# USEB90 cable



## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

Afternoon:

I have never used USEB cable for an underground service to a home, but seen it used recently. Not being cheeky, but if I spelled the designation correctly, it has aluminum conductors with a copper concentric neutral, and a simple rubber covering around all three. I'm sure members have seen it more often than I have, which is once! 

What is the consensus here?

Thanks, Borgi


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Yeah, that's what it is. Common underground service cable.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Never used it.. wonder what it costs. If I go in the ground, I just use ACWU.


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## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Never used it.. wonder what it costs. If I go in the ground, I just use ACWU.


Reasonably priced, I think ~ $9 a meter for 100 amp service, I've seen at a supplier site. Does that sound right? I have never used it! 

I use PVC conduit with copper! Over 20 years ago did a few, same way.

Been a while since I have even looked at jobs like this. 

Thanks, Borgi


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

Borgi said:


> Afternoon:
> 
> I have never used USEB cable for an underground service to a home, but seen it used recently. Not being cheeky, but if I spelled the designation correctly, it has aluminum conductors with a copper concentric neutral, and a simple rubber covering around all three. I'm sure members have seen it more often than I have, which is once!
> 
> ...


USEI seems to have taken over the market. 
Both do the job, and seem to be close to the same price per meter


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Copper is too rich for my blood! I'm all aluminum all the time! 

I don't think I have ever done a 100A service.. but that sounds like nice pricing.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Every house in Edmonton has this. Well new houses with UG services. That would be 400,000 or so.

Now it's put in by a third party contractor(s). Rare for an electrician wiring the house to also do the service.

Prior to the 3rd party guys the power company did it.

Now I just did a OH service to to a garage and run pvc from there to the house. When given the option the home owner opted to pay for copper in the pvc.

Most services in Edmonton are 100 amp. Plenty in the land of oil.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Borgi said:


> Reasonably priced, I think ~ $9 a meter for 100 amp service, I've seen at a supplier site. Does that sound right? I have never used it!
> 
> I use PVC conduit with copper! Over 20 years ago did a few, same way.
> 
> ...


Can't remember what I have paid but $9 a meter sounds high. I would talk the customer into larger conductor size for future anyway. Had an acreage job last year where the customer did a ton of upgrades. Was able to do a simple panel swap rather than trench through trees and under a road. Increased to 150 amp because the larger service conductors were already there.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

wcord said:


> USEI seems to have taken over the market.
> Both do the job, and seem to be close to the same price per meter


Wonder if there is an advantage to USEI? Never heard of it before until now.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Never used it.. wonder what it costs. If I go in the ground, I just use ACWU.


I think you're losing money, Frunk.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Had one municipality that wanted the USEB run through PVC conduit under the driveway regardless of depth. Not a code requirement but a local requirement. Just a heads up  .


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

99cents said:


> Wonder if there is an advantage to USEI? Never heard of it before until now.


The only advantage I can think of, is the concentric neutral maybe would give some protection to the hots. 
Don't really see USEI much any more


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## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

daveEM said:


> Now it's put in by a third party contractor(s). Rare for an electrician wiring the house to also do the service.
> 
> Prior to the 3rd party guys the power company did it.


Ya, the one I seen was third party, they do most of the underground services in that jurisdiction. 

Where I come from, the utility Ontario Hydro, ran it in a duct supplied by the home owner. At that time, Well over 20 yrs ago, I used 4" tile drainage pipe, that was the norm.

First one out west was an underground failure of direct burial wire from our garage feeding a sub in the house. We put the new copper feed in PVC.

Thanks, Borgi


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Is this the USEB you guys are talking about?










Looks like similar pricing to ACWU but harder to get and there's no bond in the cable.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

What are you bonding to? USEB is as common around here as mosquitios. And, yeah, the image you posted is USEB.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Say Bonding a subpanel to the main. I've never seen USEB before.


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## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

99cents said:


> What are you bonding to?




In this case that box is metal. I Shut the power off at the pole and climbed up that ladder to check connections! Originally it was an overhead feed. Inside that box was USEB cable, connected to the original copper mast conductors.

The metal box was bonded using the mast pipe and a metal bushing on the inside, and obviously I couldn't see the back. I would of tried to pull a bond up to that box, but I also would have just entered the panel in the basement directly! 

My brother held the ladder for me as this out of shape fat guy went up that cheap ladder, ( not mine ). I said to my brother, " how the f... did I get roped into this? " :laughing:

Thanks, Borgi


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## wcord (Jan 23, 2011)

My house used to have pink siding too, until 'she who must be obeyed' put her foot down
Only took 15 years, I was getting to it:whistling2:


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Say Bonding a subpanel to the main. I've never seen USEB before.


I'm confused. This is used for service connection, from the utility point of connection to the meter socket. Two hots and a neutral.


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## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

99cents said:


> I'm confused. This is used for service connection, from the utility point of connection to the meter socket. Two hots and a neutral.


Ya, the cable is in PVC when out of ground to that box, and up the utility pole for 15' or so, then continues up the pole where connections are made. I assume the cable is direct bury in-between, but I don't know, and hope I never have to find out! 

No need for a bond in that case! Other jurisdictions, and or utilities are stricter perhaps? This is in rural Alberta! No issue for me, as long as it's buried deep, three feet anyway, and plenty of fine sand! Alberta talked about putting that, or similar wording, in the Standata.

Thanks, Borgi


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## Hmacanada (Jan 16, 2014)

I'm area in southern Ontario , hydro one as well as me still use USEI90.
Never heard of USEB90.
What would be the benefit?
#2 usei90 is a little over 4 bucks a meter here.
All underground service conducters have to be in duct .
And be 200amp conductors minimum even if it's a 100 amp service.
Hydro one spec. Not code rule.
If it's under a drive , it has to be in a duct.



Sent from my iPhone using electriciantalk.com


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

USEB is an Alberta thing. They don't install it in a code compliant manner either from what I have seen.

But they do lots of things differently in the "land of get er done".


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Hmacanada said:


> Never heard of USEB90.
> What would be the benefit?
> #2 usei90 is a little over 4 bucks a meter here.


Same here.. USEI up a mast to the supply connection. I don't get why anyone would use this crazy looking USEB cable. 

I thought we were talking about running this stuff underground for sub feeds or something.


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## Kunolop (Feb 9, 2013)

I mainly see USEI90 here but have used USEB90 a lot in my apprentice days working for someone else. I found a new install looking like this a couple months back! Why even dig at all?


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

farlsincharge said:


> USEB is an Alberta thing. They don't install it in a code compliant manner either from what I have seen.
> 
> But they do lots of things differently in the "land of get er done".


Csa approved, easy to work with, available, good price point. What's the downside?


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

99cents said:


> Csa approved, easy to work with, available, good price point. What's the downside?


2x the money of USEI, not readily available here.


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## 51360 (Jun 9, 2014)

. C

Here is what it looked like inside that box! 

This is third party so, unless I absolutely need to I don't want to f.... With it. While I was up there I added tape to each connection, but they seemed fine. I would have been more picky, but what do I know?  The problem was not here. :thumbsup:

I will have to add some duct seal, and maybe bond the cover, but all is good! 

Definitely not how I would do it! 

Thanks, Borgi


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