# Aluminum Wiring in Apartments | Multifamily Remediation Guide | DFW > Aluminum branch wiring is common in DFW apartment stock built 1965–1973. It rarely means rewiring a building. Here is the difference between branch and feeder aluminum, and what remediation actually involves. Call 817-803-4444. URL: https://clementselectric.com/blog/aluminum-wiring-apartments-multifamily-dfw --- - Licensed & Insured — Electrical Contractor TECL #40628, Master Electrician #214180 | Call Today: 817-803-4444 | Same-Day Service Available # SERVICES GENERATORS FINANCING About Us CONTACT 817-803-4444 Home Blog Aluminum Wiring in Apartments: What Owners and Property Managers Need to Know Rewiring # Aluminum Wiring in Apartments: What Owners and Property Managers Need to Know Curtis Wood 2026-09-01 8 min read Two different things get called 'aluminum wiring' in a multifamily building, and only one of them is a hazard. Conflating them is how owners end up quoted for a rewire they do not need. Licensed & Insured Same-Day Service Veteran-Owned Written Quotes A great deal of Dallas-Fort Worth apartment stock was built between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s, which overlaps the years aluminum branch-circuit wiring was in general use — roughly 1965 to 1973. If you own or manage buildings from that period, the odds are good that some of them have it. That is worth knowing about and worth addressing. It is very rarely a reason to rewire a building. ## Two things called aluminum wiring, and only one is a problem Aluminum branch wiring Aluminum feeder conductors Where Small conductors inside units, feeding receptacles and switches Large conductors in service equipment, mains and subpanels Era Roughly 1965–1973 Then and now — still installed in new work today Status The known hazard. Requires remediation. Permitted and normal. Not a defect. How it fails At terminations — outlets, switches, splices At terminations — loose, unprepared or over-torqued lugs The fix Approved connectors at the terminations, unit by unit Correct preparation and torque to specification So finding aluminum in a main panel is not by itself bad news. Finding it improperly terminated is. An electrician who tells you all the aluminum has to come out is either not distinguishing between these two cases or is selling something. ## Why aluminum fails at the connections Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper as it heats and cools, and it oxidises differently. Over decades of load cycling, a connection that was tight when it was made can work loose. A loose connection under load generates heat, the heat degrades the connection further, and it accelerates from there. That is why the failures show up at outlets, switches and lugs rather than in the middle of a run — and it is why the remediation is at the terminations. ## The other half of the problem: undersized panels In practice we rarely find aluminum on its own. Buildings from that era were sized for the loads of that era — window units, one television, no computers. What the same equipment now carries is central air, in-unit laundry, a dozen chargers per unit and increasingly an EV in the lot. We open panels at DFW properties and find conductors that have overheated at the terminations badly enough to melt insulation, and it happens at both ends of the building: the main panels outside feeding several units, and the unit panels inside. ## What remediation actually involves Assessment first — which buildings, which units, mains or unit panels or both - Termination-level remediation with connectors rated for the conductor actually in the box - Feeder terminations inspected, prepared and torqued to specification - Panel and service capacity assessed against the building's real current load, not its original design load - Documentation per unit for your files and your insurer - Permits pulled and inspections scheduled — requirements differ by city across DFW ## Scheduling around people who live there Multifamily work is a scheduling problem as much as an electrical one. Main panel work gets planned in phases so the number of units affected at any one time stays small and predictable, the utility disconnect and meter release get coordinated in advance rather than on the day, and unit interior work goes on turn cycles wherever the timeline allows. You get the outage plan in writing before work starts. ## Portfolios Properties built in the same period tend to have the same equipment and the same problems. Assessing several at once produces a prioritised list you can plan against a budget, rather than a series of unrelated emergencies arriving one at a time. Aluminum wiring or undersized panels across your properties? Building or portfolio assessment with the scope and the outage plan in writing before any work starts. TECL #40628. Call 817-803-4444 Request a Building Assessment ## Multifamily aluminum wiring questions Does aluminum wiring mean the building has to be rewired? Almost never. Aluminum branch-circuit wiring is remediated at the terminations with approved connectors, unit by unit, without rewiring an occupied building. Aluminum feeder conductors in the service equipment are permitted and still installed today, and are only a problem when terminated incorrectly. Will insurers ask about aluminum wiring? Carriers do take an interest in it on older multifamily stock, and documented remediation is generally what they want to see rather than replacement. We provide per-unit documentation for exactly that reason. What your specific carrier requires is a question for them. How much of the building loses power during the work? That depends on the scope and it is one of the first things established, because it is what owners and residents actually care about. Main panel work is phased to keep the number of affected units small at any one time, and the utility disconnect is coordinated in advance. The outage plan is in writing before work starts. Can you assess a whole portfolio rather than one building? Yes, and it is usually more useful. Buildings from the same period tend to share equipment and problems, so assessing them together produces a prioritised plan you can budget against. Curtis Wood Master Electrician Licensed electricians serving Dallas, Fort Worth, and every suburb in between. Same-day service available. ### Need an Electrician? Same-day appointments available. 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What Dallas Homeowners Need to Know 2025-03-10 How Long Does a Whole-Home Rewire Take in Fort Worth? 2025-02-20 ## Related Articles Panel Upgrades ### 8 Signs Your Home Needs an Electrical Panel Upgrade: A Complete Guide Electrical Repairs ### Aluminum Wiring Repair Cost in Dallas-Fort Worth (2026) Electrical Repairs ### Burning Smell From an Outlet or Panel: What to Do Right Now ## Still Have Questions? Our licensed electricians are standing by. Call now for same-day service across Dallas–Fort Worth. 817-803-4444 Call 817-803-4444 Certified residential electricians serving DFW since 1982. Veteran-owned, licensed, and insured. 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