Finding 220V outlet at a friend's house?

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I should say that I am thinking about a temporary setup, as my shop has a real 50 amp 220V outlet.  This is probably something that I might use twice in five years, as I rarely work out of my shop.   All my welders and my plasma cutter are 220V only.I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, toying with a jumper box to get 220V out of two 110V outlets, but of course there are huge code and safety issues with that approach.If I go to a random friend's home, and look for a 220V dryer outlet, am I likely to find one?  Dryer outlets are usually 30 amp outlets, so I think that I could run 1/8 inch stick rod off a 220V 30 amp outlet, especially off an inverter.    I suppose some homes might have a 220V outlet for a stove, not sure if that would be a 30 amp outlet or less.One guy I know does solar water installations, and he says he routinely uses the 220V dryer outlet in whatever home he is working in.  I have never asked him in detail how often he fails to find such an outlet, and what he does when that happens.So what about finding 220V outlets at homes?   What about at businesses?RichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge
Reply:220 outlets for stoves are 50/60 amp circuits. hot water heaters and dryers are usually 30 amp. You should be able to weld with on a 30 amp circuit no problem with an inverter. I would think a transformer machine would work also as long as you were using 3/32 or 1/8 electodes. I know my Thunderbolt 225/150 pulls 47 amps wide open. Window unit a/c's that are 220 run on 30 amp circuits as well. If someone has a house with a electric tankless water heater there should be a circuit ran for 40-100 amps depending on the size of the heater, althouth they a hard wired.
Reply:Stoves and Dryers are your best bet. Around here, most Hot Water tanks are wired in...no recepticle/plug to use. Also, some older stoves and dryers were hard-wired too.You could also carry a handful of 50 amp breakers in different styles, depending on the house, and attach an extension cord directly to the breaker...it is for temp use, right?Andrew
Reply:I would guess a lot of stoves are directly wired and don't have an outlet.  The dryer is probably your best bet.Using two out-of-phase 110v outlets will still only get you 15 amps of 220v.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:Might as well buy a generator that could provide 30amps @ 240v and be useful throughout the year.What type of stuff do you see doing on location?Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:If you don't find a stove or dryer outlet can do what most floor sander guys do.They remove the power panel cover and clamp directly on to the power bus areas inside the panel for 220 VAC.  That is how they typically come set up to do it as many of their machines draw a bunch of power, they have their cables quite long and set up with big clips like you find on car jumper cables. That way they also can not be blamed for damage to cables / etc by the home owner. They get to draw power up to the main breaker rating.
Reply:I've never seen a stove hardwired. The only hard connection is the gas line, and if it's a gas stove theres not 230v anyway.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammerI've never seen a stove hardwired.
Reply:Post #3 from AndyA is probably your best bet for doing this as a temporary set up, since you say you may only use it twice in 5 years. Just buy the 50 amp breaker of the type to fit the particular breaker panel and direct wire your extension cord to it. OOOOOOR buy an engine drive welder and plenty of welding leads to reach the work area. This may open up new possibilities in the kinds of jobs you may want to consider, and get you out of the shop a little more often. If it has enough Aux. power available it could also power your other welding equipment if that would be better suited to the job at hand. This might be a better option than was suggested on buying a generator, though somewhat more expensive.
Reply:Originally Posted by rafergusonI was having a discussion with a friend of mine, toying with a jumper box to get 220V out of two 110V outlets, but of course there are huge code and safety issues with that approach.
Reply:As far as how common not having an electric dryer is, that greatly depends on the area where you live.I ran into this issue a few years back. We rent out a house my parents bought near me and another relative. Actually we have three houses on the same block. Shortly after the renters moved in, the dryer crapped out. No biggie, they use mine to finish the load while I run out and get a new gas dryer like the rest of us have. Turns out the original owner installed an electric dryer instead of the gas ones everyone else has. Go figure, I need to run a gas line... My sisters current neighborhood in VA just had gas installed. Everything prior to that was electric, so I had no issues tieing in to get 220v power to run a machine at her place last year using the dryer. In fact most of the different homes I grew up in had electric for the dryers. If the house has electric or oil heat, chances are high they have an electric dryer. If they use gas or propane, chances are they have a gas/ propane dryer and stove and you'll need to plan accordingly.I've used the spare temporary breaker trick any number of times to pull power on job sites and not have to worry about tripping a breaker customers are currently using. If it's very short term, I'll leave the panel open ( not my prefered way) otherwise I'll run the wire thru a knockout and button things back up when done. I used to have a 50amp 230v temporary sub panel  with seperate breakered outlets an electrician built for us on one job. He tied in to the main panel with a 50 amp breaker and line and it ran to the temporary sub panel we were using for power to build the building next door. Sub panel had a plug attached so we could pull it at the end of the day and plug it back in when we showed up to work the next day..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by slowhandOne posted above about clamping directly onto the panels buss bars with jumper cable style clamps and running that to your equipment.  This gives you no breaker, no safety, and its dangerous to connect and/or disconnect (get yourself freaking fried  ) and also completely out of code to do or even think about trying.  Please keep you and your love ones completely safe and healthy whatever you decide to do.  I think this means that you need to do it the right way.  lol  Good luck man
Reply:I used to hook up just under the main breakers on the meter box with a sub panel then ran a 8-3 cord to where I was working.  If just for day took panel off if for extended used knockout then covered when done.
Reply:I'd personally make up 2 small extension cords.  Make the female end compatible with your welder plug, and the other ends with a 30 and 50 amp male plug.  The typical welding plug male and female are tough to find, at least for me.  My machines are all set up with 50 amp range plugs.  As noted above, ranges are typically 50 amps and dryers 30.  I will tell you that I tried to run a Lincoln tombstone off a 5500 watt generator with a 30 amp outlet.  I used 3/32 7018 at 110 amps DC and blew the breaker after about 5 seconds of laying down a bead.  When I finally got my 50 amp outlet installed in my garage, the rod ran like a dream.  Your inverter will draw much less power of course.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Originally Posted by Drf255I will tell you that I tried to run a Lincoln tombstone off a 5500 watt generator with a 30 amp outlet.  I used 3/32 7018 at 110 amps DC and blew the breaker after about 5 seconds of laying down a bead.
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWFYI even if your gen set was rated at 5500 watts continuous rather than the more common 5500 watt surge rating, that would only give you maybe 22-24 amps @ 230v ( hence why they use a 30 amp outlet) As you found, that's no where near enough juice to run a tombstone and not trip the breaker.
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseYup.An electric range may or may not be an option, but that is usually a tiny bit 'harder' to access, as you have to man-handle the range out of the way (usually) and then have to have the appropriate plug adapters (if the range is plugged into an outlet and not hard-wired into a junction box) and extension cords.  The electric dryer (usually) doesn't have to be man-handled out of the way, just unplug the dryer and then plug in your adapter(s) and extension cord(s).