Should I buy a house with aluminum wiring?
Older aluminum wiring leads to constant wire cracking and repairs that require cumbersome, costly fixes. Because these electrical systems can involve extreme hazards like bypassed fuses, prospective buyers and tenants ultimately choose to walk away rather than take the risk.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 111.4× more often in r/askanelectrician than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Having the wiring inspected by a licensed electrician familiar with aluminum
- 2Checking with the insurance company before purchasing
- 3Walking away from the house entirely or offering a lower price
- 4checking the breaker panel yourself
- 5consulting an HVAC-knowledgeable friend
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“It was a constant issue with wire breaking and cracking. No fires, just constant repairs.”source ↗
“Still, I would not be inclined to buy a house with aluminum wiring, and definitely not a two story.”source ↗
“If I were in your shoes—and I am. We're currently looking for a house. I would not take the risk; it is simply not worth it.”source ↗
“there are ways to make it work, but they are cumbersome and costly. i would walk away from that house.”source ↗
“And on closer inspection the whole pull out fuse is bypassed! Google ai images says this is an extreme fire hazard. Is the landlord trying to burn the whole place down with us in it?!”source ↗
Where this came up
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