Miller DialArc HF Purchase? PICS!!!

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Hey guys. My boss has a miller dialarc ac/dc welder. He said the capacitor is bad. He said its about $150 to replace. Is that true, are they easy to replace? Also it has a foot pedal but no torches. He wants $275 bucks for the welder. I cant afford the newer models with the economy. Is it a good deal?!!  Also can I run it at my home? Is it 3 phase?  Thanks a lot. Scroll down for pics.Last edited by loolagigi; 07-05-2012 at 10:37 PM.
Reply:That is not a 3 phase machine. It says single phase right on the plate to the left of the amperage dial. Here is the manual for the machine http://www.millerwelds.com/om/o315u_mil.pdf . On a 220V circuit it would need 90 Amps to use the machine to its full potential.  From what i saw in that the manual there are 2 large 40uF 480 VAC capacitors. If it is one of those that needs to be replaced, It shouldn't be to hard, just make sure that you discharge the capacitor by shorting out its leads, because they can store a large amount of electrical charge. Was the 150$ fix an estimate from a repair shop? As far as it being a good deal, I couldn't say for sure but being alone, by the time you add a tig torch, foot pedal, regulator, and all the other little goodies you will have a fair amount into the machine. Hopefully some one else will come along that can comment on the value. Good luck!!
Reply:Check the millerwelds forum as it has many Miller gurus there too.http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ng-DiscussionsDoes it stick weld on AC? Busted welders can turn into money toilets easily. I'd give a hundred bucks for the thing since I don't know if they have copper transformers and if they do it's still work to cut 'em up for scrap if things don't function as planned. I don't normally give over scrap value for mystery machines.Does it come with any leads or accessories?
Reply:Price sounds high for a "non functioning" machine, even if it will do tig. Standard AC/DC stick machines usually sell used for $300-500 roughly and used older tigs like that $500-900. Figure you'll be in at least $200-300 for an air cooled torch setup and reg plus at least a ground lead if not the stick lead. If it doesn't have a pedal for the remote, add at least $100 more. By the time you add all that up, you might be able to locate something better, cheaper, that already works. There's a lot of unknowns like exactly what comes with the deal, and how cheap he'll let it go. If all you want to do is to stick weld right now, and can get it cheap say $100-150, then maybe it's worth it. You will later have the option to add the tig gear if you can find it used cheap. If you want to do tig now, then I'd look for something else ready to go and proven unless you can get it stupid cheap.I got offered a "deal" on an XMT304 with a blown board last year. In theory it would cost $800 to fix the board. At that price it wasn't a bad deal, IF that's all it needed. However if I bought it, and took it to get repaired and the board was just the 1st thing it needed, then I'd have been better off buying a $1400-1600 working machine... I couldn't talk to the repair place that said the board was bad, so I passed. Add your location to your user CP at the top left so we know where you are. Lots of guys here surf CL regularly and might know of a deal local to you and let you know.  A deal local to me does you no good if you are in Cali for example. Also if you don't already use a CL aggregator like searchtempest or crazedlist to group CL searches, it's well worth trying. I usually use "welder" as my search parameter and search the list manually within 100 miles of the house to find deals..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:The machine comes with a foot pedal. Just no tig torch. It does stick and tig. Ac/dc welder. He wants $275 for the machine and foot pedal. The cost of $150 for the capacitor was just a guestimate from a guy at out shop. Thats part cost, not repair cost. I dont want to get into a $ pit, but at the same time i can spend a little $ at a time and eventually have a nice miller tig machine. i have a millermatic 175, 230 volt i use at the house right now. could i use the same power source? not sure what size breaker its running off of yet. thanksso on top of the $275 i would need a torch and regulator.
Reply:To do tig, yes. With the reg, you'll need the hose to connect the reg to the machine. You might also need the ground wire and clamp if the machine doesn't come with stick leads. If you opt for a water cooled torch, you'll need the cooler parts as well. You can run an air cooled torch just fine at below 180 amps or so if you aren't doing heavy production work and can stop when the torch heats up.If you are looking for a good inexpensive torch, look at the CK torches. They have a higher duty cycle than the more expensive Weldcraft ones that usually come with Millers, but are less money.http://www.arc-zone.com/index.php?ma...oducts_id=7519Figure you'll also need a cup, collet, collet body and tungsten for the torch. I'd get 3/32" to start and opt for a gas lens rather than the standard cup/collet body if you are just learning. The people at Arc-zone can get you the right parts for the torch when you order. I'd probably suggest getting red tungstens to start out for steel. You'll grind them up fairly quickly while learning, so I'd get at least 2. Don't worry about alum for now, you are a long ways from welding alum with that yet.You'll also need filler wire. I'd get 1/16" or 3/32" and go ahead and pick up a few pounds, maybe 5..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:i could prob talk him down to $200.
Reply:Can't quite make it out but it appears the SN starts with "JF".  If you'll go here http://www.millerwelds.com/service/o...uals.php?model and enter the unit SN, select Dialarc HF and click on Search you'll be able to download the correct manual to look up any required repair parts once it's known if any are needed.There are a number of capacitors in the unit and if you're looking at the Power Factor Correction (PFC) units (2 required), they run just under $200 from Miller http://miller4less.com/advanced_sear...13&search.y=11 but could be secured from a number of sources for even less.IF it's the PFC caps and it's the 200/230/460 rated unit, you can run it without them but the machine will just require a larger capacity circuit and breaker for full output.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55Can't quite make it out but it appears the SN starts with "JF".  If you'll go here http://www.millerwelds.com/service/o...uals.php?model and enter the unit SN, select Dialarc HF and click on Search you'll be able to download the correct manual to look up any required repair parts once it's known if any are needed.There are a number of capacitors in the unit and if you're looking at the Power Factor Correction (PFC) units (2 required), they run just under $200 from Miller http://miller4less.com/advanced_sear...13&search.y=11 but could be secured from a number of sources for even less.IF it's the PFC caps and it's the 200/230/460 rated unit, you can run it without them but the machine will just require a larger capacity circuit and breaker for full output.
Reply:The "cracked" capacitor claim just raises more questions and as I said, there are several different capacitors in the unit so a photo or two of the one in question would be helpful in identifying it.If it turns out it has the PFC caps and the one in question is bad, yes they are $200 each (@ miller4less.com) and should both be replaced.  Capacitors are like batteries.  If dealing with a bank of two or more, if one is bad due to age, all should be replaced to avoid compromising the life of a single new one.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Originally Posted by duaneb55The "cracked" capacitor claim just raises more questions and as I said, there are several different capacitors in the unit so a photo or two of the one in question would be helpful in identifying it.If it turns out it has the PFC caps and the one in question is bad, yes they are $200 each (@ miller4less.com) and should both be replaced.  Capacitors are like batteries.  If dealing with a bank of two or more, if one is bad due to age, all should be replaced to avoid compromising the life of a single new one.
Reply:Duane's earlier point is that the PFC caps aren't "needed" and can be bypassed. What they do is store up power and allow the unit to run on a lower overall  max amperage at the panel. The down side is when you aren't welding, the machine keeps drawing a heavy current to charge the caps. Your max goes down, but your idle amperage goes up.If I'm reading the manual correctly, the unit with the PFC's installed draws 76 amps 230v at rated output vs 90 amps 230v at rated output without the PFCs. Idle draw however is probably much higher with the PFC's, maybe 50 amps vs 15 amps with out. Total power used will end up the same.The advantage of the PFC's is that they flatten out the draw on the meter if you have a demand meter, and allow you to run the machine on a lower max amps, a bonus for those with limited input power, but need to run high amp outputs. The down side is that the machine will draw more power, just sitting doing nothing, especially if you aren't running at rated power. The idle draw will be quite high even if you have the machine set on low output. "Rated" output is 200 amps AC / 250 amps DC, so that's what the machine would be set at to draw the 76/90 amps 230v input. That means if you don't have the PFC's, and you want to tig at say 150 amps, your max draw might be only 40 amps, but with the PFC's, your idle draw would be higher than your welding draw as the machine tried to "fill" the caps. I've over simplified this somewhat to make it easier to understand. there have been a few people here who have had to disconnect the PFC's simply because they trip the breaker simply when idling.The only real way to know what's up is to open the machine and look for which caps are leaking and cracked. Post up a pict, and chances are Duane can figure it out with some detailed and overall picts of the problem..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 DSWDuane's earlier point is that the PFC caps aren't "needed" and can be bypassed. What they do is store up power and allow the unit to run on a lower overall  max amperage at the panel. The down side is when you aren't welding, the machine keeps drawing a heavy current to charge the caps. Your max goes down, but your idle amperage goes up.If I'm reading the manual correctly, the unit with the PFC's installed draws 76 amps 230v at rated output vs 90 amps 230v at rated output without the PFCs. Idle draw however is probably much higher with the PFC's, maybe 50 amps vs 15 amps with out. Total power used will end up the same.The advantage of the PFC's is that they flatten out the draw on the meter if you have a demand meter, and allow you to run the machine on a lower max amps, a bonus for those with limited input power, but need to run high amp outputs. The down side is that the machine will draw more power, just sitting doing nothing, especially if you aren't running at rated power. The idle draw will be quite high even if you have the machine set on low output. "Rated" output is 200 amps AC / 250 amps DC, so that's what the machine would be set at to draw the 76/90 amps 230v input. That means if you don't have the PFC's, and you want to tig at say 150 amps, your max draw might be only 40 amps, but with the PFC's, your idle draw would be higher than your welding draw as the machine tried to "fill" the caps. I've over simplified this somewhat to make it easier to understand. there have been a few people here who have had to disconnect the PFC's simply because they trip the breaker simply when idling.The only real way to know what's up is to open the machine and look for which caps are leaking and cracked. Post up a pict, and chances are Duane can figure it out with some detailed and overall picts of the problem.
Reply:A decent tig on a budget usually means a fairly heavy transformer machine. Even my Syncrowave 200 isn't "light". Smaller lighter weight machines usually means an inverter. Quality inverters aren't inexpensive, and inexpensive import inverters often have quality control and problems dealing with the retailers after the sale is done and you need to get warranty work to fix your "new" machine.I'd take that "broken" Miller over one of the import Everlast or Longevity machines every time. It might not be as light weight, and lack all the bells and whistles, but I know I can find someone to service it and most parts are likely available for years to come. Those machines are solid heavy duty industrial machines designed to keep going day in and out under pretty heavy use. If I was going to look for a different unit, the Syncrowave 180's and 200's would top my list as a "newer" "budget" machine. You can probably find very nice lightly used ones in the $900-1500 range depending on model, accessories and use..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:DSW you have a pm.