Talk:Aluminum wire

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Contents 1 Copyright 2 Elastic Memory 3 What language is this article written in? 4 Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section 5 RE: Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section 6 RE: Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section 7 US/UK

[edit] Copyright

I was unable to find any evidence on Google that this is a copyright violation, which is often the case with long, unwikified articles. -- Kjkolb 21:58, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Elastic Memory

I do not agree with the change removing the phrase elastic memory. This phrase is very widely used in industry with respect to aluminum wire. All wires expand under electrical load, but unlike copper, aluminum does not return to the same shape afterwards. Whatever way you choose to word it, it is important to indicate that fact as it is a difference between aluminum and other conductors.

[edit] What language is this article written in?

Is it American or British? The sight of "aluminium" on the same page as "No. 14 gauge" (American Wire Gauge) is painful. Could we at least spell "aluminum" the same way throughout the article? --Wtshymanski 17:51, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

According to the alumin(i)um article, IUPAC prefers the extra i, and I, personally, would term them authoritative. --Baylink

[edit] Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section

I added a confusing template on the "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section because it does not seem to make sense. The bolding in the quotes is mine. "In the early 1970s, a new aluminium alloy was listed by UL, known as AA-8000 series or "ACM" aluminium wire, which is the current aluminium wire used today." It is unclear if this means that it is the type of wire used for grid applications or for low-voltage applications (houses, small businesses). Also, the section later says, "It is, however, extremely rare in branch circuit wiring." If it is the current type of aluminum wire used, why is it extremely rare? Is it because aluminum wire has almost never been used since 1972 (this is the year that the article implies the change from the old wire to the new wire was made)? Does the article mean to say that the new wire was used in the power grids, but the old wire was still used in houses? It would make more sense if the wire was developed earlier, but the article says that it was made in the early 1970s, so there is no reason to expect it to appear much as original wiring in houses built before 1972. This is not a topic that I am particularly interested in, so it is not on my watchlist. If you want to contact me, please use my talk page. Thanks, Kjkolb 00:10, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RE: Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section

"Also, the section later says, "It is, however, extremely rare in branch circuit wiring." If it is the current type of aluminum wire used, why is it extremely rare?"

It is my understanding, from everything I've read on the subject, that aluminum wiring developed such a bad reputation (at least in the U.S.) in the years before 1972, that its use was abandoned (and had become prohibited by some local codes), regardless of the merits of the new alloys and connectors that came out in 1972 and in the years since. Thus, while the connectors are often updated in housing that had been built before 1972, the wiring itself, if replaced after 1972, would most likely have been replaced with copper, making the post-1972 variants of aluminum wire extremely rare. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.239.78.101 (talk) 05:26, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RE: Confusing tag on "ACM, or NUAL, wire" section

Everything I have read eventually references the Aronstein paper, so there is a bit of a lack of independent varification. There is also some rather loose use of the term "branch circuit" (also in my own edit). This refers only to relatively low current branch circuits. The new alloy is likely used quite extensively in dedicated circuits for large appliances and subpanel feeders[I know aluminum wire is still used quite extensively in circuits for large loads, I just am not sure of the alloy]. Mattmia2 (talk) 18:25, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] US/UK

I think at least some separation by country of ali wiring's current use & history is warranted, as much of the info here is quite wrong in the UK for example, where domestic ali wiring has been an absolute no-no for a long time, and its past history of use is also different. Tabby (talk) 21:35, 7 December 2007 (UTC)