COPALUM Crimping
COPALUM Crimping every connection in your home is the preferred and most cost effective permanent solution. It is the only method considered a permanent repair by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), when applied to every aluminum electrical connection.
Advantages:
All existing aluminum connections will be permanently “pigtailed” to Copper wire.
The resulting connections will not require maintenance again.
All existing switches and outlets will be replaced with brand new ones and there will be no need for any special Aluminum approved outlets or switches.
Capabilities:
According to the CPSC and several independent consultants, the most reliable wire-to-wire connection that can be used for aluminum-to-copper and aluminum-to-aluminum wire connections is a full compression crimp connection called a COPALUM crimp made by AMP Incorporated (a division of TYCO).
The COPALUM Crimp repair consists of attaching (pigtailing) a piece of copper wire to the existing aluminum wire branch circuit with a specially designed metal sleeve and powered crimping tool. The metal sleeve is called a COPALUM parallel splice connector and is manufactured only by the AMP Corporation. These connections use a compression tool to fix the crimp. This process squeezes the conductor metal through small holes breaking down the oxidation layer and sealing the internal metal from any further oxygen contact. It is not even necessary to use an oxide inhibitor, or abrade the conductors prior to making these connections. The COPALUM connector is the only aluminum wire connection endorsed by the CPSC. This special connector can be properly installed only with the matching AMP compression tool.
This tool makes a permanent connection that is, in effect, a cold weld. An insulating sleeve is placed around the crimp connector to complete the repair.
The tool is only available on a leased basis to licensed electricians who have undergone thorough training and have been certified by the manufacturer.