# Aluminum versus Copper Bus Bars



## paulgarett

Anyone have any preference on aluminum and copper bus bars. Obviously copper is a better conductor. What other advantages does a copper bus bar have over an aluminum bus bar. Price is one of them. What about voltage drop? Or corrosion. I noticed the panels with a copper bus bar have a lifetime warranty. Panels with aluminum bus bars have a 10 year warranty. 
Any comments.


----------



## HARRY304E

paulgarett said:


> Anyone have any preference on aluminum and copper bus bars. Obviously copper is a better conductor. What other advantages does a copper bus bar have over an aluminum bus bar. Price is one of them. What about voltage drop? Or corrosion. I noticed the panels with a copper bus bar have a lifetime warranty. Panels with aluminum bus bars have a 10 year warranty.
> Any comments.


I like the copper ones better but they are not always available on the spot and the lifetime warranty is good always.:thumbsup:

Welcome to the forum......:thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## BuzzKill

Budget depends of course, but in a throw away society, how long will your awesome new copper service really last? When is that building going to be sold to make way for another mall? Give it 50 years, tops, before future bulldozing happens; in that light, there is no difference.


----------



## user4818

GE, Siemens, QO and CH-CH all have copper busses. The rest are aluminum. I prefer copper but economics usually dictate otherwise. :thumbsup:


----------



## cortez

Aluminum bus bars are often in need of a good brushing to correct weird voltages and other intermittent problems. 

Even the older dual copper/ aluminum ones need a good cleaning and proper anti-oxidant treatment compared to the copper ones.


----------



## Shockdoc

Copper is always more forgiving when replacing a burnt breaker.


----------



## nolabama

I have been told that aluminum buss duct is far superior to copper. It is way lighter and easier to install lol


----------



## mbednarik

i have seen too many burnt homeline panels with aluminum buses. The copper is not that much more, i think the difference between the siemens AL bus and the CU bus is around $15.


----------



## BBQ

cortez said:


> Aluminum bus bars are often in need of a good brushing to correct weird voltages and other intermittent problems.
> 
> Even the older dual copper/ aluminum ones need a good cleaning and proper anti-oxidant treatment compared to the copper ones.


You should never clean bus stabs with a wire brush if that is what you mean.


----------



## brian john

cortez said:


> Aluminum bus bars are often in need of a good brushing to correct weird voltages and other intermittent problems.
> 
> Even the older dual copper/ aluminum ones need a good cleaning and proper anti-oxidant treatment compared to the copper ones.


My firm performs infrared surveys and in all the years of performing surveys I can say this was NEVER the recommendation.
Cleaning as you recommend is not RECOMMENDED and if you are suggesting using an antioxidant on the bus, I doubt seriously that is approved method.


----------



## cortez

paulgarett said:


> Anyone have any preference on aluminum and copper bus bars. Obviously copper is a better conductor. What other advantages does a copper bus bar have over an aluminum bus bar. Price is one of them. What about voltage drop? Or corrosion. I noticed the panels with a copper bus bar have a lifetime warranty. Panels with aluminum bus bars have a 10 year warranty.
> Any comments.


Old equipment with mixed aluminum and copper connections get corroded which is easily seen visually. Cleaning is recommended by the electrical department especially where humidity and dust of any sort (like construction "dust" , including drywall dust ect.) is a common sense solution. It takes only 30 seconds to remove a meter here to unenergize the service.

Solvent spray may do the job and if not wire brushing will do it ( Wire brushes come in many arrays, including flexible string/thin wire "gun cleaning" type configurations that easily enter into small aperture holes). 

We do what is called in the legal profession "Pro Bono" work for community organizations which organize homeowner free services (mostly) and the city supplies its experts including electrical inspectors and electrical engineers with the proper licensing. 

Corrosion in these older homes is commonplace and since replacement is often not an option, cleaning oxidized connections is done. 

If an anti oxidant is recommended we use it. 

It may be "uncommon" common sense, to those dogmatic types, (rules RULE man, rather than man rule, RULES!). :thumbsup:


----------



## Shockdoc

cortez said:


> Old equipment with mixed aluminum and copper connections get corroded which is easily seen visually. Cleaning is recommended by the electrical department especially where humidity and dust of any sort (like construction "dust" , including drywall dust ect.) is a common sense solution. It takes only 30 seconds to remove a meter here to unenergize the service.
> 
> Solvent spray may do the job and if not wire brushing will do it ( Wire brushes come in many arrays, including flexible string/thin wire "gun cleaning" type configurations that easily enter into small aperture holes).
> 
> We do what is called in the legal profession "Pro Bono" work for community organizations which organize homeowner free services (mostly) and the city supplies its experts including electrical inspectors and electrical engineers with the proper licensing.
> 
> Corrosion in these older homes is commonplace and since replacement is often not an option, cleaning oxidized connections is done.
> 
> If an anti oxidant is recommended we use it.
> 
> It may be "uncommon" common sense, to those dogmatic types, (rules RULE man, rather than man rule, RULES!). :thumbsup:


Your panel needs a flossing mam.


----------



## nolabama

Shockdoc said:


> Your panel needs a flossing mam.


I prefer to pressure wash mines.


----------



## cortez

nolabama said:


> I prefer to pressure wash mines.


Damn good idea! :thumbsup:


----------



## albert

*AL verses CU*

Our prefered reason for using copper is how well it stands up after a major fuse or breaker trip. The aluminum will bend and warp over a larger area making the repair more difficult. Copper has less damage after high current faults. In transformers usually the aluminum is to bad to repair and the transformer must be completely rewound or replaced. Copper damage is less intensive and may be repaired.

When the choice is yours, think about the availability of the replacement component verses the ability to repair the damage. For example if downtime is a factor and delivery is weeks or months then go with copper. For a typical cable or panel guts that are off the shelf - go with aluminum.

You should be able to make the point to the client and let them know sometimes paying a little more up front for copper could save them plenty down the road. Or save the money and buy aluminum because it is an off the shelf item.


----------



## Big John

Albert,

What application are you discussing? For low-voltage gear the point of having a Short-Circuit Current Rating is to ensure that the available fault current is not capable of physically damaging the gear.

-John


----------



## nolabama

I feel as if this thread is unrecoverable.


----------



## Awg-Dawg

nolabama said:


> I feel as if this thread is unrecoverable.


 
I think the Democrats prefer the longevity of copper.

And the Republicans prefer the cost savings of aluminum.

This should get us back on track.:jester:


----------



## nolabama

We should support some random terrorist stuff and get this thread closed. It's been hijacked to Switzerland as it is


----------



## Big John

nolabama said:


> We should support some random terrorist stuff and get this thread closed....


 If you use aluminum busing, then al-Qaeda wins.

-John


----------



## nolabama

Big John said:


> If you use aluminum busing, then al-Qaeda wins.
> 
> -John


Will it keel you?


----------

