Warm power point, buzzing switch or a hot smell?
Stop using that power point or switch. If you can reach the switchboard safely, turn that circuit off, and if there's smoke or flame, call 000. An overheating joint is the main way aluminium wiring causes trouble, so have it checked before anything on that circuit is used again.
How you'd know you have it
Most people find out from an electrician, a building inspection or an old report. Nothing on the front of a power point gives it away, and checking behind one is licensed work in every state.
An electrician looks where the cable can be seen safely, usually at the switchboard and in the roof space, for the dull silver conductor and the markings on the sheath. Some houses have a mix, so ask which circuits are aluminium and which are copper.
Why the joints are the weak point
A circuit has connections at the switchboard and at every power point, switch and light along the way. Aluminium moves more as it heats and cools under load, so a screw terminal that would stay tight on copper can slowly back off. A loose joint resists the current, that makes heat, and heat loosens the joint further.
Joining aluminium straight to copper adds a second problem: the two metals corrode where they touch, especially with moisture around. Any join between them needs a connector made for the purpose.
None of this means the house is about to catch fire. It means the connections need checking, and anything new has to be connected the right way.
Your two main options
| Remake the connections | Replace the circuits | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Each termination is checked and remade with fittings and connectors rated for aluminium | The aluminium cable comes out and new copper cable goes in |
| Disruption | Lower: work at each fitting and at the switchboard | Higher: access through ceilings, walls and under floors |
| Suits | Cable with sound insulation and no overheated joints | Damaged cable, scorched joints, or a house being renovated anyway |
| Afterwards | Have the connections rechecked from time to time | Treated like any newly wired circuit |
Adding to an aluminium circuit
A new power point, light or appliance on an aluminium circuit isn't a simple extension. The new fitting has to suit aluminium, or the circuit needs a proper transition to copper first. Mention the aluminium when you book any electrical job, so the electrician arrives with the right parts.
Where you stop, and the electrician starts
You can
- Tell any electrician you book that the house has aluminium wiring.
- Report fittings that are warm, discoloured or crackle.
- Avoid running heaters and other heavy loads on one circuit for hours.
- Keep any old reports that mention the wiring.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Identifying which circuits are aluminium.
- Checking and remaking terminations.
- Fitting connectors made for aluminium-to-copper joins.
- Rewiring circuits in copper where that's the better answer.
What we'd actually do
We'd book an electrician who does rewiring in older homes to check every termination, starting at the switchboard and the circuits carrying heavy loads like heaters and the oven. If the joints are sound, remaking them properly can be enough. If any have overheated, or you're renovating anyway, we'd have those circuits replaced in copper while the walls are open.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.