freee man!

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when i was in highschool  i didnt go to school much and didnt really care for it or care to graduate.. but for the sake of my parents i went to a technical school my senior year to graduate. i took a welding course and fell in love with metal fab. once i graduated i got a job where my brother worked at a transformer repair company and learned everything from air arc to tig and everything in between. it was a small company, about 15 employees total and i was the only welder fabricator.. i welded tiny little polemounts to giant substations. i loved every minute and learned so much. BUT ive always been a stickler for authority and taking orders.. dont get me wrong i do my job and everything im told but it was a drug free work place and i couldnt give up my pot habbit, so eventually i failed a drug test, went to the counselling stuff and did all the stuff i had to and finally said you know what, screw you guys, I QUIT... regret it now but im young.. thats what we do. then i had to keep up with bills and all that adult crap so i did what i always did in highschool and started selling pot again... then i got mixed up with the wrong crowd and ended up in jail for awhile.. ive been out for a few months, turned my self around, and cleaned up my act. im living back at home and my parents recently bought me a miller 220 mig welder to tinker around the house and keep me busy. the old "idle hands are the devils tools" so ive got this nice welder and they got me a 7000 watt generator also. my dads afraid of me powering the thing off the house so i dont blow up the breaker and burn down the house. only problem is the generators loud, my neighbors hate hearing it and so do my parents. how do i convince my parents that a  welder is safe to run from home electricity and how do i hook it up safely without actually doing what they think and burn down the house? sorry for the rant but like i said.. i quit all my bad habbits, lost all my "friends" and i got nothnig but time on my hands. plus im new so now whoever reads this gets to know me alittle better. i just want to weld stuff in peace!!
Reply:Hello. breakers are designed to protect the wiring in the house. Assuming everything is up to code and electrical fire is probably the least of your worries. If you are concerned, there's no reason you can't go up in wire size for safety. For example code usually calls for 14 ga wire to run a 15 amp normal outlet, but 12 ga could be used for extra "safety" and wouldn't effect the circuit. It's when you do the opposite that thing can go horribly wrong. I've seen people who kept tripping a 15 amp breaker decide to "solve" the problem by plugging in a 30 amp one instead. Now the wire is the weak link and will heat up and burn if the load is too much because the breaker won't trip before the wire burns.It's not at all uncommon here to see guys running "small" 220v migs that draw 26 amps 230 on 50 amp 230v circuits. Even your 30 amp dryer circuit would be fine for this. If for some reason you try to draw over 30 amps, the breaker will trip and protect the wires and the house.All of this assumes of course everything is up to code and in good working order and that any other items like extension cords are rated for at least the amperage that will be covered by the breaker.I'd be more concerned with fires due to hot sparks and metal than with an electrical issue. Be sure to keep your work area clean and clear of flammables and keep at least one fire extinguisher handy. Also make sure to never simply pack up and leave after welding. Always keep a "fire watch" to make sure no unnoticed little BB's didn't find some nice tinder dry stuff to sit and smolder on. Usually a 1/2 hour clean up period covers this. Take the time to wrap up all your stuff and chances are any issues will make themselves known in a reasonable period. Also always make sure things like smoke alarms are in working order just incase all else fails..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:Yeah, there but for thr love of God go I....many have trod your path, and many can't see the wood for the trees, but knowing the wrong and right is a starting point.Ain't nobody gonna help you if you won't help yourself, so look at what you want to be and go there.You can also stand in a line and wait for a handout, but it might rain too, so go out there and be good at what you do....you'll be judged for what you try to achieve as opposed to what you've said you could do.....that's a "could'a been" attitude.....all b#ms do that.I dunno what your age is, but if your over 24'ish, about time you actually did get a job, any job, and that means ANY job.....clean money.....and made definite plans to move out and make your own way in life, with the help of your folks too as they do seem to care about you.Welding is a good profession, it's also a good hobby, but hobbies are for those that are achievers and have won their leisure hobby time.One thing's for sure, nobody will trust you to do a welding job for money without any qualifications to warrant your work.Without any quals you're just a hopefull dreamer wannabe, and there's tons of them about.Your folks would have been better served if they had spent the money paying for a course for you in night school to get the welding quals you'll need to actually use the welder and genny you now have.Today is the beginning of the rest of your life....grasp it with both hands, we don't all have the pleasure of using up all of our alloted time span.Ian.
Reply:thanks for the info. im sure my parents house is up to code and everything is copasetic so i should be able to get the power situation figured out. and from my work at the transformer company i have a very reputable reputation and alot of people willing to give me work and trust me to do jobs. i have a 1964 c10 that im currently working on to get my little mobile welding gig going and my 1963 internatiol im restoring to showcase my skills. i also start my welding classes late august to get all my certifications. im 23 but still feel, and most the time act like im 16.. still ride a biycle for fun and do tricks in parking lots for entertainment.. i know its time to grow up but at the same time i feel like a kid at heart. i love to work hard but i play hard to. thanks for all the knowledge and direction. much appreciated.
Reply:Welcome to the forum.  I've heard that a 40 amp or 50 amp 220V circuit is recommended for running something like a MIG welder. Electrical work isn't my field of expertise. You should call an electrician. Shouldn't be too much to pull through some bigger wires and swap a bigger breaker. That's about 2 hours of labor.Ask your parents if they get worried when they start the dryer, run the AC all day, or turn on the oven and the stovetop at the same time? Because a MIG welder uses about as much electricity as cooking thanksgiving dinner.If I was in your situation I'd start talking to your neighbors. Ask them if they'd be interested in things like decorative window guards, handrails, "wrought iron"(steel) fences and gates, SS counter tops, and such. Those will all increase their property value and can often be tax write-offs. They can be paid for by home-improvement equity loans and such.
Reply:Originally Posted by 63 c900 im 23 but still feel, and most the time act like im 16.. still ride a biycle for fun and do tricks in parking lots for entertainment.. i know its time to grow up but at the same time i feel like a kid at heart. i love to work hard but i play hard to. thanks for all the knowledge and direction. much appreciated.
Reply:i love your idea about making things for the neighbors! i get to make cool stuff, make a few bucks, and see it everyday. swell idea thankyou! i think ill begin my making a custom mailbox and post.. then throw a forsale sign on it!! great site. thanks guys!
Reply:Originally Posted by 63 c900thanks for the info. im sure my parents house is up to code and everything is copasetic so i should be able to get the power situation figured out. and from my work at the transformer company i have a very reputable reputation and alot of people willing to give me work and trust me to do jobs. i have a 1964 c10 that im currently working on to get my little mobile welding gig going and my 1963 internatiol im restoring to showcase my skills. i also start my welding classes late august to get all my certifications. im 23 but still feel, and most the time act like im 16.. still ride a biycle for fun and do tricks in parking lots for entertainment.. i know its time to grow up but at the same time i feel like a kid at heart. i love to work hard but i play hard to. thanks for all the knowledge and direction. much appreciated.
Reply:My electric oven is rated for more power than a 220 amp mig.another option would be to build a structure and secondary muffler for the generator.I do my welding in my parent's basement or garage (my garage is not wired yet) That house has real bad electrical in general, but I ran my own welder circuit. It'll dim the lights from time to time, but not as bad as the table saw will. Fire and smoke are much bigger problems when working in the basement than electrical concerns.