The only type of switch that needs a neutral are some occupancy sensors or a switch/outlet combo

Wait, your branch circuits are aluminum?

Be very careful not to splice aluminum and copper together. They heat up and expand at different rates and the reason you seen goop on one of the terminals was to prevent the aluminum from oxidizing. You put something called nolox on aluminum when using it for electrical circuits.

They do sell special purple wire nuts to make copper to aluminum splices but I’ve even seen them burn off.

Yeah, I had some electricians come over and fix the stuff where the previous owner screwed up and tied that stuff in together.

I got the AlumiConn ALuminum to copper logs. They look way better than the pigtail tops and they have the anti-oxident gel inside for the copper

@Hessian Also, thanks for answering my questions.

@John O -

@Hessian

Sorry guys, just getting back to this. So this is a one-way aluminum light switch. I realized it did have aNeutral wire in the box. Do I need to hook it up? If so, how should I do it? Should I find a larger account and connect a third aluminum wire to the pigtail and then to the green screw?

@Deleted User yes, connect a third aluminum wire with the ones that don't have insulation and connect it to the ground. Don't touch the neutral

The power is off and I have checked the wires for electricity.

Thanks

One more question, if the wires in the outlets are 10 gage and I accidentally got 12 gage, will the slightly smaller wire effect the functionality of the power outlet?

@John O -

It's a ground. It's not normally current carrying. You really shouldn't, but you could probably get away with it

I wouldn't feel good about doing it

@Deleted User are you sure that's#10? Looks like 12

@Deleted User get a pair of wire cutters and slip the wire into the smallest hole that doesn't cut the wire. Then you'll know for sure what gauge it is.

If you already bought the #10, just use that. Bigger wire is always better than smaller

Do wires expand overtime?

Yeah, if they're normally current carrying

It expands and contracts. So over time the connections can come loose.

^^^^^

Thanks guys. Got it all figured out.

Good to hear

@John O - if you need a good laugh https://youtu.be/-WiN0vf4G9s

He's really crude but funny, "The Builder" on the same album is so funny.

Kek, nice

Yes the by product of electricity is amps, the by product of amps is heat. As a circuit is used it heats up (expansion) and when its not used it contracts. This is also a reason derating factors are used for counduit exposed to the sun

Thus is the main reason copper is used over aluminum these days

Aluminum is trash

All of our services are aluminum. We usually use aluminum for anything over 100A because of cost

Oh my

>quantity

>quality

>choose one

Bruh, I don't run the company

I would say that the majority of electrical fires ive been to has had aluminum wires and zynscos

As long as you use pertrox or something, and torque everything down, it works good. I've been on a lot of huge, high profile commercial installations that use aluminum.

I would definitely advise scheduled harmonic checks. The aluminum conductors have a history of shifting

But i know most other contractors live by the it only has to last one year and my assets are safe rule

You would be amazed how often i find service conductors loose or the dreaded arcing from a loose neutral