leave it on, or turn it off ?

[Blown S-10]

when welding, i have to stop to cut, grind, sharpen, whatever. sometimes these tasks take several minutes, 5, 10, 15, etc. what are the thoughts of leaving the 200dx on, or turning it off, while practicing or fabricating ?

fan on demand is a great thing

[Wheat]

The consensus is and I've adopted it, just leave the darn thing on. With the Dynasty you don't have to worry about the fan being on all the time. Electronics "seem" to give you more problems when you turn them on and off. I've been in many a welding shop and their machines run 8 hours a day non-stop. Power consumption is minimal at idle position. S-10 don't worry about this issue. The machines are made to take it.

[Rocky D]

I agree, turn it on when you start...shut it down when you go for the day.

[Blown S-10]

ok, thats about what i thought, and basicly have been doing. though i would shut it off if i wasn't going to use it for 1/2hr or more.

thanx

[Gaslight]

What about if you don't have an inverter machine, like say a 180 sd?

[HAWK]

Gaslight,

My buddy runs a couple old Sync 250's and they are on first thing in the morning and off around 3:30 in the afternoon. They run 7-8 hours a day 50 weeks a year. The old shop is dusty, but the machines keep right on kicking. I run all my stuff including coolers all day until the work is done. When electronic devices heat up and cool down due to power cycling they tend to break down quicker.

A lightbulb will burn much longer if left on 24/7 365 as oppossed to flicking it on and off every day. I had an incandescent bulb in an outdoor lamp that ran 24/7 365 because the photocell shorted out. I left it alone for 4 years until the light burned out. When the photocell was working I was lucky to get 8 months out of a light bulb. I tried a flourescent tube and it burned 8 years on the 24/7 365 routine.

[dyn88]

there is a rumor of a light bulb in the gran ole oprey that has been burning since 1965. Its hard to believe that there werent any power outages though.http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/time_m...lightbulb.html

[HAWK]

dyn88,

Good and interesting information.

[Too_Many_Tools]

Hawk is correct....turning electronics on and off can shorten their lifespan versus leaving them on most of the time.

My understanding is when you turn electronics on, the current that rushs in stresses componenets. That is why light bulbs tend to burn out when first turned on...the initial inrush current is too much for the filament to handle.

When you turn a device on and off, you are also stressing the switch or relay that is handling the power switching.

You can compare it to how stressful it is mechanically to start your car or truck versus letting it run.

Also the normal idle current in a welder not being used is usually lower than when it is working unless you have added power corrections caps.

Considering the cost of repairs, I would let the welder stay on during the time you are using it including the time for setup and whatever. I would turn it off when you leave the shop to save power and to prevent an unlikely but possible fire if something really went wrong.

TMT

Gaslight,

My buddy runs a couple old Sync 250's and they are on first thing in the morning and off around 3:30 in the afternoon. They run 7-8 hours a day 50 weeks a year. The old shop is dusty, but the machines keep right on kicking. I run all my stuff including coolers all day until the work is done. When electronic devices heat up and cool down due to power cycling they tend to break down quicker.

A lightbulb will burn much longer if left on 24/7 365 as oppossed to flicking it on and off every day. I had an incandescent bulb in an outdoor lamp that ran 24/7 365 because the photocell shorted out. I left it alone for 4 years until the light burned out. When the photocell was working I was lucky to get 8 months out of a light bulb. I tried a flourescent tube and it burned 8 years on the 24/7 365 routine.

[fun4now]

on till im done

whenever i do any welding i turn on the welder and plasma (if cutting is involved) and let them run till i'm done with all my welding for the day then turn them bolth off. i agree with it being easyer on the electrical stuf but i do it for ease on me kinda set it and forget it kind of thing LOL

[Justin00Stang]

The watercooler pump and associated fan in my sync 250 setup pulls about 8amps, thats enough to make me turn the macine off whenever I can. I don't use it everyday or all day though.

I should wire the watercooler fan to at least stay off unless the main fans come on.