X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: Kn0wn1 on July 06, 2010, 08:49:00 AM
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Hi Guys;
Been reading these forums for a long time, lots of info. Looking for some more specific info on HA for my house with aluminum wiring.
I've read that the x10 can get some interference with aluminum wiring and may not work as well, but i've ordered anyways and will post the results once it's set up.
I have some questions regarding the safety of using the devices as a whole, such as wall switches. I know i can't go to any store for regular switches, i need to get specific aluminum switches due to fire safety reasons. For this reason, I fear the x10 switches may be fire hazards as well. Can anyone confirm this?
Thanks!
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I don't think aluminum wiring itself would cause X10 signal problems.
Poor connections between the wire and switch or outlet may cause noise.
Plug in devices like a lamp or appliance module would probably be fine. In outlets properly connected to aluminum wire.
X10 switches uses a pigtall wire and not a screw that clamps the wires. So they are not like most switches.
I know we have electricians here and they may know of a special wire clamp or maybe a contact treatment used when aluminum wire is mated to a tinned copper stranded wire.
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Thanks for your reply, my starter kit arrived today, ive got the Lamp module fully controlled, and looking forward to unpacking the rest tomorrow!
If any electricians are able to confirm my fears regarding wall switches/outlets, please let me know!
EDIT: I've contacted x10 customer service, they informed me their modules are safe on both aluminum and copper wiring, i'm just not sure i believed the girl i was speaking to. I've emailed their tech support and am waiting on more official feedback before i continue. I'm also attempting to contact x10 electricians for an answer. I've spoke with 2 HA distribution companies, one didn't know and the other contacted x10 while i was on hold and was informed that "it's generally not suggested that you mix the two".
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I'm not an electrician, but, as Brian said, the most common X10 switches have short, stranded, pigtail connection wires from switch body. Wire nutting these stranded wires to aluminum wire should not cause a problem. However some of the "X10 Pro" switches and I believe the WS13A use copper screw terminals for connections and these should not be used with aluminum wiring as the screws will eventually loosen up because of the different thermal expansion coefficients between the aluminum wire and the copper screw terminals. You might want to use some electrical antioxidant gel in the wire nut (wire nuts are available with the gel "preloaded" but X10 only provides standard wire nuts).
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My X10Pro XPS3 {X10 WS13A} uses a screw to tighten a clamp that grips the wire. It is marked for CU or CU clad wiring only.
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In the starter kit or items added to the kit order.
Did you get any switches or the X10 wall outlets?
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In the starter kit or items added to the kit order.
Did you get any switches or the X10 wall outlets?
Yes, my kit includes:
1 ActiveHome Professional Computer Interface and USB Cable (CM15A)
1 Keychain remote (KR19A)
2 Socket Rockets (LM15A)
1 Lamp Module (LM465)
1 EagleEye Motion Sensor (MS14A)
1 Slimline Wireless Wall Switch (SS13A)
1 ActiveHome Professional Software (SW31A)
1 Smart Macro Software Module for ActiveHome Pro (SW32A)
2 500W Dimming Wall Switch Module (WS467)
You might want to use some electrical antioxidant gel in the wire nut (wire nuts are available with the gel "preloaded" but X10 only provides standard wire nuts).
Never even heard of this, but did a search and found these:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902011&Ntt=902011&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=112061&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902011&Ntt=902011&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=112061&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber)
or there's these which are 6x more expensive..i'm not sure what the difference is?
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902022&Ntt=902022&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902022&Ntt=902022&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber)
...which i imagine may do the trick for me? Probably don't even need the gel then?
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Never even heard of this, but did a search and found these:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902011&Ntt=902011&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=112061&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902011&Ntt=902011&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=112061&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber)
or there's these which are 6x more expensive..i'm not sure what the difference is?
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902022&Ntt=902022&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber (http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=902022&Ntt=902022&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber)
...which i imagine may do the trick for me? Probably don't even need the gel then?
No, these have the gel in them. As far as price difference. Since the pix look identical, my guess would be quanty in package. Doesn't appear that Home Depot think it important to give quanty (I'm half blind, so I may have missed this information).
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No dave w; You are not blind or we both are. :' I didn't see a quantity either, but I did find the information on the manufacturers web site.
Here is the information on the 065 type AL/CU twist nuts. Including the wire gauges and quantities it can accept.
http://www.idealindustries.com/products/wire_termination/twist-on/twister_al-cu.jsp
It is the number of connectors in the package.
It is a card of two or ten. Yes that is around $3.00 each for the two pack and $2.80 each in the ten pack.
I did a search and other vendors seem to have around the same price for those Purple Wire Nuts.
It also reads like it has the anticorrosion gel in it already.
The minimum acceptable AL wire size maybe too large. Do you know what gauge AL wire is in the places where you want to add the X10 items?
A Google search didn't find any other AL to CU wire nuts from other vendors for smaller gauge AL wires.
There was one that uses set screws but I found very little data on it.
http://www.alcopstore.com/
In fact the 065 seems to be the only wirenut sold for AL to CU connections. Other than a COPALUM {think I got it right} crimp type connector that was extremely expensive and needed training to properly use the crimping tool.