Aluminum Wiring Repair Across British Columbia
The Wire Guys makes aluminum wiring safe in older British Columbia homes, rewiring in copper or pigtailing at every device — a licensed electrical contractor that pulls the permit and stays through the inspection until the work passes.
Licensed Electrical Contractor
Licensed and insured in British Columbia.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Active and in good standing, with continuous coverage since 30 September 2019.
BBB Accredited
Accredited since 2023.
Canadian family owned, working across British Columbia since 2019.
See how a job runsHow does aluminum wiring repair work in British Columbia, and who pulls the permit?
Aluminum wiring repair starts at the connections. We price the quote on what we can see, then we pull the electrical permit, we attend the inspection, and no job is closed until the work passes it.
The four questions
What sets the aluminum wiring replacement cost?
A phone price is a guess until someone counts the boxes. The estimate is free.
The cost to pigtail aluminum wiring, or to replace it, is set at the estimate visit. If something has failed, tracing the fault is $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic. Hourly work is $135 an hour for a Red Seal electrician plus a helper, the same rate at 3am as at 3pm.
What changes the price
- How many boxes are on aluminum. Every outlet, switch and light is a connection to make.
- Rewiring or pigtailing. New cable takes longer to run, especially behind finished ceilings.
- The panel. Some houses also need a panel upgrade.
Aluminum wiring pigtailing or a full rewire: which fits your house?
A full rewire in copper takes the aluminum out of the walls entirely, so it is the more complete fix and the one we recommend where it is practical. Copper pigtailing is the secondary option: it joins a short copper lead to the aluminum at every box, a repair the CPSC accepts as permanent with a COPALUM crimp or an AlumiConn connector, but the aluminum stays in the wall.
Pigtailing at the boxes
Every box and fixture on an aluminum circuit gets its own pigtail. The number of connections sets the size of the job.
A full rewire to copper
Replacing aluminum wiring with copper means running new cable room by room. Some walls may need opening.
Outlets and switches marked CO/ALR take aluminum wire directly, but the CPSC calls them, at best, an incomplete repair.
AlumiConn connectors and COPALUM crimps
The AlumiConn vs COPALUM difference is the joint: a set screw or a crimp.
Does aluminum wiring remediation need a permit?
Yes. In British Columbia, pigtailing and rewiring both need an electrical permit, and we pull it and attend the aluminum wiring inspection.
Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby and Victoria issue their own electrical permits, while in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Langley, Saanich and Langford they come from Technical Safety BC.
Aluminum wiring and insurance, mortgages and home sales
An insurance renewal, a lender's condition or a buyer's inspection report often comes with a deadline.
Whether the date comes from aluminum wiring insurance, a mortgage or a sale, ask which fix that party wants so the quote covers it. Call 778-708-0451 to book a look at the wiring.
How do you spot aluminum wiring in homes?
Learning how to identify aluminum wiring takes no tools, only a look at cable where it shows in an unfinished basement, attic or garage.
What does aluminum wiring look like?
- Letters on the jacket. The cable is usually printed "AL" or "ALUMINUM".
- A dull silver wire end. Where a cut end is already exposed, aluminum looks silver-grey and copper looks orange-brown.
- One solid strand. Aluminum branch circuit wiring is often a single-strand conductor.
- CO/ALR on the device. If a cover plate is already off, a CO/ALR stamp is a clue, not proof, because those devices are also fitted on copper circuits.
- The inspection report. Home inspectors note it, sometimes as aluminium wiring.
A house can be part aluminum and part copper. Do not unscrew a box to look.
When was aluminum wiring used in Canada?
Aluminum branch wiring was standard in North American homes built from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, so a home from that era is the usual place it turns up.
Where it goes wrong
Aluminum wiring vs copper: why the connections work loose
Aluminum wiring problems start at the screw terminal. You notice a warm plate, flicker or a dead outlet.
On aluminum, oxidation resists current, and aluminum expands more than copper, so over years the connection loosens and runs hot. If you smell burning, switch off that breaker and book an emergency electrician.
Why purple wire nuts are not the fix
Purple twist-on connectors are sold for aluminum to copper joints, but twist-on connectors overheated in large numbers in CPSC lab testing, and the CPSC does not accept them as a permanent repair.
- Oxidation on aluminum resists the current at the screw terminal.
- Aluminum expands more than copper, so the joint works loose over years.
- A loose connection runs hot — the warm plate and the flicker start here.
Our aluminum wiring repair process
If we find anything unexpected, we talk it through with you and get your approval before any extra work begins.
- 01
The estimate. We look at the boxes and show you what we found.
- 02
The quote. You get the quote in writing before any work starts, and if the scope changes we tell you before we do it, not after.
- 03
The work. A Red Seal electrician or a Field Safety Representative checks an apprentice's work.
- 04
The test. We test the circuits we worked on.
- 05
The inspection. If it fails on our work, we fix it and rebook at our cost.
If something we installed is not right, we come back
If a plate turns warm or a light flickers on those circuits, call 778-708-0451.
How to choose an aluminum wiring electrician
Our WorkSafeBC coverage has run without a break since 30 September 2019.
The Wire Guys Electrical Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor serving Abbotsford, Vancouver, Victoria and communities across the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Greater Victoria, handling residential and commercial electrical work for homeowners, landlords and business owners in British Columbia.
What to ask an electrician for aluminum wiring
- Licence and insurance. Ask them to confirm both.
- The permit. Ask who pulls it.
- Reviews. Read them on a profile the company does not control.
- The method. Ask which repair they propose, and why.
What our customers say
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Jas and his team installed a couple of ceiling fans for us, which involved cutting open the ceiling and rerouting wires. He was polite, knowledgeable, and thorough. Even after the job was done, he took the time to address any remaining concerns we had. Would happily work with him again and recommend to others.
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Jas and his team are highly professional and reliable, the pricing is very fair and reasonable. I have used Jas for 3 retrofit/renovation jobs now, 1 of them being fairly large. Highly recommend.
How much does it cost to fix aluminum wiring?
The cost to fix aluminum wiring depends on how many outlets, switches and fixtures sit on aluminum circuits, and whether each connection is pigtailed or the circuits are replaced with copper. The price is set once we see the wiring.
Is pigtailing aluminum wiring safe?
A copper pigtail made with a COPALUM crimp or an AlumiConn connector is a repair the US CPSC accepts as permanent — purple twist-on connectors are not. It does leave the aluminum in the walls, so where a full rewire is practical it is the more complete fix, and that is what we recommend.
Can you get home insurance with aluminum wiring?
Insurers do not all treat aluminum wiring the same way, and the answer can change at renewal. Ask your insurer which fix it accepts, pigtailing every connection or replacing the circuits with copper, and we can look at the wiring and quote that work. When the work is done, we give you the permit and the passed inspection report to send your insurer.
Should I buy a house with aluminum wiring?
Put the fix into the decision before your offer's conditions come off. An inspection report shows aluminum wiring is there, but not which repair suits the house, so book an estimate while you can negotiate. The same applies when selling a house with aluminum wiring.
Will aluminum wiring pass inspection?
A home inspector will usually note aluminum wiring and may check whether each outlet and switch is joined to copper with a COPALUM crimp or an AlumiConn connector, and whether any connection shows heat damage. If a report flags it, book an electrical safety inspection.
Is aluminum wiring legal in Canada?
Under Technical Safety BC's bulletin on upgrading single dwellings, which applies the BC Electrical Code, existing branch circuits, aluminum included, don't automatically have to be replaced when they are adequate for their purpose. Repairs to that wiring still need an electrical permit.
Will an electrician leave holes in my walls?
Pigtailing aluminum wiring happens inside the existing boxes, behind the cover plates, so it needs no new openings. A full rewire is different, because new copper cable has to reach every box, and without an attic or crawlspace route some walls may need opening.
What is the difference between knob and tube and aluminum wiring?
Knob and tube is the older system, with single wires run on ceramic knobs and through tubes and no ground wire. Aluminum wiring is sheathed cable from a later era, and its trouble usually starts at the connections. Read about knob and tube wiring.
Other electrical services we offer
Same licence on every one of them, with the permit and inspection wherever one applies.
Get an estimate on your aluminum wiring
Call 778-708-0451 to book a look at your aluminum circuits. The estimate is free, and tracing a fault is $165 for a 45-minute diagnostic.