Topic: Surge supressor fail and electricity....

[CycleRanger]

Found this in my workshop on Monday.   
I put it into use the day before...
It was a "Woods" brand, inexpensive and common.

Long story short, I had previously mentioned that I had some electrical issues in the shop while I was out of town over the 4th.
Anyway, after saying many thanks to the gods for not allowing my shop to burn down I determined the true source of the problem.
The neutral line from the house was loose and periodically letting 240 to go through the outlets!
Checking out the service I discovered it's aluminum wire so I'm going to replace the whole run with copper.
Fortunately it's only about 40 feet so it's only ~$150 worth of wire or so.

While doing a little googling I came across this page: http://www.davesieg.com/?p=226
"Your surge suppressor can burn down your house!"

Pretty scary stuff.  I never had a surge suppressor fail like this before now.
I feel pretty lucky I got out with only losing the cordless drill charger, the stereo, and a couple of surge suppressors!

[Duke McDukiedook]

Damn aluminum wiring... only good for starting fires.

[Bob Wessner]

Damn aluminum wiring... only good for starting fires.

+! and there are many homes riddled with the stuff. 

[CycleRanger]

Actually, it's the line from the house to the shop that is aluminum, not the house or shop wiring.

For a service drop aluminum triplex is still pretty standard.

[demon78]

I've seen things like that a lot which reminds me to pull the front off the fuse panel and check for loose wires it's been 6 months since last I've done that when fist installed (week after installation) I'd get maybe 1/2 to 1/4 turn on lug screws not so much last time but still should be checked also will check for discoloured wires, this time with the power off (I'm getting shaky).
Bill the demon.

[boatsdickson]

Im going to haffta google this aluminum wiring thing. Ive read that its not worth a whoot & Ive been replacing it every time I find it with copper, but I wonder why I only encounter occassionally. In the inlaws house the circuit will leave the box with copper but end at the plug with aluminum. Ill yank it all and run a single run of copper just to feel safer about it.

Just finished snakeing a length of 4' of 12/2 blindly behind a wall and 2 braces, and when I stripped the end for connecting I found aluminum not copper, dammit. Time to hook on and back pull the correct stuff.

Glad yur shop survived this one CycleRanger.

[CycleRanger]

Glad your shop survived this one CycleRanger.

Thx!

The aluminum wire you have to worry about is the stuff that was installed in the 60's and 70's.

And Bill, you are correct about checking for loose connections in the box. After years of thermal cycles the connections can work loose.

[Bob Wessner]

As I recall, the use of aluminum wire was in response to what was then (60's and 70's) expensive copper, even though it was no where near as expensive as it is today, relatively speaking. I believe the aluminum wire expanded and contracted far more than copper and this caused was it referred to a 'creep.'

[demon78]

Not just house wiring Bob as an appliance tech I carried around 3 or 4 suction lines for GE fridges because one of their bright lights decided that copper suction lines were too costly so the dear old general made a bunch of fridges with steel suction lines (that were tinned mind) and guaranteed the fridges for 5 years Gee condensation you say, so the line rusted and I became good at diagnosing and repairing those fridges, kept my family in food and clothes for years, must have cost the general at least twice as much as building them with copper.
Bill the demon.

[Bob Wessner]

Gee, steel and rust, who'd have thought. 

[CycleRanger]

Finished wiring everything back up tonight. 
I kicked the breaker back on and heard a loud buzzing noise and thought oh, crap, what's that!?   

Just the mercury vapor light outside on the pole. Duh.
Anyway, everything looks good.
Lesson learned.