Question for the Welder pros

[Ch3No2]

I have been wire welding for some time now and started with a good ole Miller 35...just plug it in the #4 port and weld away.
I upgraded to a Miller 250 a few years back and have been having ok results except I can't get it to give me that consistent "sizzle" sound. Every once in a while for a very short burst it will, but not consistently.
I'm on a dedicated 50amp circuit with a short wire run and correct wire size...the voltage is a good 240 and has been synced at the machine input port. I mostly weld 1/8" wall and 1/4" wall stuff and the gas is CO2 and I believe I have the amp and wire speed at it's happy point.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

 

[MJD1]

How's your liner and drive rolls? I'm not sure on the 250 , but on the 200 you have to have your power terminal on the inside of the welder linked for either 200 or 230 volt, depending what your line voltage is.

 

[welder4956]

Need a little more info:
What diameter wire are you running?
What volt setting are you using?
What wire feed speed setting are you using?

 

[zkling]

Without seeing the weld it is going to be very difficult to say. Assuming you have no issues on the operator side or issues with the feed mechanism (IE travel inconsistency and large stick out variance). Otherwise you need to adjust the wire speed for a given voltage. The door chart is just a guide and needs to be adjusted by the user for the specific wire for optimal results.

 

[astroracer]

Like MJD1 said, check your liner. I had the same issue with my Dipstick 160. New liner fixed it.
Mark

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

It's not you, many people on here have commented on the 250 being hard to adjust and not very consistent.
Some are fine with it and some can't take it and sell it and get a 252 if you need the big amps.
I'm sure more will comment.
Search some older posts with 250 in them.

 

[Ch3No2]

Voltage tabs are in 230 mode for the 240 volts I have
Wire size is .035..speed is 40 on high and volts are 24...rollers are good and a new trigger hose

***** to say I wish I had my Miller 35 back....I just can't find a happy spot on this machine
Thanks for the replies...

 

[MJD1]

Sounds like the wire speed needs to be higher, like 55-60.

 

[04chase]

i have a miller 185 and had similar issues as well , i was getting a surge with wire speed . gun and hose was somewhat new but had a kink in the liner . 50 bucks later good as new. I thought it may have been the wire feed roller but it looked great. check your liner and avoid any sharp bends in the gun feed cable.

i also have the miller 252 , i noticed the charts for recommended settings are a bit off, seems to like a bit more wire speed and a tad more voltage .

 

[Tinner]

Wire size is .035..speed is 40 on high and volts are 24

Are you trying to spray arc? If you're running .035 hard wire, 24 volts is in spray range.

 

[zkling]

With him running straight CO2 it should still be in the short circuit range though at that voltage. Probably around 300ipm I'd start by upping the wire feed.

 

[mattdwelder]

the 250 will not run smooth at that high voltage, especially with straight c02, try 75/25 at 19 volts

 

[wagon]

Are you trying to spray arc? If you're running .035 hard wire, 24 volts is in spray range.

yup, and with anything but an 80%+ argon mix will be kinda ******.

24v is high for a short arc weld.

partial bacon fry sound, then junk, sounds like you might be welding after a beer or two, or you're varying your arc length.

if it starts to sound like popcorn on a short arc then you're backing off too far.

Drive rolls almost never go bad. 99% of feeder issues are liner. occasionally a trigger can fail, or a drive motor can go bad.

with 100% CO2 he shouldn't be trying to spray.

if the machine has been clicking while welding kinda ******, check your contactor. wear item many people forget about.

also, a liner shouldn't cost more than $25. Labor is literally 2 set screws, the cone at the back end of the gun and snipping the new one.

 

[2004.5cumminsman]

Try a mix gas, straight co makes adjusting the machine that much harder

 

[BD1]

The 250 has not been the best machine for Miller. We had one at work since new and it was miserable to set from day one. As stated sell it and get a 252.

 

[MJD1]

On the 250 Miller, some drive rolls are dual sized. The printed side is opposite the groove. The printed side should read, facing out your desired size. More important tho is the alignment. Using a short straitedge, lay it across the rolls, should be no gap. If there is, in the center of the lower roll is an adjustment screw. Turn to align rolls evenly. Also check your inlet guide tube, sometimes they plug or wear uneven, you can turn that if wear is an issue. 24 volts is on the high end for co2 , but definitely doable.

 

[sberry]

Some guys got good ones, I got a Lincoln of that same era is kind of a lemon. Works one minute and has fits the next.

 

[eddiemeddiem]

A couple basic things to check, although I'm not very familiar with your specific machine... Is your polarity correct? Are your gas connections good, and have you verified flow out of the nozzle?


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