper wire is in all of their products. When you do not have copper wiring in the walls of your home, this can cause an incompatibility problem in the future. If you try and run a non-copper wire up to a copper wire, it could cause a galvanic action and start some serious problems. This could effectively destroy the copper wire that it is attached to. This could cause you some serious work in repairing the entire system. Getting copper from the beginning will make everything a lot easier in the long run.

Easy to Work With

Most electricians prefer to work with copper wiring because it is very easy to work with. You can strip it easily, pull it through tight spots, and not have to worry about surface oxides forming on it. It truly is the best choice for wiring a building.