Should I Leave My Welder Switched On?

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Hi...  I'm totally new at welding.  So everything's new.  I've got a small, cheap welder.  It has a 'duty cycle' which is something new to me and I understand as specifying the amount of work it can do in one hour.  Using 1.6mm rods it can do about 30rods/hr if I remember right.  Using 3mm or 4mm or such it can only do about 3 rods an hour. I might have the numbers wrong but it doesn't matter, it is the principle that I'm trying to get at. This, I believe, is because the transformer gets hot. It mustn't be allowed to get too hot so it has a safety cut-out which will switch it off and these 'duty cycle' figures tell me about how much work I can expect from it before it'll switch itself off.  So it would seem the thing to do is switch the machine off whenever I'm not actually welding - allowing it to cool down. BUT.... I think I notice that when I first switch the machine on, when it is cold, it is harder to make a rod start than later when it has warmed up a bit.  I might be wrong but that's what I think.  If that's true then what should I do?  What's the general advice? Always switch off your machine when not welding?  Leave it on all the time? Get it warm and then switch it off between spells of welding?
Reply:I usually leave mine on, if I'm going to be using it.The transformer is only drawing power while you are welding.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Duty cycle isn't calculated based on how many rods you burn. It is a percentage of a time period while at full output of the machine. For most welding duty cycles a 10 minute time period is used. A 20% duty cycle only allows you a 2 minute period of welding at 100% amperage of the machine. If you are using a 225 amp lincoln buzz box, that is a lot of amperage for most uses. You can calculate the duty cycle of a machine at less than 100% output and you will find an increase in actual welding time. If you need an equation to use to calculate duty cycle, let me know, I will post it.Regardless of how many minutes out of 10 that you are welding, most machines would benefit by being left on so that the cooling fan can continue blowing.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Actually I had a thought that came up that is very similar. I've been breaking in a Miller Econotig (not really it's old), and was wondering the same thing. If I weld at low current lets say 1/4 or less of the machines max rated output, how long is considered safe before turning off the machine in regard to cool down of the transformers and other internal components. i'm not sure if thats where abrogard was going with the question, so I hope I'm not jacking the thread.
Reply:O.C.D.   Find out the 100% duty cycle rating.  You can run it all day at that setting or below it.Like Joker said, its a TEN MINUTE rating at full power.  You cannot run a 20% duty cycle for 20 minutes and cool for 80.  2 minutes running, 8 cooling.  Most machines have a 100% rating or 60% rating.  In the case of 60%, you can run 6 minutes, cool for 4.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If that's true then what should I do? What's the general advice? Always switch off your machine when not welding? Leave it on all the time? Get it warm and then switch it off between spells of welding?
Reply:If you need 100% duty cycle, at full rated power, you might want to check out an engine driven welder like Lincoln's Ranger 8, Ranger 9, Ranger 10, Ranger 250. I am not current on all their model designations. I have the Ranger 9, which is why I know of it. Even Lincoln's 600amp Tig unit had a dual rating on the label 60% and 40%. Which is a bummer if you need 600amps, but considering that there is a slope on duty cycle, you could probably run 300 amps with 10 out of 10 minutes with it. So upsizing when you make a purchase could put you into a 100% duty cycle in the amperage you will use most often. Sorry, I know the original question was what to do with your cheap welder. I apologize for hijacking your thread.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:BUT.... I think I notice that when I first switch the machine on, when it is cold, it is harder to make a rod start than later when it has warmed up a bit.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sandy The electrons have all settled in the bottom of the coils, it works better once they are stirred up  ..Nahhhh, just kiddn.
Reply:Originally Posted by Joker11...Regardless of how many minutes out of 10 that you are welding, most machines would benefit by being left on so that the cooling fan can continue blowing.
Reply:Leave the welder on. Cools better with the fan running. Less chance of problems this wayMiller DVI2Lincoln Precision Tig 225Thermodynamics Cutmaster 38Everything else needed.
Reply:The heat just sits there and cooks anything that is cookable
Reply:I modded my ESAB Multimaster 260 so the fan runs full time and not just when hot.
Reply:The fan in the Hobart runs from the time I flip the switch on untill I shut it off...Most good  welders are like that naturally.....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:Originally Posted by zapsterThe fan in the Hobart runs from the time I flip the switch on untill I shut it off...Most good  welders are like that naturally..
Reply:Newer industrial Lincoln welders also have a feature called F.A.N. Fan As Needed.My 255C I let run until the fan kicks off after I have been doing some serious welding.Patriot Performance AutoLincoln Power Mig 255CLincoln AC-225 StickVictor Journeyman O/AQuincy QT-5 Compressor
Reply:Thats all news to me.. Whatever..Heat is the enemie to anything.. Just ask the metal we weld.....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:Originally Posted by zapsterHeat is the enemie to anything..Just ask the metal we weld...
Reply:Fan-On-Demand keeping less dust in the machine DOES help with the heat problem.  Dust is an insulator.  Open up a 30-year old tombstone and see how much "insulation" has accumulated around the transformer.
Reply:Tensaiteki,Lighten up.  Zap's being a little playful but he definately knows his #@it. Knowledge is only as good as its application.  I personally know a bunch of guys who have a ton of knowledge (book readers, etc) but when it comes to applying the knowledge and applying those things that can't be gleaned from books they fail.  I haven't seen any posts of your work yet but you just might spend a little time looking over Zaps and others on the board before you start  correcting them over petty uses of words. Hands on or baptism by fire as we call it beats the heck out of classes and book knowledge.post up some photos of your beads or lighten up.Michael
Reply:Originally Posted by 383bigblockTensaiteki,Lighten up.  Zap's being a little playful but he definately knows his #@it. Knowledge is only as good as its application.  I personally know a bunch of guys who have a ton of knowledge (book readers, etc) but when it comes to applying the knowledge and applying those things that can't be gleaned from books they fail.  I haven't seen any posts of your work yet but you just might spend a little time looking over Zaps and others on the board before you start  correcting them over petty uses of words. Hands on or baptism by fire as we call it beats the heck out of classes and book knowledge.post up some photos of your beads or lighten up.Michael
Reply:Hi guys and thanks for the posts.   I will leave my welder switched on.  They don't quote the duty cycle as a percentage for me. They tell me how many rods I can burn in the first hour from cold before the thermal cutout operates and then they tell me how many rods I can burn after that and before it cuts out again. Again, they say, in the first hour. Quote different figures for different rods. For a 2mm rod I can burn 24  before she cuts out.       Subsequently I can burn only 6 before it'll cut out again. Sound okay?  Listen to this:  For a 3.2mm rod I can burn 2 only before it'll cut out.        And subsequently I can burn only 1 before it'll cut out again. I guess that's what you get for a cheap welder. Nobody spelled that out for me in the hardware store when I bought it.  Caveat Emptor.  You Live and Learn.   Actually it'll probably do me fine.  I do little and I'll do more, but not much more.  And when I'm working I won't be burning these rods continuously which is what their figures mean.    It's those figures made me query switching it on or off - it's obvious I need to do everything I can to keep it cool if I should want to burn a few heavy rods.  You want to see some beads?  Brace yourselves.  If you can  handle the horror of it I'll post pics of my beads, but I warn you, it's horrible to look at.  I'll start a new thread because this has been well answered.   I want to ask about how to weld thin steel. It should be a new thread I think.  Thanks again.  ab
Reply:I leave mine on..  For cooling,...  also... cause memory is like a seive and forget to turn it off.  If I wear the fan out, oh well... i'll fabricate a new one in.Kind of seems like a 'ford/chevy' debate, but I leave mine on. ( cept for the dynasty... it only comes on when hot )
Reply:I'm all for some cool down time after welding, but if you're done laying beads and are going to spend the next half an hour going at it with the grinder, I think I'd shut it down so the cooling fan doesn't suck in all the grinding dust...that stuff can cause trouble with circuit boards and electrical connections. I worked at a place where the circuit breaker panel used to blow up every year for no apparent reason, until we realized the surface grinder was close to the panel and the fines were the cause for the fireworks. The grinder was moved to the other side of the room and it never happened again.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterThe fan in the Hobart runs from the time I flip the switch on untill I shut it off...Most good  welders are like that naturally.....zap!