Summertime and the living’s easy…right? That’s not necessarily true if you have aluminum wiring in the summer at your home. There’s a lot of reasons why aluminum wiring has become outdated, but many older homes still have it in their homes. The summer adds even more concerns for your wiring – especially if you’re living in an older home. It’s important to know exactly what those issues are and why it’s important to make a change. We walk through some of them below and give you direction on what to do next.

Summer Heat Expands Wiring

In general, aluminum wiring in the summer will always expand more than the new standard of copper wiring. So when the summer rolls along and heatwaves come in, your home’s aluminum wiring is going to feel it maybe even more than you do. As the wiring expands, it closes in the space between the wire and the connectors. This is a major fire hazard, especially if it comes into contact with any flammable materials that might be within your walls.

Wiring Working Overtime to Keep You Cool

Aside from the external factors of the weather, you and/or your family might be putting strains on your wiring as well. Running A/C or fans means your wiring is working overtime to keep you cool. The more work you’re putting on your wiring, the hotter they’ll get and, well, you now know what that can lead to. There are steps you can take to more efficiently use electricity in the summer months, but if you’re using aluminum wiring then even the best habits can still lead to disastrous results. What do you do then?

Transitioning out of Aluminum Wiring in the Summer

You’re left with a choice – do you keep your aluminum wiring and try to tip-toe around its faults and hope for the best or do you make a change? We’d strongly recommend the latter. No one wants to live in fear of their wiring shorting or causing a fire, especially in the summer when you should be relaxing and enjoying the warm, rare Seattle weather. However, summer is also a great time to rewire your home. Unlike the winter where the electrical downtime can leave you out in the cold, take advantage of the tepid summer and bring in an electrician to get your home set. This isn’t just an investment in getting through the season, but a longterm solution to keeping you and yours safe.

Convinced now is the time to finally rewire your home? Wire Craft can help! Our team of home electricians have helped homeowners across the greater Seattle area.

Contact us today and we’ll set up a consultation and help create a plan for rewiring your home. Summer is fun – so let us take some of the stress out of your walls.