[RE-wrenches] AL vs CU

[Dave Click]

If you're running them on a rooftop (i.e. not buried), 
expansion/contraction is a bigger issue with aluminum than copper-- so 
plan for that as best you can, like with loops in pull boxes and sweeps 
rather than LBs.

On 2012/2/13 13:39, Exeltech wrote:
> AL advantage:
> Weight (especially in long overhead runs).
> Theft factor (less attractive than CU to thieves at the moment).
>
> CU advantage:
> Smaller conductors for a given current.
> CU-friendly lugs are readily found on the shelf.
> Ease of attachment to hardware.
> Less brittle/more flexible than AL.
> Commonly available in a variety of gauges.
>
>
> Common to both:
> Both metals corrode if improperly protected.
> AL/CU recognized splice blocks alleviate dissimilar metals issues.
>
>
> Likely there are many more. There's a wealth of experience in this group.
>
>
> Dan
>
>
> --- On *Mon, 2/13/12, James Rudolph /<jamesrudolph99 at gmail.com>/* wrote:
>
>
>     From: James Rudolph <jamesrudolph99 at gmail.com>
>     Subject: [RE-wrenches] AL vs CU
>     To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>     Date: Monday, February 13, 2012, 10:35 AM
>
>     Gurus,
>     Other than the cost and increased labor what else could be a factor
>     in determining
>     whether or not to use copper or aluminum in long output circuits?
>
>     --
>     *
>     James B Rudolph
>     NABCEP Certified PV Installer
>     California Certified Journeyman Electrician
>
>     *Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer
>     fusion to fission.
>     And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor
>     safely banked a
>     few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could ever use
>     in just about 8
>     minutes. And it's wireless! - William McDonough
>
>
>
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