TL;DR
Aluminum branch wiring is the solid-strand aluminum cable used for 15- and 20-amp household circuits mainly between 1965 and 1973, now considered a fire concern because the metal expands, creeps, and oxidizes at terminations until connections overheat. The CPSC found homes wired with it far more likely to reach fire-hazard conditions at outlets than copper-wired homes.
What it means
Aluminum branch wiring is the solid-strand aluminum cable used for 15- and 20-amp household circuits mainly between 1965 and 1973, now considered a fire concern because the metal expands, creeps, and oxidizes at terminations until connections overheat. The CPSC found homes wired with it far more likely to reach fire-hazard conditions at outlets than copper-wired homes. Accepted repairs are COPALUM crimps or AlumiConn connectors at every device, or a full rewire; simply tightening screws is not a fix. Inspectors flag it during home sales, and some insurers surcharge or decline the risk until it is remediated.
Where it sits in the glossary
Aluminum branch wiring is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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