TIG with 10 amp input?

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Hi all, I have very little TIG experience but want to buy a machine for home. My garage only has 10 amp electrical circuits and to go up to 15 amp is going to be costly, it's an old shed and I've had a quote for $600 to get a 15 amp circuit installed. Is it possible to buy a machine that will run off a 10 amp circuit? I would imagine such a machine would have a fairly low output but I'm only wanting to weld small stainless fittings etc.Any help greatly appreciated.
Reply:I don't think a 15 amps would even be enough. Are you talking 110V or 220V? Sounds like you need to rewire your whole work area with a new breaker panel and wiring and outlets. There is no way to put a gallon of water in a 1 quart jar. Sorry. It's not that hard to do yourself "if you know how". Keep asking your buddies, someone should be qualified to do this. But if you don't know how at all, keep it safe and call a pro and pay the man to do it right. Think about it. For $600. that's only $1.21 per day for 2 years. It will pay for itself quick. If you are going to do it right put in a 200 amp panel and it will handle most everything you will want to do. A 200 amp panel only cost $200. and will have a lot of room for other circuits also. Keep it safe and don't start a fire, I might live next door and I don't want your work shop to burn down my house because you didn't want to spend some beer money. After it's done it will feel like it was nothing, just pay the man and do it right. Otherwise you are just going to keep popping breakers or fuses, or burning up circuit boards on your welding machine.
Reply:I think you should get another quote. I assume that you don't have a sub panel in your garage. Your wiring may not even be up to code. Ten amps will not be enough for anything more than stitch welding with lengthy wait  time between welds. If your house is right next to your garage, you could have an outside plug installed, and run an extension cord. If you are having a new breaker installed, go with  twenty amps, then you could run a longer extension. Don't cheap out on the cord either.
Reply:Originally Posted by LavaI don't think a 15 amps would even be enough. Are you talking 110V or 220V? Sounds like you need to rewire your whole work area with a new breaker panel and wiring and outlets. There is no way to put a gallon of water in a 1 quart jar. Sorry. It's not that hard to do yourself "if you know how". Keep asking your buddies, someone should be qualified to do this. But if you don't know how at all, keep it safe and call a pro and pay the man to do it right. Think about it. For $600. that's only $1.21 per day for 2 years. It will pay for itself quick. If you are going to do it right put in a 200 amp panel and it will handle most everything you will want to do. A 200 amp panel only cost $200. and will have a lot of room for other circuits also. Keep it safe and don't start a fire, I might live next door and I don't want your work shop to burn down my house because you didn't want to spend some beer money. After it's done it will feel like it was nothing, just pay the man and do it right. Otherwise you are just going to keep popping breakers or fuses, or burning up circuit boards on your welding machine.
Reply:A machine is only going to draw as many amps as it needs to produce the necessary output.Suppose a 250 amp machine calls for a 40 amp breaker.  You can run it on a 10 amp breaker, but you will only be able to weld at about 25% of its rated output, so in this case it would be about 60 amps.  60 amps is enough to weld 11ga (3.2mm) steel easily.If you exceed the 10 amps, the breaker will trip.  Plain and simple.  No big deal.  This is all assuming the wiring is in good condition.You could install or have installed a 40 amp outlet, and then [build and] run a suitable extension cord when you're planning to weld.There are a lot of options, it just depends on what you have, what you need, what you can do yourself, and how much you're willing to spend"Great spirits have always encountered violent oppostion from mediocre minds."  --  Albert Einstein
Reply:Ive used Essetti 150 Tig DC only Lunch boxs on 10 amp circuits on SS with no dramas at all  On Site, at home ...maybe not at the factory that may be 15.Whats the worst that can happen you trip a fuse?A good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Originally Posted by BrettIve used Essetti 150 Tig DC only Lunch boxs on 10 amp circuits on SS with no dramas at all  On Site, at home ...maybe not at the factory that may be 15.Whats the worst that can happen you trip a fuse?
Reply:Cant remember what it came with but it has a 10 amp on it now....  Its only a deeper Earth pin , no changes to the Sq mm of the wires, I am not aware of any Safety issues , I've never had a drama .BrettA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Originally Posted by BrettCant remember what it came with but it has a 10 amp on it now....  Its only a deeper Earth pin , no changes to the Sq mm of the wires, I am not aware of any Safety issues , I've never had a drama .Brett
Reply:10A should be no problem - I too regularly use 10A outlets onsite -160A WIA Genesis and 150A Kemppi minarc, stick or tig (DC) If you want an AC/DC machine, most 200A machines will run on a 10A supply, just not maxed out.
Reply:There are cheaper ones on the market and I did buy it well over 10 years ago .Its a no frills Tig, scratch start , no amptroller but I used it for years .Did SFA Arc with it but was smooth  when I did.Have seen some Chinese cheapies on Ebay , no idea how good they are but if they work , they have all the bells and whisles and you get a lot of Amps per $ , not sure if they would be the way to go if I needed it for work , still if its just for dickin about at home ....??Having said that , you'll soon find out Yank mates veiw on them Best of luck , if you dont need it tomorrow there are always a bargin on Ebay.BrettA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ESSETI-150C-S...item4157fd26b8Looks like a newer version of mine I think I paid around the 800 mark new Then again 500 for a 3 in 1http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ROSSI-DC-INVE...item20b3b99f4f200 for a 215 amp http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ROSSI-MOS-215...item1e5f4c084bStill at the end of the day you get what you pay for eh?BrettA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:realistically guys, even for home, I'd rather not buy an ebay special .... even if you purchased a Unimig (chinese) locally you'd have somewhere you could dump it on the counter if it plays up. just watch thar Rossi stuff - a mate and I bought one each as a bit of a giggle - mine worked about 2 hrs (at 80A), his is still going.my thoughts anyway,Justin
Reply:Originally Posted by ifabric8realistically guys, even for home, I'd rather not buy an ebay special .... even if you purchased a Unimig (chinese) locally you'd have somewhere you could dump it on the counter if it plays up. just watch thar Rossi stuff - a mate and I bought one each as a bit of a giggle - mine worked about 2 hrs (at 80A), his is still going.my thoughts anyway,Justin
Reply:One of the guys at work has a Cigweld that dials up to 170 amps and comes fitted with a 10 amp plug, it's high frequency too, I think this means it's a push button start, not scratch start? $600 I think they paid for it. He reckons it'd be ok for home but for all day every day use it's a bit average. They've only had it 2 months and it's had to be repaired once. Not sure what happened to it but he said he ended up having to screw the power right up to get anything out of it. No drama's to get fixed though. Anyone had drama's with the Cigweld gear?
Reply:Cigweld gear is usually pretty robust - and they're local (head office is in Preston).  They did lose the agency at BOC a while back and seem to have few agents now (must be hurting them heaps). I think Thomas Warburton are about the biggest Cigweld agents in Victoria now - you could also try Rayline or Migwell sounds okay to me - HF does make it simpler to establish an arc where you want it. (should be remote on/off push button - check they supply correct torch.) Weldskill 170HF? cheers,Justin45+ years of accumulated fabrication junk - both physical and mental.....  occasionally some of it is vaguely useful.
Reply:Owned a Cigweld 210SE MIG.  Had it for over 12 years without fault.  Used it fairly hard at times with gun smoking.  I only changed the liner once when i sold it.   Got the digital readout panel installed too.  The only thing i didn't like about it was it didn't have a Euro style gun connector.Still own a Cigweld Transtig 200 AC/DC.Got most of my equipment now through Migwell.  Helpfully people.  BOC also sell Kemppi consumables.   BOC units are good value.  They are re badged Kemppi's.Oh, i run my Transtig on a 10 amp at times, but not at max amps.  My garage has 25 amp circuit and 32amp 3 phase.Last edited by LarryO; 03-28-2011 at 03:21 PM.
Reply:Today I went and had a look at the Cigweld TIG the guy at work uses, it is a 170HF. He told me it had a 10amp plug but actually it has a 15amp plug. He has a short lead with a 15amp female plug on one end and a 10amp male on the other running into the wall socket. This seems to work ok if he doesn't power up too much, he's only welding 1.6-2mm anyway.I spent the arvo using a scratch start TIG with 10amp plug fitted, it only runs up to 130amp though. I forget the brand name, it's an old machine. Only my second time on the tig and first time with a scratch start. I seemed to be pulling out some alright welds too, best I've done so far. The boss was happy with them and it made a change from MIG welding all day. Looking forward to getting a machine at home and start getting the home brew rig together!
Reply:Don't forget to back purge.
Reply:FYI, the wiring in a 15amp circuit is the same size as a 10amp one. Main diff' is a 10 amp circuit will have more than one ( 10??? ) whereas a 15amp can only have one. Outlet is different too. Obvious comment is how may tools can you use when you are welding.Ed
Reply:Originally Posted by weldappiFYI, the wiring in a 15amp circuit is the same size as a 10amp one. Main diff' is a 10 amp circuit will have more than one ( 10??? ) whereas a 15amp can only have one. Outlet is different too. Obvious comment is how may tools can you use when you are welding.Ed
Reply:Hello PeakI would find another sparky and ask him, my understanding is the service fuses from the supply authority are in the 60-100amp range, if you cause them to blow then I think you don't really need to worry about the beer fridges.Ed