The wire per say really isn't the issue. It's where it terminates.
This is because of the greater expansion (and then contraction) of aluminum versus copper when the wires are activated and heat up and subsequently cool down. Over time, this action loosens connections and that's no bueno, as noted.
I certainly understand the need to conserve money, but if you've done the obvious that the average person can safely do, it's a next step time. Try and get FPL out if you can (under guise of energy audit) and say "oh yeah"... . But, what you describe sounds potentially serious.
It even skips breakers that are on the same side.
Check out more info on a breaker box and the hot bus bars. You've got two hot "legs" coming in--one goes to each bus bar in the panel. But, the confusing thing is that breakers sitting one over the other are pulling their power from separate bus bars (one breaker would draw off the left bar and the other would draw off the right bar). In other words, the lugs actually supplying the power alternate between bars as you go down the breaker "stack" on a bar. Think of a stacked breaker for a 240V appliance like an electric dryer. Even tho it's stacked, the design of the hot bus bars allows this breaker to balance the load in you panel--each portion of that breaker is drawing power off a separate bar.
What you noticed may be indicative that your issue is isolated to only one hot bus bar. If you can determine that only one hot bar is implicated with what you're seeing, there's almost certainly a loose connection (or some other defect) somewhere in that hot leg. It sounds like it potentially could be (or quickly become) a serious issue.
Let us know what you find. Good luck!
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