i just bought some 22g hook up wire from All ELectronics and it arrived but appears aluminum versus copper. I have used small wire from Radio SHack for all my feeder wiring but looked to buy in bulk. The RS wire has all been solid copper and this “hook up” solid wire arrived silver or what I assume is aluminum.
Will this type of wire cause any issues for feeder wires. I run them approx 6 inches down to 18g wire section–solder and then over to terminal blocks or soldered directly to the bus.
I rather doubt it would be aluminum wire. If it really is, you won’t be able to solder to it. However, it is most likely tin coated copper wire. Take a piece, twist it a few times until it looks like a braid, then apply solder to it. If it’s aluminum the solder will just ball up and roll off. If it (most likely) is tin coated copper, the solder will flow over the twists and stick to the wire.
Aluminum? That would be odd for small wire. Solder tinned copper maybe?
If it is actually aluminum wire (?) it would have very good electrical properties and is also a good thermal conductor as well. With proper heat and flux it should also solder without a problem. Aluminum is often used in high power application as a less costly alternative to copper.
If for some strange reason it IS aluminum wire - it should not be used to connect to copper wireas it creates a galvanic reaction that causes corrosion. They make a galvanic paste that reducing this reaction, but it would be smarter to stick with all copper wiring.
That being said, I’d be willing to bet the wire is tinned copper - like a lot of phone wire.
Go ahead and use it. I use #26 of similar solid wire. It is what Mark said it is. Cut it and you will see the two colors. You would be there all day, trying to twist it, to have it break, cause it does not bend in the same place, unless you use two pair of needle nose pliers, to keep bending it. Very similar to wiring used in the military, for land line phones, very robust, in the field.
When I was in the Army, Forty years ago, Commo wire had seven strands. Three were copper and four were Steel for strength. I get my hook up wire from allelectronics also. it is copper, no matter what color the strands are. I think it is a nickel coating, but I get both coated or noncoated from them depending on what they have in stock. I prefer stranded.
It may be less costly per pound than copper and easier to work with but it takes a greater wire size to carry the same current as copper. And high current loads will cause changes in its physical properties also with increasing current resistance which generates heat which raises fire risks. Aluminum conductors that are not installed or manufactured properly run the risk of expanding with increased thermal load. This results in loose connections, overheating, and the merging of the aluminum conductor and steel screw terminals to create alloys.
Because of the safety hazards that aluminum poses, most insurance companies charge a higher premium for houses that use aluminum wiring. Owners of aluminum houses either have to endure that or upgrade their home to reduce the risk of fire.