What practices would Southwire recommend when installing aluminum building wire?
Southwire has always recommended the same basic process for installing aluminum building wire as copper building wire. The conductor’s insulation should be stripped from individual conductors using tools manufactured for the conductor type and insulation type, or by standard methods such as penciling or whittling the insulation from the conductor. The installer should never “ring cut” the insulation due to the risk of nicking the conductors inside. One perception with aluminum building wire is that it is more susceptible to breaking than copper building wire if nicked during installation. This is based on the older AA-1350 aluminum wire used prior to 1972. The EC-1350 aluminum was 99.5% pure aluminum, hard-temper and was more sensitive than copper building wire to nicks during installation. This is no longer true with AA-8000 aluminum alloy building wire. AA-8000 aluminum is a fully annealed aluminum alloy conductor that is very strong and flexible.
