Another Welder/Generator ?

[maxpower_hd]

OK. I have read several threads on several forums and seem to get differing opinions. I recently test used my Hobart Handler 187 MIG on my Honda/Dayton generator. It is a "professional" model, I don't remember the model number of the top of my head. But it is rated at 5500 watts continuous with 6500 watts surge according to the back of the panel.

I used it this past weekend and it worked fine with only a slight and brief draw on the motor when I strike an ark. I was dialed in at less than full power on the welder since I was only spot welding some fairly thin stuff.

After talking to someone else they told me I was lucky I didn't burn out my welder because the generator isn't an inverter model. Is there any truth to this?

My welder specs say it draws 2.5A at 240V. So that tells me AxV = 4920 watts is what I need to run the welder. With an initial heavy draw and the higher surge rating on my generator shouldn't this unit be enough to run the welder? I am not running it for hours at a time or even doing large welds with it but I would like to feel good about not damaging my welder if I did do some large welds at some point.

What do you guys think?

 

[HCNDM]

Something to do with the waveform created by a generator that's not the same as mains power iirc.

Sure someone will fill in the exact details better than i can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Uncle_Charlie]

I've wondered about using my generator to power my Lincoln 210MP. My concern revolves around the generator producing a modified sine wave or a square wave instead of the pure sine wave that is produced by the power grid. A square wave or a modified sine wave is fine if you're talking about electric drills or circular saws. Sensitive electronics don't do well with anything less than a pure sine wave and the 210MP has sensitive electronics in it. I have sent an email to Lincoln asking about that. If their answer sounds like it might help here, I'll post their response.

 

[rsanter]

I would ask the welder manufacturer about using the welder on a generator and ask the generator manufacturer about using their generator to power a welder.

Don't want to fry something

Bob

 

[Uncle_Charlie]

I've wondered about using my generator to power my Lincoln 210MP. My concern revolves around the generator producing a modified sine wave or a square wave instead of the pure sine wave that is produced by the power grid. A square wave or a modified sine wave is fine if you're talking about electric drills or circular saws. Sensitive electronics don't do well with anything less than a pure sine wave and the 210MP has sensitive electronics in it. I have sent an email to Lincoln asking about that. If their answer sounds like it might help here, I'll post their response.

Generally, it's bad form to quote yourself like this. This time it should be OK. Bear in mind that my question and the answer below is related to a Lincoln welder, not Hobart.

To answer your question.
Generally there is not a problem with generators . Except keep the idle rpm high all the time on the generator. This welder draws low current when not welding, which can made the generator go to low idle which is not good for the welder. Its kind of like a "brown out" on city power, which makes equipment fail.

FWIW, this response was received in less than an hour. Pretty impressive by my standards.

 

[ishiboo]

OK. I have read several threads on several forums and seem to get differing opinions. I recently test used my Hobart Handler 187 MIG on my Honda/Dayton generator. It is a "professional" model, I don't remember the model number of the top of my head. But it is rated at 5500 watts continuous with 6500 watts surge according to the back of the panel.

I used it this past weekend and it worked fine with only a slight and brief draw on the motor when I strike an ark. I was dialed in at less than full power on the welder since I was only spot welding some fairly thin stuff.

After talking to someone else they told me I was lucky I didn't burn out my welder because the generator isn't an inverter model. Is there any truth to this?

My welder specs say it draws 2.5A at 240V. So that tells me AxV = 4920 watts is what I need to run the welder. With an initial heavy draw and the higher surge rating on my generator shouldn't this unit be enough to run the welder? I am not running it for hours at a time or even doing large welds with it but I would like to feel good about not damaging my welder if I did do some large welds at some point.

What do you guys think?

No. In fact the opposite - a regular AC alternator/generator produces a true sine wave perfect for anything which runs on mains... they just have a bit more transient noise, less response to power fluctuations (no big flywheel and/or sufficient reserve to get over some things), etc.

Modified sine wave devices like some inverter generators and lots of inverters on the other hand produce a non-true sine wave output. This can make things depending on a clean sine wave to run worse.

As long as you're making sufficient power where the voltage regulation is staying in the acceptable range, you're fine. Regular (transformer) welders are pretty forgiving as they rectify the waveform back to DC anyway (as do most things), so the waveform of the AC input is not particularly important... and inverter welders are very flexible with what they can take as an input.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Generally, it's bad form to quote yourself like this. This time it should be OK. Bear in mind that my question and the answer below is related to a Lincoln welder, not Hobart.

To answer your question.
Generally there is not a problem with generators . Except keep the idle rpm high all the time on the generator. This welder draws low current when not welding, which can made the generator go to low idle which is not good for the welder. Its kind of like a "brown out" on city power, which makes equipment fail.

FWIW, this response was received in less than an hour. Pretty impressive by my standards.

In my case the generator doesn't run the automatic idle option when set to 240 so I have it idled up anyway. The auto idle feature on this one only works on 120.

And I saw a typo in my original post. The welder draws 20.5 amps. And the generator is a 5000W I just checked it. I didn't remove the panel again but that leads me to believe that the inner panel may have read 6000 peak.