Florida Representative Broxson to host forums on aluminum wiring

Residents in Florida have been waiting on word of what they can do to insure their home if aluminum wiring is involved.

To help update the residents in his district, State Representative Doug Broxson (R-District 1) will be hosting a series of constituent forums to address aluminum wiring and how it affects property insurance. 

“This effect around 25,000 homes in northwest Florida,” Broxson said, who just completed his first session as the Representative of District 1. “It seems that this problem effects more in northwest Florida than any other area, but the main thing is it effect the residents of Florida.

“We have companies who want to insure the residents of Florida, but we have to get the two together.”

According to Broxson, Representatives from Citizens Property Insurance will conduct the forums to explain the recent changes to property insurance policies on homes with aluminum wiring. 

“This issue is one that affects many of our constituents in Northwest Florida,” Broxson said.  “I encourage anyone who has questions regarding these changes to attend and hear from Citizens first hand.”

The meetings will be held on July 7 at the Jay Community Center at 2 p.m.; July 7 at Pensacola State College Milton Campus Room 4902 at 6 p.m.; and on July 8 at 1 p.m. in Baker at the Blackman Community Center.

Since the issue came up Citizens Property Insurance Co., has approved two acceptable alternative methods for ensuring aluminum branch wiring is not a fire hazard and is insurable.

The two acceptable methods is AlumiConn and Copalum, while they are still researching CO/ALR.

AlumiConn is an aluminum to copper plug that’s connected to existing aluminum wiring at each receptacle, making aluminum wiring run cooler with a safer connection.

Copalum is a connector considered an acceptable repair method by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This permanently connect old technology aluminum wire to a short length of copper wire. The copper wire is then terminated to outlets, fixtures, and appliances.

CO/LAR, which means copper-aluminum revised, has screw terminals designed to grip the wire tightly and act as a similar metal to aluminum. It is designed to help eliminate the likelihood of electrical arcing that can cause a fire.