Whole-Home Rewire of a 1968 Maryville Brick Ranch

Aluminum branch circuit wiring, common in homes built between 1965 and 1973, is a documented fire hazard when connected to devices not specifically rated for aluminum. This Maryville brick ranch had 100% aluminum branch wiring throughout, with 30+ years of oxidation at every connection point. The homeowners had been getting by with AlumiConn connectors on the outlets, but wanted a permanent solution before listing the home, and their insurance carrier was about to drop them.

We stripped all aluminum wire back to the panel and ran new 12-gauge copper circuits throughout the home. The original 100-amp service was upgraded to a 200-amp Square D panel with a new service entrance. We added two 20-amp kitchen small-appliance circuits, a 20-amp bath circuit on GFCI, and updated every outlet and switch with new white Leviton tamper-resistant devices. The job took five days with the homeowners living in the home throughout.

To minimize disruption, we powered down and restored one section of the home at a time, keeping at least two bedrooms on power at all times. By the end of day three the kitchen and living areas were on new copper circuits. The homeowners received a full circuit directory at the end of the job, the work passed final inspection on first visit, and the home sold three weeks later, without the buyer's inspector flagging a single electrical issue.