Another what size welder wire question

[TTA89]

I ran 6/2 wire before I had bought a welder thinking I would need a 50amp breaker for the welder. I've now decided to buy a Millermatic 211 and the instructions say to use a max breaker of 30amp.



So now my dilemma is that 6 gauge wire won't fit into a 30amp breaker. I see two options:

1. Pull out of the 6/2 wire I already ran (which is easy, the walls are open) and replace it with "something". Would that be 10/2? My outlets are 5 feet and 40 feet from the panel.

2. Just use a 40amp breaker or whatever the smallest is that supports 6 gauge wire and leave the 6/2.

Bonus Question - If I want to make an extension cord for the welder, can I just use 10/2 Romex?

Thanks!

 

[Aceman]

I would install a 50 amp breaker and be done with it. You have to understand, the manual says "max recommended", not "maximum. It's a guideline, not a rule.

For your second question, no, it is NOT every okay to use Romex for extension cords. There is a reason they make rubber cord.

 

[Know Wosad]

Put in the 50 amp breaker, No issues. Down the road you might add a mill, lathe or other HD 220V item and use the same circuit.Heavy wire is good.

 

[TTA89]

Thanks guys... Should I also get GFCI breakers for this?

 

[matt_i]

I would just keep #6 and use a 50A breaker, no GFI. No penalty for having extra ampacity.

They do "cheat" a little bit with ~17A published max draw while asking for a 50A circuit

 

[nadogail]

I would install a 50 amp breaker and be done with it. You have to understand, the manual says "max recommended", not "maximum. It's a guideline, not a rule.

For your second question, no, it is NOT every okay to use Romex for extension cords. There is a reason they make rubber cord.

In this case, bigger is better.

Think of the breaker size as your electrical credit line. When you draw on your line of credit, it's comforting to know that you have a nice fat reserve, should you decide you want something else.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

To make things more complicated, welders have special wiring allowances based on the duty cycle of the welder.

Stick to the 50a and u will be fine.

 

[sberry]

the manual is confusing for many and designed for professionals. This machine is designed to run on 50a welder circuits.The 30 amp rating is when the minimum wire of 14 is used. As long as the wire is 12 or better a 50 is legal.

 

[simpler=better]

x3 Keep the 6ga

If oy uneed a longre cord for the welder, look for "service cord" aka "SOOW" aka "SJOW". It's finely stranded and has thick insulation. 10gauge SOOW cord should be easy to find on CL and will work great.