Didn't houses built during WWII get a fair bit of aluminum wiring due to the metal shortages? I seem to recall there was an era of time where aluminum wiring was put into houses.

Anyway, yes go to an industrial supply store that sells welding supplies (Princess Auto for example) and buy welding cable.

Here's another extreme case of copper theft: in Langley out here in BC a couple years ago there was a movie theatre that shut down. It had either 4 or 6 theatres in it (can't recall). While sitting abandoned, thieves broke in and stole all of the copper plumbing. When they cut the main water service (which would have been 2" at least), they did it BEFORE the main shut-off valve. Yes, the place completlely flooded and had to be torn down. They busted into the walls and everywhere they could to steal the piping.

You know what the sick part is? The slimeball vendors who BUY this crap from people. Out here they have had phone booths, memorial plaques for deceased people and burial urns turn up at metal scrap yards. We've had a few electrocutions and amputations too from these clowns cutting live wires.

knob and tube is aluminum, you also get regular aluminum wires...

Stealing copper plumbing was/is really bad in the states. As banks foreclosed on houses with defaulted mortgages they were just boarding them up because they couldn't turn around and sell them. Thieves break into the abandoned houses, rip apart the walls and tear out all the copper plumbing and wiring for salvage.

Just imagine what would happen if these scumbags used all that motivation to get a ****ing job... :rolleyes:

lol...........

Aluminum is ALMOST as good as coppoer for coductivity. the problem with it is lack of flexibility and oxidation. bend the wire a few times and strands start snapping off alum. Also 4ga wire isn;t 4 ga anymore either. Even from major brand name suppliers. It's 6ga with more rubber. I don't know how they are getting away with this mass false advertizing but they are.

This is true. You really have to read the packaging there's 4ga. and TRUE 4ga. The companies most often offer a couple levels of wiring the cheap stuff which is a smaller gauge and the true gauge stuff which costs significantly more $$. Be wary of a wiring kit that boasts 4ga. wire and it's like $30. How can they give you 20ft. of 4 ga. wire ring terminals and RCA's for so little money when true 4ga. is like $4-5 a foot!

While it's true that wire gauge is measured from the outside, not all wire companies are there to rip you off. We have been using Streetwires for a couple of years now and I'm pleased with it.
Copper clad aluminum has become very popular for price and flexibility. As long as you know what you're buying, then it should be reflected in the pricing.
My shop chose to stay with copper because we don't want to have to tell the customer a couple years down the road that they will need to replace their lines due to oxidation.

here in NS this summer during a storm 18 miles of copper wire was ripped from the power polls near the air port.
it has never bin recovered.

how the hell do you steel 18miles of cable.:sly:

it in my pants :D or the bay