0

My house is old and built in the 50’s so the house was made with aluminum wiring. we’ve had a few houses catch in the neighborhood and lately we’ve been having weird stuff happening. First the stove and the microwave cant go at the same time without tripping the breaker.

Then the ceiling fan in the living room started to making this humming clicking noise and then one day it started to smell like it was burning so we dismantled it.

Now we come back after being gone for 3 days and we turn the power on and only after a few hours the breaker is very warm and I definitely smelled something burning until I turned it off.

What’s going on??

Improve this question
3
  • 2
    Aluminum wiring isn't the end of the world, but it does need some diligence. Can you shoot us a photo of your circuit breaker panel(s)? That's part of the solution.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 19:34
  • 1
    Well, something's up. All of the symptoms listed are danger signs; you absolutely need an electrician to come in. I can't say if they are caused by the aluminum wiring, but the solution would be the same in any case.
    – user3757614
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 20:27
  • Can you post photos of your breaker panel? Also, is your stove electric or gas?
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 21:05

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Do you know if any of the outlets in the house are newer or all original? Reason I ask is newer outlets are often designed for copper wires only. And mixing aluminum with copper wires is a no-no, it corrodes. Corroded wires can then lead to bad grounds (as if any house from the 50s even used grounds) or arcing.

If the breaker is getting warm, it could be a short somewhere causing that line to draw more power than it's designed for. The breaker is suppose to trip and prevent that, but something could be faulty. I can only guess without seeing the type of box you have.

You should consider having an electrician come out and look at it. Shouldn't cost too much just to have someone inspect the box.

Improve this answer
1
  • "just inspecting the box" I would guess will be high tens of dollars. However I suspect the electrician is going to recommend "full rewire" which will be more.
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Commented Apr 30, 2019 at 8:55

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.