The advantage to conduit is that you might not have to dig as deep, conduit is often allowed 18" below ground while direct burial is typically 24".

 

I buried about 70 feet of URD to feed my barn. I live in coastal SC so no frost and my soil is practically pure sand. Digging to 2 feet was easy for the kid I hired to dig?

 

I'm guessing you buried this cable directly with no conduit?

Also, My packing slip for the cable reads: 6ALUM - UD - NOTRE DAME.
What does the UD stand for, and why is it called NOTRE DAME?
Thanks for the help

 

How far away are you going that voltage drop is a concern?

 

It will be about 160' from a main breaker box with an 80 amp breaker feeding a subpanel

 

No one ever told me what the UD stands for. I presume it is Underground Distribution. You would not want to grab an OH triplex or quadruplex by mistake.

Most of the primary and secondary wire and cable assemblies used in the Utility industry have code words. Notre Dame is the code word for your cable assembly. If you had ordered the 4th wire as full size 1/0, it would have been Purdue.

 

OK. thanks

 

URD is not a NEC listed wiring method and may not be used after the service point. Utilities can use this cable.

Mark

 

oops...Well, too late now, it's buried from the main to the subpanel.

 

URD sold in electrical supply houses (in my area) is also listed as USE.

 

Who is the Mfg of your cable ?

Some (idk about all) Mfg's also rate their URD as USE or USE-2.
From the Southwire Product Catalog, URD quad pages.

Southwire’s quadruplex 600 volt secondary UD cable meets or exceeds all applicable requirements of ICEA S-105-692 for cross-linked polyethylene insulated conductors and UL Standard 854 for Type USE-2.

 

Who is the Mfg of your cable ?

Good Question. I got it from Cables Your Way company. Here is a copy of the cable description:


Color:
Black.

Description:
Underground Secondary Distribution Cables are twisted assemblies of alloy 1350 aluminum conductors insulated with cross-linked polyethylene. They are used in various underground applications in secondary distribution circuits.

Conductor:
Compressed Class B compressed stranded, 1350 series aluminum alloy.

Insulation:
Black cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE)

Assembly:
Phase conductors and neutral conductors are cabled together to form a twisted assembly.

Applicable Standards:
- UL 854: Service Entrance Cables
- ICEA S-105-692 Standard for 600 Volt Single Layer Thermoset Insulated Utility Underground Distribution Cables

Specifications*:
Phase Conductor-Size: 1/0 AWG
Conductor Strand: 19
Neutral Conductor-Size: 2 AWG
Conductor Strand: 7
Insulation Thickness: 0.080 inches
Outside Diameter: 1.188 inches
Allowable Ampacity-Direct Burial: 198 Amps
Allowable Ampacity-In Duct: 150 Amps
Weight: 0.529 lbs per ft

*Data provided on this page is subject to change based on different manufacturers variances.