Aluminum wiring

• Some property and casualty insurers are refusing to insure, or renew policies on residential properties with aluminium wiring.
• Aluminium wiring is not necessarily problematic in itself so long as it was properly installed and maintained.
• The Ontario Electrical Safety Code does not impose a legal requirement to upgrade or replace aluminum wiring. 

 

Is there aluminum wiring in the house?

• How to find out.  It is estimated that there are over 450,000 homes in Canada wired with aluminum.  How do you find out what type of wiring has been installed in a home?  Well, if you weren’t told, you can probably check the wiring yourself.  This can be done by looking at the electrical wiring between the open floor joists in the basement, in the attic, or at the service panel.  If the wiring is aluminum, the outer covering of the cable will be marked with the word ALUMINUM or an abbreviation, at least every 12 inches.

  Aluminum wiring is safe if properly installed.   

  In 1977 the Government of Ontario established a Commission of Inquiry on the use of aluminium wiring in the home.  Following a thorough investigation, which included hearings and testimonies conducted over a period of 18 months, the Commission recommended that aluminium wiring should continue to be authorized for residential use.

  
  

   

• knob & tube” wiring
• 
  More information on knob and tube wiring is comming as we update our pages.

Press Releases

• Press releases on aluminum wiring and knob and tube in Ontario comming soon.