Millermatic 251

[whatter]

I have just purchased a Millermatic 251. I plan to add a 50 amp breaker to my garage as soon as the weather cools down a bit. Do you think I can run temporarily on a 30 amp dryer outlet as long as I don't weld anything thicker than say 1/8 inch? The instruction manual does not give any good information on this subject, they only say that the welder draws 42 amps at rated output.

thanks
W. Hatter

[HAWK]

Millermatic 251

whatter,

Congratulations on your Millermatic 251. It's a great machine. Your best bet is to consult a licensed electrican and install a circuit as recommended by the Miller operators manual for your machine. It gives wire size, length of run and breaker type. Running your machine on an undersized circuit is just asking for trouble-even though you may be operating at less than the rated duty cyle. Don't do it!!!

[PISTOL8]

251 wiring

whatter, Hawks right not enough power can be as bad as to much. Its cheaper in the long run to put in the box and breaker than be without your new welder and have the little lady mad because her dryer does't work . (personally I wouldn't worry about the dryer but my welder is a whole nother story) PISTOL8

[Moe]

whatter

If you have #10 or smaller wire on the dryer outlet or lower than 230 house voltage, then don't even try. Especially if the wire length is unknown. Your machine will "Suck" the input power too low and you'll risk damage to the machine. Plus, you'll trip the breaker after welding for a few seconds.

Personally, I'd wire the permanent 50 amp setup with #6 lead wire and a minimum #8 ground and get it over with. A 20 minute trip to Home Depot and roughly $100 spent on wire, breaker, outlet and disconnect is all it takes. Be sure that the ground lead is at least #8. A seperate 5/8" ground rod wired in to the disconnect with #8 is the absolute best route. Install a Disconnect rated for a minimum of 50 amps just before the outlet. This is a good safety feature for every welder. It will take an electrician about 1.5 hours to wire it in to your garage. This is how I wired up my machine (MM210), and this set up is good for well over 100' of wire length.

It's hot this time of year, but not as hot as you will be if you damage your new machine. Good luck....