Electrical Questions Answered

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Over the last several years, the HIR staff has been asked and has answered a multitude of questions regarding home improvement, maintenance and around-the-house repairs. Here’s a look back at a few of the different electrical topics and tips we’ve covered for our readers.

Does the aluminum wiring in my house pose a fire hazard?

If your house has aluminum wiring, it could pose a fire hazard, but the wiring itself isn’t the problem. Aluminum safely conducts electricity, but the connections can be a problem. The wires must be connected individually so they are not prone to corrosion. The only safe way to connect copper and aluminum is through a splice connector. An electrician can splice the connections by adding a short section of copper wire to the end of each aluminum wire. By doing this, copper wire rather than aluminum will be connected to each switch, outlet or other device.

Can I install a fan on a sloped ceiling?

That will depend on the design of your fan and its mounting mechanism. Some fans that use the modern hanging bracket and hanger ball can be installed at a maximum angle of 15 degrees, provided the recessed outlet box is securely fastened to strong framing support and that the opening of the mounting bracket is oriented at the top. Some fans can be installed on vaulted ceilings up to 35 degrees. However, if your ceiling has a pitch greater than the maximum slope the fan's in-box mounting kit can accommodate, it will need a Sloped Ceiling Adapter for proper installation. Check with the ceiling fan’s manufacturer to see if a compatible kit is available.

Is it possible to plug a generator into a house’s electrical outlet to power the home wiring?

You should not use the generator to “backfeed” power into your home electrical system. Trying to power your home’s electrical wiring by “backfeeding”—where you plug the generator into a wall outlet—is very dangerous. You could hurt utility workers and neighbors served by the same transformer. Backfeeding bypasses built-in circuit devices, so you could damage your electronics or start an electrical fire.

A ceiling joist crosses the exact spot where I’d like to install a fan. Do I have to move the electrical box to the right or the left, or is there a way to install the ceiling fan where the joist is?

If a ceiling joist crosses the spot where you want to hang a light fixture or ceiling fan, you’ll need to use a saddle box instead of a standard electrical box. The saddle box is shaped with an indentation that wraps around the joist but still provides the code-required

wire housing of a junction box. For ceiling fans, the junction box should usually be made of metal to ensure a reliable thread connection with the fan’s mounting bolts. With a saddle box, however, the fan will be installed with screws driven through the box and into the joist, rather than fastened to the box with bolts.