Wiring service for a new millermatic 210

[cdaniel]

I just got a new 210 for Fathers day/Birthday. A big step up from my little Lincoln weldpak 150. Whoo Hoo!

I've installed a 50 amp breaker, 6ga wire to receptacle and a 35ft 6ga extension cord. Does this sound good enough? Overkill? After investigating the manual a little deeper I get the impression I should have a 40 amp breaker. Is this true?

Also, does the welder care which side of the plug L1 and L2 are connected to?

And, I read 123v on each leg at the plug, I assume that the welders voltage jumper should be on the 230v side.

Thanks for any help
Cliff Daniel

[Sberry]

The voltage jumpers should be on the 230 side. Most of the time they come wired that way. The 210 requires a 10 wire minimum and a 30 A breaker.(the last time I looked at the manual) It isnt going to hurt running it on a larger circuit but the number 6 cord is way overkill for almost all of the machines anyone is going to run at home. Welding machine wiring requirements are slightly different than appliances that need to be wired for continious duty. I use number 8 and 10 cords. The 210 will run fine from a 10 cord at that distance and it doesn matter which L1 or L2 go to. The only thing is where the groud wire lands in the panel, depending on whether it is a main entrance panel or a subfed panel. There may be some confusion on breakers in the manual, it used to be that a normal breaker needed to be upsized but all new modern breakers have a "slo-blow feature built in them. They probably list a 30 or 40 and the 30 is the one.

[cdaniel]

Thanks, I guess I'll be ready for any future upgrades in equipment. I think my concern on the breaker size was, would a larger amp rating be a danger to the welder, allowing it to receive more power than it wanted. But the welder has it's own internal breaker doesn't it? As for the ground, all my wires are running to the main panel for my house. And the ground terminates on the same buss as everything else.

Cliff

[cope]

I agree with Sberry. I ran a 225 Cracker box for 2 years on10-3 and another 5 years on 8-3. When I bought my last house I went with 6-3 because I was running close to 100' but I never run over 125-145 amps. Go with 8 ga and get one of the 8 ga extention cords that BR Welder sells,

[Sberry]

No, the 50A will not effect how much power it uses. I believe the 210 has its own thermal protection. Its draw at rated output is 30A which makes it acceptable to run on 10 wire for cords if you want. Yes, in main panels ground and neutrals are on the same bar. Thats fine.

[Sberry]

Yes, Cope, your machine wont even know its not sitting at the main panel with the number 6. Millions of those were wired with 10 wire and 50 a fuses back in the day. Old garages and farm shops you still find that setup.

[cope]

Originally posted by Sberry
Yes, Cope, your machine wont even know its not sitting at the main panel with the number 6. Millions of those were wired with 10 wire and 50 a fuses back in the day. Old garages and farm shops you still find that setup.

Mine is rated 58Amps but my old cracker box was rated 50 ad that's all the breaker I had. My neighbor had me pick up a 50 amp breaker a year or so ago for her A/c. I should have gotten myself a 60Amp and given her my 50 but I doubt I will ever need to crank it up to 250 amps!

[klsm54]

You are in good shape cdaniel , your machine will only draw what it needs, the larger breaker will not give it any more power. While that #6 may be heavier than needed, it and the 50 amp breaker will be a blessing when you decide to try out tig someday.The #6 wire would even let you go to bigger breaker on that circuit if you ever need it.

Look at it this way, it is the voltage coming in that affects the electrical instrument (welder, motor, lightbulb). If you plug your lamp into any 115 volt circuit in your house, 15 amp, 20 amp or 25 amp, it will work the same, but if you plug a light made for 115 volt power into a 240 volt circuit, you have problems... ....Voltage is what is fed in, amps are what is drawn out. Since I am electrically challenged myself, I tried to put that in way that someone other than an electrician could understand it... ...Heck, if I didn't work with stuff every day, I would be completely electrically illiterate.

[Danny]

Cliff,

The only potential problem that exist with running the MM 210 off a 50 amp circuit is the fact that it will allow you to output beyond the machines rated 210 amp output. For most users this probably isn t going to be a problem though. However, for an .035 solid wire on mild steel, I don't recommend taking the wire speed very far past 65, and for an .030 around 80 is a safe limit.

[Sberry]

Dan, I dont remember, but does the 210 have its own thermal overload built in? If not maybe thats why Miller says to limit it to a 30A breaker in the manual.

[Paul Seaman]

Cliff:
Welcome, I must say this is a great move on your part. I made the exact same move 1-1/2 year ago, you'll love it. lots of fun.
The guys have given great advise, so i'll not interject confusion.

Peace,

[Sberry]

Yes, it lists its own thermal right on its info page. I know for some reason in the manual it lists a 30A bkr though. I like how they have it shown for wire size, doesnt say not reccomended for 035, just that a "typical setup" is 030.

[Paul Seaman]

Sberry:
I run both and never had a problem, I prefer the .030 for the ability to jump to thin quick but I've welded multipass on 3/4" without changing and it did great. I did some 1" floor plates for some shelving structures in 035 with 3 passes and got great penetration. Yes I know this over the recomended but if you work smart and manage your duty cycle it works great. I've also welded 1/2" Aluminum plate butt joints with the spoolgun and just love this machine.

Peace,

[Sberry]

That should be the big advantage with the 210 over the 175 class, it will run 035 well without choking and overheating. Its really a full size machine in most respects.

[Bulldog]

Hi Guys,
I just wanted to jump in and say how much I love my MM210. I just came from the shop. I started welding this morning at around 7am and finished up at 9pm. I have been welding 1/4"x3"x5"angle to 1/2" mild steel plates all day and just can't get over how nice this machine performs! (Buy the way) I also ran #6 wire to my MM210. NO troubles with this combo. Bulldog