Copper Wire in Prospective Rent House (Picture)

[Samantha M.]

After the contractor left the property that we are thinking about purchasing as a rental, I decided to take a look at the outlets to check for copper wire since the property was built in the early 1970s.

Here is what I found. I am no electrician but I think its safe to say its copper wire.

Is this one of those dangerous copper wire set ups, is there a way you can pig tail this to get it up code? Do you have to pig tail the outlets and the breaker box?

Thanks everyone

[David Niles]

Yours is clearly copper but there are many ways to deal with aluminum if you have it vs whole house rewiring. Many people "pigtail" back not because its safer but because its cheaper, when leaving the aluminium wire in place, you can only use outlets and switches designed for it, if you take a look at the price of them....you understand the pigtails. Of course the pigtails have to be done right too otherwise you have the same corrosion issue at the splice.
You need to use twist-on wire connectors that use a special antioxidant paste to prevent corrosion of the connection. Electricians use COPALUM connectors that are a special crimp type connection for attaching aluminum and copper wires together.