Aluminum SEC's - XHHW vs. URD

[augie47]

Same as others have stated. "URD" as a sole marking is not a NEC recognized conductor. It is a cable produced for the Utility Industry for underground distribution.

 

[Michael15956]

I bet that the home depot cable is a urd cable that is really dual rated rhh/rhw or something along those lines-- we call it trailer cable- 4plex. My guess is this is what they have http://www.southwire.com/ProductCatalog/XTEInterfaceServlet?contentKey=prodcatsheet12

I just went to home depot site--- yikes
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwir...Cable-Black-55417301/202250411#specifications

URD that is not wet location rated and has no flame retardant. They say it is can be used for underground installation yet not wet location rated. LOL also not sunlight resistant

A search of southwire does not even come up with URD

Check this out Dennis. Sold at HD http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwir...ergen-Aluminum-Cable-Black-55415009/204786595

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Check this out Dennis. Sold at HD http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwir...ergen-Aluminum-Cable-Black-55415009/204786595

Yes but you won't find that as specified in Southwire catalog. I am betting it is the rhh/rhw stuff not URD-- some use it interchangeably. This is the HD site which means nothing as I showed by the crazy specs in my other post

 

[kwired]

URD that is not wet location rated and has no flame retardant. They say it is can be used for underground installation yet not wet location rated. LOL also not sunlight resistant

I did not check your link but if it is HD information methinks they not know what they are talking about. I'm willing to bet the individual conductors themselves are going to be at very least marked USE/RHW, and if so they are a wet location conductor.

Same as others have stated. "URD" as a sole marking is not a NEC recognized conductor. It is a cable produced for the Utility Industry for underground distribution.

That is likely what this particular assembly was made for. Now we have all kinds of pre assembled conductors out there and we still call them "URD" and it may or may not actually be what the wire and cable companies actually call it.

The trade magazines also have similar assemblies of THHN/THWN conductors in advertisements as well. They are not a code recognized cable, and each conductor still has the required markings for an individual conductor, they have just multiplexed them for convenience.

 

[Michael15956]

Yes but you won't find that as specified in Southwire catalog. I am betting it is the rhh/rhw stuff not URD-- some use it interchangeably. This is the HD site which means nothing as I showed by the crazy specs in my other post

I agree and I think that HD just mislabeled it wrong. Probably for the DIYs. Someone at HD said it stands for Underground Residential
Distribution.

 

[augie47]

and he was correct...

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I agree and I think that HD just mislabeled it wrong. Probably for the DIYs. Someone at HD said it stands for Underground Residential
Distribution.

As Gus stated that is what urd stands for however as I said earlier there is local nomenclature that uses the term loosely and members often used urd when referring to the use cable rated rhh/rhw. My suspicion is that what is going on. The true URD does not have a vertical flame rating nor is it allow inside a home or exposed to sunlight.

 

[iwire]

As Gus stated that is what urd stands for however as I said earlier there is local nomenclature that uses the term loosely and members often used urd when referring to the use cable rated rhh/rhw. My suspicion is that what is going on. The true URD does not have a vertical flame rating nor is it allow inside a home or exposed to sunlight.

To be a bit nit picky.

URD without another listing cannot be used for any NEC application.

USE without another listing can be used for NEC applications outside only due to no flame rating.

Duel listed USE/RHW can be used for NEC applications inside and outside.


I agree areas may be calling any of these cable types URD when in fact they are listed as other types.

 

[HackElectric]

I bought a bulldog bender off of Rack-a-Tiers just for LBs. That thing really works well. I didn't buy the whole set, just one bender.

That's a good idea, I was thinking that I need a wire bender the other day when I came in the side KO of a meter pan and had to wrestle the 4/0 into the lug.

FWIW, I tried the Rack-a-Tiers 2" LB shoe horn thing, it fell out too much. It didn't seem to help as much as I thought it would.

 

[Cow]

For some reason my local supply houses don't carry aluminum THHN/THWN, they only have aluminum XHHW. The XHHW insulation is more expensive than THHN.

I've been told that in other parts of the country they commonly use 4/0-4/0-2/0 URD "Sweetbriar" cable in PVC service risers because this cable is considerably cheaper than aluminum XHHW.

So I was wondering if this was acceptable in your area and if there were any problems with the code to run URD down a PVC service riser to the meter pan and then inside to the main service panel?

We buy a reel of Sweetbriar and keep it at the shop. We'll take a cut off of it every time we do a service change. It's also dual rated as RHW, RHH, etc so no issues there.

 

[Michael15956]

That's a good idea, I was thinking that I need a wire bender the other day when I came in the side KO of a meter pan and had to wrestle the 4/0 into the lug.

FWIW, I tried the Rack-a-Tiers 2" LB shoe horn thing, it fell out too much. It didn't seem to help as much as I thought it would.

It works really well. I also bought longer smooth dowels for when I bend SE Cable in the LB. The longer smooth non-knurled dowels will not damage the jacket on the SE Cable.

 

[Michael15956]

To be a bit nit picky.

URD without another listing cannot be used for any NEC application.

USE without another listing can be used for NEC applications outside only due to no flame rating.

Duel listed USE/RHW can be used for NEC applications inside and outside.


I agree areas may be calling any of these cable types URD when in fact they are listed as other types.

Found some at HD today. It is labeled XLPE/USE-2/RHH/RHW and labeled sun resistance, made by Southwire. Is XLPE considered URD? Because it is marked on the price tag as tri-plex URD.

 

[augie47]

With that marking on the conductor they pretty much have their bases covered...it's URD because it's in the residential distribution cable catagory by the manufacturer. XLP is for the type insulation, cross-link poly. It can be used as a NEC conductor for USE-2, RHW or RHH applications.

 

[Michael15956]

With that marking on the conductor they pretty much have their bases covered...it's URD because it's in the residential distribution cable catagory by the manufacturer. XLP is for the type insulation, cross-link poly. It can be used as a NEC conductor for USE-2, RHW or RHH applications.

Thank you!

 

[ActionDave]

Hey, thanks.

If I have the chance I will. I try to keep it with me and charged.

You could start your own u tube channel, The Eyes of Iwire.

 

[wirebender]

You could start your own u tube channel, The Eyes of Iwire.

I would subscribe.