What kind of welder? - Page 2

bradrhale · 02-26-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrjohnwayne

Ditto to Crab, but I think most 220v welders require atleast a 50amp breaker and plug.

Not very difficult to wire up.

a 120v mig and a 220 volt stick sounds like a good start.

beat me to it. to add to that, do NOT run 12 or 14 ga wire to the receptacle. the only thing that does or will do is burn your house down.

crabtruck · 02-26-2009, 02:37 PM

Brad points out the safety issue, let me add some functional stuff.

Because of the costs involved, you want to keep the distance between
the service panel and the new plug as short as possible, preferably
under 50' (that's 50 wire feet, not the walking distance). Depending on
your supplier, wire could cost $2/ft each or $6/ft of circuit distance.
That's high side to make the point, you could be at $1/$3.
2pole 220v breaker and a 220v outlet should be under $25 total.
That could put a new 220v outlet project at $200-$500

The usefulness of wire goes down as the distance goes up.
#14 copper wire has 6.5 times the resistance of #6 wire.
That's a big deal because the wire is sucking up power,
so undersizing does not save money, just makes for bad welds
and damaged welders. Suggest min #6 if in conduit. If running cable
consider bigger.

If you can locate the plug within 10 feet of breaker, you could drop
the wire size to #8 which would save money and be easier to work.
That could put a new 220v outlet project below $70

Check local codes and wire for both electrical and physical safety.

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02-26-2009, 02:37 PM	#12
crabtruck Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 4,128	Brad points out the safety issue, let me add some functional stuff. Because of the costs involved, you want to keep the distance between the service panel and the new plug as short as possible, preferably under 50' (that's 50 wire feet, not the walking distance). Depending on your supplier, wire could cost $2/ft each or $6/ft of circuit distance. That's high side to make the point, you could be at $1/$3. 2pole 220v breaker and a 220v outlet should be under $25 total. That could put a new 220v outlet project at $200-$500 The usefulness of wire goes down as the distance goes up. #14 copper wire has 6.5 times the resistance of #6 wire. That's a big deal because the wire is sucking up power, so undersizing does not save money, just makes for bad welds and damaged welders. Suggest min #6 if in conduit. If running cable consider bigger. If you can locate the plug within 10 feet of breaker, you could drop the wire size to #8 which would save money and be easier to work. That could put a new 220v outlet project below $70 Check local codes and wire for both electrical and physical safety.