HELP - Electrical / Wiring with new build of home

Tvad, I was pulling your chain. I am quite familiar with this subject.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1110747999&openmine&zzJea48

Tvad, I was pulling your chain. I am quite familiar with this subject.

Oh. It's hard to see the wink in print. :)

So, you're one of those who ignore all common sense!



Wink...

Audiofankj, I recently completed an upgrade of my AC electric service, so I have some recent experience of relevance. I found, just as you are finding, that the standard protocol in my area of the country is to run all aluminum cable from the pole transformer to the circuit panel. Nonetheless, I was obsessive and persistent about insisting that copper be used in all instances on "my side" of the service. I was working with an electrical engineer who scoped and spec'ed my project for me, and, in my case, he recommended 250MCM copper as the service entrance cable. I believe it is rated for a maximum of 325A of current. Whether or not this specific cable is suitable for your application, I am confident that you will be able to find a suitable and cost-effective copper service entrance cable if you stick to your guns.

Some claim that copper makes for better sound than aluminum. I don't have nearly enough expertise to express any opinion on this topic, but I found that the cost differential was relatively modest, went to all copper and never looked back. One other area that I might mention (although your wife might regret this) is that many circuit breaker panels do not use copper contacts in the interior of the box. In my case, I made sure to use a higher grade circuit panel with quality copper contacts/conductors.

Good luck with your project!

My old home was wired with all aluminum wire. From the power company to my wall outlets. Aluminum.
For 12 years I ran ARC SP10's, SP11's D100B, D250MKII's
electric radiator heaters, anyuthing. No problms.
I replaced the CO fixtures with AL/CO fixtures and never
had a problem running my ARC D250 MKII.
There is nothing wrong with aluminum wire if it's installed correctly.
Unless your an audiophile.

GTF

A very trusted and long time friend who's getting ready to retire from the Eng. Dept. of one of the largest electric power companies in the USA had this to say about the use of aluminum...

and I'm paraphrasing...
We use aluminum wire all over the place. From .100" in diameter to 2.125" in diameter. From transmission lines to sub-stations to distribution lines.
But we buy fittings that are made for aluminum wire only.

All the wires from the pole to a residential home are made out of aluminum and the circuit breaker boxes are so designed to facilitate the use of aluminum without issues.
No big deal.

The problems arise when people try and use aluminum going directly to copper or brass connection and electrolysis occurs creating a galvanic reaction.
The power companies are sometimes forced to have direct copper to aluminum contact but they use a "special" grease that prevents the galvanic reation.
Although he did say that he's seen the special fittings, that were covered in grease, where the galvanic reation had destroyed the connection.