Aluminum wiring is a hazard that the insurance companies simply won’t overlook - by Anowsh Dadgar

Aluminum wiring is a hazard that the insurance companies simply won’t overlook, given the safety/claims threat they pose. Thus, aluminum wiring remediation is always prescribed in mitigating the risks to both insureds and insurers alike.

Regarding aluminum branch wiring remediation, there was previously only one method endorsed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission – Amp-Tyco’s Copalum. This resulted in a costly remediation process whereby Amp-Tyco was able to command higher prices for their product/technology to their approved electricians (i.e. those electricians who passed Amp-Tyco’s training program and leased Amp-Tyco tools). These electricians, in turn, had to set their own pricing accordingly.

For years, this costly Copalum was the sole method endorsed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and utilized by electricians. But thankfully, a more simple option became available about 10 years ago – Alumiconn fixtures. Indeed, with a torque screwdriver and widely available over-the-counter Alumiconn fixtures, electricians can now offer this second method of remediation, which proves cheaper in many cases. What’s more, the insurance companies accept either method so long as the proper municipal electrical permit is pulled and they are provided copies of the completed and approved permit.

While aluminum wiring continues to be a hazard that insurance companies and their customers must have remediated, the methods of doing have broadened. And the associated costs on the part of the insureds, insurers, and the electricians whom they rely on to carry out said remediation have decreased. Those faced with the task of remediating their property can get competitive quotes and save themselves from what was previously an unavoidably expensive endeavor.

Anowsh Dadgar is the founder of Dadgar Insurance Agency, Inc., Woburn, Mass.