welder ground wire size?

[larry_g]

I have a roll of #6 wire that I used to wire in a welder receptacle, 50A breaker.

Now I want to install an additional welder receptacle on the other side of the shop and I'm not sure if there is enough #6 on the roll to do two hots and a ground. Can I run the ground in a smaller size, #10 maybe, or does the ground wire have to be the same as the hots?

Thanks in advance

Lg
No neat sig line

 

[Aceman]

#10 is fine.

(Technically speaking though, it should be a #8 ground. This is because you used #6 THHN for the hots, instead of the minimum #8 THHN for a 50 amp circuit. The code requires that anytime you upsize the hots, you increase the ground wire proportional to the hots.)

 

[larry_g]

Thanks aceman. It kinda made sense that it could be smaller but I don't know the code.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Norcal]

#6 AWG & smaller if insulated must be green or green w 1 or more yellow stripes, not allowed to tape it. Just a FYI.

See 250.119.