Electrical Wire Fire
I was awakened by a strong electrical burning odor around 2:am. The inside of the RV Travel Trailer was filled with smoke. The smoke detectors seem to be working, however, they didn't go off that nigh...
Forum Discussion
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
From an engineer's standpoint, here are some questions and comments...
I do not see an especially larger gauge "feeder" wire supplying the neutral bus.
System busses are aluminum that is tin plated. Aluminum to copper contact is a no-no as it causes an unsavory oxide to form on the aluminum which greatly aggravates the heat problem and may cause a runaway problem.
Copper and aluminum expand and contract at a differential rate. Thus claiming that periodic verification of junction integrity is not warranted is ignorance of metallurgy and electrical code and function.
There are copper colloidal paste compounds (I use Thomas & Betts) that can be applied to copper conductor inserted into aluminum terminals and tin plated aluminum terminals. The purpose of the compound is many fold. First it is conductive - highly so. It conducts heat. It greatly retards degradation of tin plating, aluminum and copper corrosion. And lastly in many applications, the colloidal copper compound is needed to meet code.
There are two very different types of "Smoke Detectors" for better protection I use both kinds.
Thank you for this information. When I re-install the box I will look for this product.
