Aluminum Cable

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I have 650 feet of under ground Aluminum cable feeding my house. Is it OK to use my linclon 225 welder on a 50amp breaker ?
Reply:You've left out one important aspect of the equation...what gauge?Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:I would guess what is at the other end of your 650' run (meter loop?) should be fused to limit what the wire will handle.  But I'm not an electrician,  and as previously mentioned, more info would be beneficial.
Reply:Yep you should be fine, notice fellas he said that the wire is "feeding" his house which I would imagine being 100amp service at a minimum.
Reply:2KIL/Ed=Acm, or 2KIL/Acm=Ed2 because power must flow round trip.K is resistance in ohms per mil foot aluminum is 21.2I is amperage.L is cable lengthEd is acceptable voltage loss, orAcm is area in circular milsA hypothetical installation might me 4/0 cable or 211600Acm, 100 amp service.2x21.2x100x650/211600= 13.02 volts loss. If you begin with 240 volts you are now down to 226.08. You will then have cable from meter to service panel which will lose a fraction of a volt. You may be down to 226 Volts. Odds are you have a feeder to a garage, we don't yet know how big it is, or how long. Perhaps you lose 10 Volts. You'd be at 216 Volts. You'll have a circuit for your welder that might lose 1 Volt. You're at 215. Will you have an extension cord to move it around the garage? it might lose 4 volts. Now you're at 211. Each connection is a potential resistance point. combined, they may total a volt of loss. At 210 Volts a Welder of this sort will work. Will it be at its best? NO!We need information to answer your question. This was hypothetical. A 650 foot secondary is rare. Power companies frown on this sort of thing. Was it installed in compliance with NEC, or might it have been an under the radar sort of thing?An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Yes, it is a 100amp service!
Reply:Still haven't said what gauge it is...Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Someone explain to me why aluminum is still used in home electrical installations? Sounds to me like it's just begging for nasty corrosion.Currently working as a Paralegal, but still interested in hobby welding.Miller Bobcat 225ntOne- Character Fractions: ¼ ½ ¾ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞
Reply:I going to guess that he is talking about the service feed from the power company.  If so then weld away and don't worry about it.  The power companies almost always use aluminum for services.  Occasionally there is a corrosion issue in the meter base connection, to an extent it happens with copper also.  But it is rare.  Also the newer aluminum alloys are better than what give al a bad name back in the 70's.  Power companies also under size wire compared to what the electric code requires us to use.  They are not required to follow the NEC.  Maybe it would be an issue if Daniel was running the dryer, oven(plus stove top), water heater, welder(using max duty cycle) all at the same time.  But I seriously doubt it.TimMillerMM 252, 350P
Reply:Aluminum, under most conditions is a metal that oxidizes instantly to a very thin depth. A very thin layer of oxide works like paint to protect the deeper metal from oxygen exposure, hence corrosion. The problem gets worse when it gets in contact with dissimilar metals. Some metals are less compatible than others. Copper, for example, is very bad. We use compatible terminals, together with corrosion inhibitor at torque carefully engineered to make aluminum safe to use.I personally started using aluminum for heavy loads in 1969. I have not experienced a dry location failure in aluminum I installed yet. Moisture exposure is a particular concern. Another big one is underground nicks in insulation. A tiny nick in waterproof insulation will eventually lead to failure. I've no good count of the number of underground conduits with aluminum cable I've installed. I'm very proud of the fact I've never had a failure. I have replaced several dozen do it yourself, or low bid underground installations.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Originally Posted by DanielI have 650 feet of under ground Aluminum cable feeding my house. Is it OK to use my linclon 225 welder on a 50amp breaker ?
Reply:Unwind a transformer welder, transformer, or motor. Connect the uncoiled wire to a power source. Amperage is going to be very high! It'll likely trip a breaker.It's the magnetic field created in a coil that forms a magnetic "choke". This magnetic choke is proportional to voltage. If your inrush current pulls the voltage very low, less magnetic field will be produced, and magnetic choke will offer less impedance. Proportionally your wattage will me more resistive, or incandescent, and less inductive. The induced power in the secondary will be reduced, forcing you to turn up the welder. It's gonna get hot inside the welder cabinet, not at the weld.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Thank you all very much!!