Need help here..........

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Ok, so after long thought I went out an purchased the Lincoln weld pack 175hd.  Many people said "buy bigger" and you wont regret it, so I did.  Now, I thought my dryer had a 230 volt outlet, and its right next to the door to my garage, so I figured I could just plug it in and run the welder out into the garage.  Now, i went to unplug the dryer and plug in the welder and the recepticle doesnt accept the welders plug.  What do I do?????I have attached a pic.  The plug at the bottom is the welder and the plug to the left is for the dryer.If I'm out of luck here, I may just have to purchase a 110v welder.  I am really only working with 3/16 inch angle and plate and some steel rods about 1/2" thick for prototypes and mock ups.  What do you all think????thanks !! Attached ImagesLast edited by standman4320; 04-18-2007 at 05:25 PM.
Reply:Call an electrican and just have him tap into the original box and run a "jumper" box out of it with the correct plug!You just can't use them both at the same time..Easy.. ...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:I would either change the plug end on the welder, or make an adapter.  Stoves and dryers have the outlet depicted there, while industrial equipment goes the other way.  Home depot will carry the plug end that you need for the welder.
Reply:is there an adapter that I can plug the welder into and then plug the adapter into the existing wall outlet ?????
Reply:I'm sure there is, it's just a matter of hunting it down.  Try giving Electrical Wholesale (EW) in CT a call.  If anyone would have one, they would.
Reply:Originally Posted by standman4320is there an adapter that I can plug the welder into and then plug the adapter into the existing wall outlet ?????
Reply:I think I may just return it and go with a 110v welder.  I really doubt I will need to do 1/2" steel work.  I see that the lincoln weld pack 100hd is 30-100 amps and is rated to weld up to 1/4" steel.  1/4 inch steel is about the most I would be welding anyhow.  Finding 110v outlets is a heck of a lot more common than 230.
Reply:Finding 110v outlets is a heck of a lot more common than 230.
Reply:not sure what you mean.......i dont know squat about electrical.  The licoln 100hd is made to run on 115v 15 amp ( which to my knowledge is what they typical home is wired....115v correct??? )  Are you saying it will run less smoothly on my standard recepticle in the garage that has a 15 amp breaker?
Reply:A 30 amp breaker is the way to go with a 110 machine..They like to "thermal out" after awhile..Machine gets too hot and shuts down untill its good and ready to go again..Has to do with the "duty cycle"It will work with a 15 amp breaker ...But it will work better on a 30 amp breaker.....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:I had the same problem as you, but I went to Home Depot and made a 50' extension cord out of a 10-3 gauge 110V cord, one plug for the drier side, a outlet box, and the correct receptacle for the welder side.  It cost me about $75 for everything, with $50 of it being the extension cord.  You could probably make a short (6 feet or so) long cord for $30.
Reply:I use a 10/3 extension cord on my 120V Snap-On welder. It gets power from a 30A 240V circuit. It works great. When I try to run the same unit on a 15 or even a 20A circuit, it's very rough.
Reply:Originally Posted by PatrickJI had the same problem as you, but I went to Home Depot and made a 50' extension cord out of a 10-3 gauge 110V cord, one plug for the drier side, a outlet box, and the correct receptacle for the welder side.  It cost me about $75 for everything, with $50 of it being the extension cord.  You could probably make a short (6 feet or so) long cord for $30.
Reply:I'd go with the extension cord like a couple guys mentioned. Buy a dryer type male end, welder type female recepticle, 4x4 junction box. Screw the juncton box to a chunk of plywood. I won't try and explain the wiring cuz I'm not an electrician, but the dryer has an extra wire (a neutral wire) which you won't need (tape the end and leave it in the junction box). If you stick with the 110v machine, you need the 30amp circuit to provide the "proper" power to it. It will run ok on a smaller circuit, but a 15amp circuit has smaller wires and probably other stuff running on it. The voltage will drop and thus make the welder heat up faster. If you try and weld at maximum output it may draw too many amps through the circuit and trip the breaker.  Once all your neighbors find out you can weld stuff, you'll need the extension cord to reach over the fence into their driveway and under their trailer to do a "5 minute" weld.Man invented metal, he can do whatever he wants with it.KMAC
Reply:Standman4320, you've already spent the $$$ to buy a better welder.  I wouldn't return it to get the smaller welder, it isn't that hard to make an extension cord.  I used my Lincoln Tombstone 180 AC for several years with an extension cord with a male plug for the dryer to plug into the wall, and a female for the welder plug on the other end.  I still have the cord, but it hasn't been used in a good while, since my new garage has a dedicated circuit for a welder, with the proper outlet on it.EdWhen the  drops the  stops!Check out my website at:  Tombstone 180 ACHandler 120Millermatic 210Powermax 380Harris & Victor torchesSawzallChop Saw
Reply:ahhhhhhhhhhh...........i cant make up my mind here !!!!  Thanks for all the input guys.
Reply:I went to the local hardware store and got parts to make a 3' adapter cord to plug into my 250 ranger to run the 255 powermig (which didn't work out well).  The cord cost around $45 to make and worked just fine if my ranger had more power.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:A) No one wishes they had  a smaller bucket/brain/bank account/welder/fill in the blank. For a little bit more, you can make an extension cord, doesn't have to be 50' if you don't think you need it (see A) but then you have a machine that is more than you need some of the time and up to it when you really need it. Especially as you ALREADY HAVE IT! I'm new to this stuff, bought a MM180, made the cord for the same plug you have  and haven't wished I had a lesser setup.
Reply:Go to home depot or Lowes and get a premade dryer cord that wil fit your outlet. Then pick up the correct outlet for your welder and put it on the cord,  You'll have about $20 bucks in it, and you'll be glad you did.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Thanks guys............I was at lowes today and scoped out the dryer cord that matches my recepticle, but i couldnt locate the proper outlet to wire it to.  The only guy i found in that section said he needed me to bring in the cord from the welder so he could match the plug to the outlet.  So i will try to finish the project sometime this week.Thanks for all the input and help guys !!
Reply:Doesn't Lowes sell welders, too?  If not, just go to Home Depot, you can match it to the display welders.
Reply:Originally Posted by standman4320Thanks guys............I was at lowes today and scoped out the dryer cord that matches my recepticle, but i couldnt locate the proper outlet to wire it to.  The only guy i found in that section said he needed me to bring in the cord from the welder so he could match the plug to the outlet.  So i will try to finish the project sometime this week.Thanks for all the input and help guys !!
Reply:Just an observation-but I wonder if the other end of the cord is a solution.I have a spare dryer cord in the basement and the "other" end just bolts to the dryer with eye holes.  It seems logical to bolt the new extention cord at the dryer end, leave a 3' tail hang out behind the dryer and not have to unplug the dryer every time you want to puddle metal on metal.My wife would kill me if I trashed the utility room every few weekends.