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hi. I'm new to this forum and to welding. I like boating a lot and I've ended up doing a lot of work to boat trailers. My friend started letting me weld using his lincoln stick welder and it was a lot of fun and after doing it a bunch I decided it would be worth having a welder at my dad's house. So I bought a lincoln 225 ac welder (crackerbox) from craigslist for a good deal and brought it home. I realized I needed an extension cord to go into the laundry room cause there is no 220 volt receptacle in the garage. I then realized that the three pronged dryer receptacle has two hots and one neutral and only puts out up to 30 amps. I've researched and know that I need 50 amps and 220 volts and a ground for my welder and many people online have said that it is NOT safe to try and hook up my welder to my dryer receptacle. What are my best options??Should I install a 220 volt, 50 amp receptacle in the garage?? ( most people online have different opinions about this... I have come to the conclusion that I would probably hire a professional to do this the right way / have it inspected )How much would it cost to have an electrician do this??Should I just try to get a generator for my welder?? (I guess it would have to be pretty hefty.. 220 volts*50 amps= 11k wattsLike I said.. I'm new to all this and bought the welder real quick cause it was a good deal and I really like welding things.. but I just need some expert advice to get started cause I know electricity can kill you
Reply:riverking05 Hello.It is possible to use that Buzzbox on you dryer outlet. On low to medium power settings you will not draw more that 30 amps, and the outlet wires will never know the difference. At higher amps, the breaker will trip and protect the circuit, thats what its there for. I used mine that way for years when living in an apartment. For occasional light use this should be ok.That said, it is best to get a dedicated 50 amp line run. I took advantage in my new home to have the electrician run a 100 amp sub panel to the garage which allows me to add extra 110v dedicated lines for my chopsaw, grinder etc, and not have to run back inside because someone decided to make toast while I was working and the breaker tripped. In this I also have 220v lines for the welders, compressor or anything I want later.A gen set is a poor choice usually to run the machine, unless you already have one. Occasionally you can find old genset/stick welders cheap on CL. Often they require some work to get them up and running, but can be a fun project in themselves.One note of caution on trailers. Be sure you know what you are doing and can make good solid welds before working on any structural or suspension related trailer parts. If you have not done so already, I'd suggest you look into a good class. Many local tech schools and some community colleges run night classes. My local tech school the class runs 10 weeks, 1 night a week, 3 hrs / class, They provide almost everything, rod, steel, gas if doing mig or tig, etc. You need some basic gear, gloves, jacket, cotton clothing and leather boots. Some bring their own hood, but the school does have them for the students. All this for about $250. With your own machine, you can spend time at home practicing what you learned in class, and then have the instructor critique your work when you come in next time. That way you use the class time to learn, rather than do repetitive practice. The money you would spend on rod alone can almost pay for the class, let alone the steel. When I did a class years ago, because I showed a real interest in learning, the instructor would often give me 5-10 lbs or so of the rod we were working with and some extra scrap to take home for practice.Last edited by DSW; 08-22-2009 at 12:09 PM..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've mostly done really small stuff that doesn't see heavy loads.. for example a piece of angle on each side to mount trailer lights. Thanks for the advice. The class idea sounds like a good one. I will go ahead and try to weld from the dryer receptacle.. but was I right when I said that the dryer plug doesn't have a ground.. just neutral?? cause couldn't this be a problem.. It is an older plug with two angled prongs and one L shaped prong, which I understood to be neutral.. concerning the extension cord.. I bought 50' of 10 gauge romex from home depot and the appropriate terminals.. do you foresee a problem with this size?? too small?? it seemed sufficient to meThanks for the advice.. and I really like the quote you have.. I don't want to make this a political forum.. but I will say that I'm really hoping our government doesn't take over 1/6th of our economy aka our entire healthcare system.
Reply:The dryer plug that has three plugs is two hots and a ground. So you will be fine using that. The number 10 Romex is good for 30 amps so as long as you have it on a 30 amp breaker you will be fine. It wouldnt have hurt to go bigger because of the voltage drop. If you do eventually get a 50 amp plug I would not use that number 10. you would then need number 6 for 50 amps.
Reply:Romex is generally a poor choice as an extension cord. The solid wire strands will fatigue and break with repeated coiling over time possibly causing issues. I've used it in a pinch to get thru an emergency, but I wouldn't go that route if I was going to spend the money to build one. Stranded wire is much better. You can go just buy a 10g extension cord and change the ends, or you can just buy heavy SJ cord in like 4-6G and be all set if you later upgrade to 50 amp.Take a look at the thread on building a 220V extension cord if you have not already done so.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...220v+extension.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:Riverking,the L- socket on the Dryer receptacle is technically a NEUTRAL, but Ground and Neutral are BONDED at the Main Service panel so it is possible to use this as a Ground for connecting the Buzzbox if the receptacle is fed from the Main Panel.but Ground and Neutral are NOT bonded anywhere else like a Sub Panel and this little technical part is critical if the Dryer is fed power from a Sub Panel as then it gets a little more complicated. Make sense?Ditch the Romex like DWS said and get CORDEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:thanks for all the advice.. I should be able to get a little welding done tonight! |
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发表于 2021-9-1 00:44:00