Science Questions

With home electrical wiring, why should the wires oxidise? Would it depend on how often the wires are used? Does it matter if they are insulated? John, Essex.

Normally, the current passing through the wires in your house does not generate enough heat in order to make them react with oxygen. Most wiring is copper, and you need to get copper to quite a high temperature to make it react with oxygen and produce copper oxide. This shouldn’t happen unless the wiring actually catches fire.

July 2007