Winter what to do with welders

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Hi everyone, winter is here and im wondering what everyone does with there welders infact im more worried about the plastic on the mig gun and tif torch as there starting to go hard anyone got any useful tips? Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:You referring to them being stored or are you worried about them cracking when you start using them?Sent from my dumb smartphoneTeach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:Both really Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:no problem either way...Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:I went out today and whole tig gun was hard to move around if that makes any sense Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:I was going to say maybe my stuff is not all that old but I never had the problem.
Reply:I keep my gear in an Unheated shop.  I am in the northeast an during the winter we have sub zero temps.  I walk in, turn on the heat then use the welding gear. No issues at allSignature:HTP Invertig 221Lincoln MP210Hypertherm Powermax 45Lincoln Weldpak100
Reply:I don't really pay any attention to the issue.  Except I don't try to flex my "flex-head" tig torch very far until it warms up a little.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I mean i only have a shed but i suppose i could whack the heater on before using the equipment Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:I prefer to keep my MIG in a heated shop, but I'm more concerned about rust issues with the condensation. The buzz boxes I don't worry about. Add your location to your profile... makes a big difference if you are in Anchorage or Mexico City.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Daily use."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:I live in the uk and the temps here are 1.5 degress and -5 at nightSent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by SmartdaveI keep my gear in an Unheated shop.  I am in the northeast an during the winter we have sub zero temps.  I walk in, turn on the heat then use the welding gear. No issues at allSignature:HTP Invertig 221Lincoln MP210Hypertherm Powermax 45Lincoln Weldpak100
Reply:Originally Posted by jdilkes95I went out today and whole tig gun was hard to move around if that makes any sense
Reply:Meaning the tig torch rather than the power cables and gas hose, it might be just cheap quality Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55I presume you mean the power cable/gas hose.If so, sounds like you're dealing with a lower quality product same as those cheap orange PVC air hoses from Harbor Freight that turn to a solid piece of pipe at temps below 60F.
Reply:Originally Posted by jdilkes95Meaning the tig torch rather than the power cables and gas hose, it might be just cheap quality
Reply:Yes the flexability seems to be more hardened rather than flexable in cold weatherSent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:Originally Posted by Lis2323Ditto on the current Miller plasma torches.   Not very pliable even in the summer. The older ones were way better. Terry
Reply:Originally Posted by jdilkes95Yes the flexability seems to be more hardened rather than flexable in cold weather
Reply:When it is going to be freezing cold for days on end I shut the water off to the machine and start it up while hitting the pedal and drain all the water out of the torch cables...Same with the discharge hose...No water no freeze problem.I also keep a small electric space heater running under the front panel to keep the solenoids and basic machine warm...Can't afford anything stupid to happen in freezing weather....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Your temp range of 23 to 31 degrees F shouldn't cause a problem with decent quality equipment.30+ yrs Army Infantry & Field Artillery, 25 yrs agoMiller 350LX Tig Runner TA 210, spool gunLincoln 250/250 IdealArcESAB PCM 500i PlasmaKazoo 30"  vert BSKazoo 9x16 horiz BSClausing 12x24 lathe20T Air Press
Reply:I've used my Harbor Freight 170 mig welder all the way down to 12F before and never had a problem. In fact, I like it cold because its duty cycle goes through the roof at those temps. Granted you have other things to deal with at those temps like preheating the metal and frost bite.My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:Shop staying at 55 regardless of outside temp is my solution.
Reply:Originally Posted by vwguy3Shop staying at 55 regardless of outside temp is my solution.The cables seem ok even in -20 weather. Our Bobcat is mounted to the truck year round.  It was new last year and we bought the Miller insulated cover to go over it. After a stretch of about 2 weeks we removed it only to find the whole outside case covered in frost. I guess from now on we'll be checking it every couple of days.
Reply:We can see temps down to minus 50 C (although going below minus 35C has been rare the last few years with global warming) and I've always found that the frost/humidity/condensation is much worse for causing problems than the actual cold. I went for years with no heated shop, so I really like to keep the equipment I'm working with inside the heated shop if I can.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:When I lived in a house where the attached garage was underneath the house and had heating registers, I adjusted the airflow to keep the garage at about 45F in the wintertime.  Now, I have a much better shop, but it's completely unheated.  At first, I had the same concerns you do about the cold, but they've turned out to be unfounded.  Cables are a bit stiffer in the cold, but I have yet so see anything get brittle and break due to the cold.  I'd say that (at least where I live), the humidity in the summertime is a greater threat.  Originally Posted by jdilkes95Hi everyone, winter is here and im wondering what everyone does with there welders infact im more worried about the plastic on the mig gun and tif torch as there starting to go hard anyone got any useful tips? Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Reply:Mine sit out in the cold shop. I weld just outside the door or in if its really cold. I figure condensation is a bigger threat as I haven't had an issue with cables yet. I will comment that my Radnor scratch Tig torch hoses only lasted 7 years before they started leaking from dry rot!
Reply:Last year at work we had almost 30 days of sub-zero temps. Thats in deg F. We don't do anything special and the machines do OK. The TIG cooler is loaded with antifreeze. I always make sure the cables are completely unwound and laying flat and straight before use. I'm fussy about how people wind up their cables for storage, I insist on a very large loose loop. Allowing the cable to follow its own twist when winding so it doesn't get a kink and take a set.Use a bigger hammer.