9/11/2023 0 Comments Western union splice solderThis is not the case, I think because the code was not so rigorous in the 1940s and 1950s when soldering was still a common practice. I think if soldering was a current practice, solder would be UL listed, soldering irons would be specified in the manufacturer's instructions, the types of wire suitable for soldering would be spelled out, etc. But soldering isn't treated nearly as rigorously in the code as newer methods. At this point soldering remains in the code mainly as a holdover, nobody solders any more. I think soldering went out as a normal practice in the 1960's before aluminum wire came into regular use in the 1970's and the code never really put much thought into soldering aluminum. It has gone from a skinny book you could carry in your pocket to a phone book sized volume (for those of us old enough to remember thick phone books). The first edition was published in 1897, before electrical utility power was even available most places. The National Electrical Code has changed a great deal over time. Typical tin-lead solder used for electrical / electronic applications will not bond well to aluminum or the aluminum alloys used for aluminum wire. The question specifically asks about the NEC, but code aside, aluminum is not really suitable for soldering in the field. This is a very good, interesting question. The one time in the past when I HAD TO solder it, I ended up having to hold the junction in liquid flux while I applied the gun(there was no way any of my irons would have been able to sustain proper heat) to it.Īfterwards, I would clean it with something like contact cleaner and coat it with liquid tape or self vulcanizing tape.ĮDIT: BTW, that is how you tell that you have Al wire and not tin coated copper, when you try to solder, you end up with a black mess instead of a good joint. Normally it is a major pain to solder for the simple fact that it will start to oxidize as soon as air hits it and just swiping it with flux is not enough.Īs soon as you get heat near it, unless it is completely covered in flux, it will form a layer of oxide and prevent a good joint from forming.Īnd in this case it's going to be even worse for the simple fact that the copper will suck heat from the Al making it that much harder. I would think that the biggest problem would be trying to solder the Aluminum to begin with. The path to soldering is plainly identified in 110.14 with "soldering lugs". 110.14(B) requires direct contact between the Cu and Al wires, yet 110.14 forbids it. The sections I put in bold are in contradiction with each other. Soldered splices shall first be spliced or joined so as to be mechanically and electrically secure without solder and then be soldered. Conductors shall be spliced or joined with splicing devices identified for the use or by brazing, welding, or soldering with a fusible metal or alloy. Conductors of dissimilar metals shall not be intermixed in a terminal or splicing connector where physical contact occurs between dissimilar conductors (such as copper and aluminum, copper and copper-clad aluminum, or aluminum and copper-clad aluminum), unless the device is identified for the purpose and conditions of use. Because of different characteristics of dissimilar metals, devices such as pressure terminal or pressure splicing connectors and soldering lugs shall be identified for the material of the conductor and shall be properly installed and used. The ruling would likely be "You can solder if you can show how every other splicing method is impracticable". Your first problem is that soldering in general is so alien that an AHJ is likely to reject it out of hand, even if it were all Cu. You mean like a rattail or Western Union splice, Al-Cu?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |