Why you need an adapter from aluminum to copper
It's easy to imagine situations in which you want to connect new electrical equipment to existing electrical networks. You can not get into the main lines, but you can solve the problem of connecting aluminum and copper wires inside your home and choose the connectors yourself.
Almost all citizens have heard or read somewhere that it is not recommended to connect wires of different cross-section and from different materials with simple twisting. But the hands of the home master( especially at the dacha) and stretch quickly to twist the old electrical wiring with a new outlet to the next home appliance. What are the consequences?
- The contact area of the conductors, even with the tightest twist, is relatively small. As a consequence, a high contact resistance occurs, which can cause the heating of the group.
- In case of aluminum-copper piping, this effect can become critical. The fact is that the electrochemical characteristics of metals are very different. The rapid formation of an oxide film on the aluminum core( in the wet conditions even more intense) gives additional resistance to the current collector in the contact zone.
- The additional contribution of oxidation processes to copper in a short period increases the contact resistance to peak values at which heating of the conductive compound of copper and aluminum wires can lead to sparking, melting, or, more simply, local combustion.
As they say in Odessa "you need it."Buy a wire connector and live peacefully.
Ways of connecting aluminum and copper wires
To consider all cases when such a connection is vital we will not. Just remember that if you have aluminum outlets sticking out of the wall, in the old home you bought from the same city, or if you need to connect to a trunk line, buy the correct adapter.
Terminal blocks or terminal blocks .We described these devices in detail on the pages of our website. Now we simply draw your attention to some of the nuances. Reliable electrical contact in self-clamping or screw terminals to connect the aluminum and copper conductor must be provided either by a plate made from a neutral material or by a special paste certified for this particular case. See the marking, read the instructions.
Nuts for connecting wires. Technical thought triumphs. Shell of carbolitic plastic( protection) plus a core in the form of contact clamping plates. The designation of the junction clamps is the most applicable to these devices. The circuit is simple: the main( aluminum) with the fragmentary insulation removed is placed in the channel of the compression plates of the electric nut to connect the wires, and the copper wires are clamped into the same dies without direct contact with the external channel. According to the upper calibration of sections( 120-150 square mm), such a wire connector is obviously intended for professionals, but lower grades( 1.5-4 sq. Mm) are quite applicable for domestic craftsmen.
Puncturing clamps( PZ) .Are intended for connection to self-supporting insulated wire of main high-voltage lines. Branches of this type are performed by professionals, for particularly needle-hand people we inform: branching with PP is connected without breaking the insulation by compressing brass contacts to the conductor. Tighten the nut and provide a contact output.
Connector for wires homemade .Materials: bolt, three washers, better brass, nut, electrical tape. The connection of aluminum and copper wires is carried out by dividing their zone of direct contact between the clamped washers. It is mounted as temporary, but it lives for decades.
How not to be mistaken with the choice of the
wire connector We deliberately did not consider the scope and disadvantages of the above-described models of connecting fasteners to make this discussion at the end of the article.
Terminals in all versions. To cut into existing electrical circuits, the cable will have to be cut. Will there be enough ends for the layout of your new insert, determine the calculation and accuracy. Pads are good in dry rooms and installed in a junction box: mechanical and climatic resistance is low. Not always suitable for branches of electrical wiring, but ideally suited for the role of an end adapter from an aluminum wire to a copper wire.
electric nuts are designed to quickly connect cables, but in the hands of a layman they are capricious. You do not want to get a "charge of vivacity" when working with bare wires of different cross-sections. And the degree of protection IP20 is clearly small for external conditions.
About and bolt adapters we will not say anything else. In the first case, by virtue of specificity, in the second case, with a look at PES.The choice of the scheme of electricity supply of your home is always chosen by you.
