Question about welder ... "maintenance" ... if you will.

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A co-worker left the TIG welder on a week or two ago and I asked if he was done using it.  He replied that he was "letting it cool down".My question is, do you leave it on to let it "cool down".  I would think that shutting it off would let it cool down just as fast, if not faster.  It's a Miller Dialarc HF Tig welder, which, I know, is water cooled, but that doesn't mean you have to leave it on for it to cool down, right?  I have the sneaky suspicion that it was left on out of carelessness.  He's prone to leaving things out in the work area.->Project Thread - 98SS BaggedAir Ride Questions Answered on AirRideTalk.com!!!DOT PTC FittingsDOT Compression FittingsAdaptersDOT Airline
Reply:there is quite a fan inside a tig welder..and some of the windings do get warm during useage..sometimes i let mine run for a while before i shut it down..(you really should shut off the water and hit the pedal once so the water pressure inside goes away before shut down..)but then and again sometimes i let it run all day even if i'm not using it.....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:He did maybe 4 or 5 passes of 3-4" lengths on some flat bar stock.But ... OK ...  ya learn something new every day.Last edited by 98SS; 11-09-2006 at 05:00 PM.->Project Thread - 98SS BaggedAir Ride Questions Answered on AirRideTalk.com!!!DOT PTC FittingsDOT Compression FittingsAdaptersDOT Airline
Reply:When I've finished using my old Lincoln TIG welder and I'm ready to shut it off, I let it run while I reach over and close the valve on the argon cylnder. Then, I tap the foot pedal once to initiate the solenoids so that the line and regulator will bleed down. When the water flow solenoid closes and the water flow stops, I shut it off. It has yet to overheat and I've been using it since 1995. I don't see any need to let it run more than that when I'm finished using it.
Reply:When I am done using a machine I shut it off.  Enough saidBirken