Airco heliwelder electrical help!!!

[Bdcameron23]

Please Help!!! Going to pick up a new machine tomorrow. Problem is my shop doesn't have any 220v outlet's. So what I'm thinking is I can just build an extention cord and run it off my dryer which is on a 30 amp breaker?? Will this work? I would just wire a plug to my shop from breaker box but I was told I have to much on there already. I read on another forum that this machine needs a 90 amp breaker? Is this true? How many amps could I get out of the machine without tripping the breaker? I was thinking 10/3 wire for the extention cord, yay or nay? TIA

[ryanjones2150]

What machine? <br />
<br />
Your dryer plug is most likely 30amps. Therefore, drawing more than 30 amps would trip your breaker. Doesn't mean you can't run your welder, you just can't run it at full power. If your machine requires a 90 amp breaker, you have 1/3 the necessary oomph to power it. <br />
<br />
I'd say this should be a temporary setup for you to test it. <br />
<br />
My old airco needs a much larger breaker than that for full power. Download your manual if it doesn't come with your new old machine and make sure you have it set up correctly too. Many of those machines can take different mains voltage input.

[Bdcameron23]

[Bdcameron23]

^^^that's the machine. Can I just put a bigger breaker in where the 30 amp dryer breaker is for extention cord solution?

[ryanjones2150]

That's a horrible idea. <br />
<br />
Your "weak" point in the circuit needs to be the circuit breaker. If you over size your breaker for what the wire can safely handle, now your weak point is the wire. Guess what happens then....you'd be a sad airco welder owner.<br />
<br />
10 ga wire is rated to safely handle 30amps. That goes for your receptacle wiring and your extension cord.

[FusionKing]

Please Help!!! Going to pick up a new machine tomorrow. Problem is my shop doesn't have any 220v outlet's. So what I'm thinking is I can just build an extention cord and run it off my dryer which is on a 30 amp breaker?? Will this work? I would just wire a plug to my shop from breaker box but I was told I have to much on there already. I read on another forum that this machine needs a 90 amp breaker? Is this true? How many amps could I get out of the machine without tripping the breaker? I was thinking 10/3 wire for the extention cord, yay or nay? TIA

Need pics of your box instead.
Way better off to work from that point if you have 220. You can always use less stuff when you're welding.
Bigger breaker on the dryer receptacle could burn down your house when the wires behind your walls begin to glow!!!
If you are gonna have a welder permanently then you need a permanent solution.

[griff01]

^^^that's the machine. Can I just put a bigger breaker in where the 30 amp dryer breaker is for extention cord solution?

No! That will almost guarantee a fire!!!!

Griff

[Olivero]

Okay, everyone calm down, getting all worked up.

Before you do anything, why don't you call someone you know that knows what they are doing in terms of electrical work, so far whats been stated here is correct but if you think you can up-size your breaker "just like that" you don't know what your talking about and so it gets dangerous. Good thing you asked though.

The breaker is meant to save your house from getting wrecked or the appliance or the thing its hooked up to. Its protecting the circuit from being overloaded because when it is overloaded your wires can get really hot, melt their insulation and start a fire, or the item its connected to blows up inside and components fry, that's 2 reasons its there and expensive as well.

When your pulling power on it from your welder, your extension cord gets hot and any other wire back to the panel. The bigger the wire, the more heat is spread across it (in crude terms) and the more power it can carry, think of it that way,. So if you run 3 times your rated power max, the breaker will blow and if for some mystical reason it doesn't the wires will burn and could burn in half and since there is no circuit protection, arc until it creates a fire.

Your idea of using what was already installed there by someone who knew their stuff and is safe and it works is the best you are going to get unless you want a brand spankin' new wire run done with a physical disconnect for your new 90 A welder which is what I would recommend doing.

Using an extension cord will further reduce your capacity in terms of load so the closer you can get with less wire, the better off you are going to be. But it looks like you are going to be about 1/3 of your potential and probably a bit shy of it depending on how long the cord will be.

Best of luck.

[H80N]

Need pics of your box instead.
Way better off to work from that point if you have 220. You can always use less stuff when you're welding.
Bigger breaker on the dryer receptacle could burn down your house when the wires behind your walls begin to glow!!!
If you are gonna have a welder permanently then you need a permanent solution.

Well Put.. +1..............

[Stefen7]

From the photo, it looks like a Dialarc H-F unit. The O-M I have in front of me says it draws 90 amps at rated load but needs a 150 amp fuse.

The welder has 3 ranges: 10 to 55; 40 to 190; 125 to 310 amps. If you are simply practicing while waiting to get your wiring upgraded, you might be able to use it in low ONLY. But you need to be very aware / careful or things can go wrong.

[Stefen7]

10/3 is too small for an extension cord.

In low-range, your welder will have 100% duty cycle. But you should not run a welder on a 10/3 extension cord at high duty cycle.

Plenty of people (including myself) have small stick welders on 10/3 extension cords, but they are used at 20% duty cycle.

If you are going to use an extension cord, spend the money on a proper-size cord you can continue to use in your shop later.

[Bdcameron23]

OK I appreciate the help guys! Looks like this thing is just too big for my britches! Seems as though I'm going to have to pass on it and save for a motor driven welder