Welder problem

[Ed1964]

Hi all!!
I'm new today so hopefully I do this right
I bought a new Miller Thunderbolt XL 225/150 welder approximately 8 years ago. I used it a few times, and It might have 3 hours of use on it. I went to turn it on and it is dead. I checked power at the outlet and I have 110 volts between common and the hot side. I then checked power at the switch and it works properly. I even bypassed the switch but it is still dead. The fan doesn't even come on!! Any ideas???
Thanks in advance

 

[lilredex]

Sounds like a manual reset circuit breaker has opened, or a wire is loose or something like that. If you have power after the switch, keep tracing down the line until you run out of power. Hard to diagnose without being there.

 

[Milton Shaw]

That should be a 240 volt welder any 225 amp I have seen have been. You should measure 240 +-10 at the two hot leads of the plug. Sounds like you have a breaker thrown half way or a loose wire on one of the terminals. Most of those I have seen have the usual 6-50 plug two hots and a ground for 240 volt supply.

 

[Dingleburry]

^ this. That model comes up as 240v. Your missing a hot wire. You shouldnt have a neutral. 120 120 and ground. 240 across the hots. Double check the data plate though..

 

[dnschmidt]

Pretty simple, you can't run a 240V welder on 110V. Don't you have the 50 Amp dryer plug on the end of the welder that it came with? How are you plugging this into 110V receptacle?

 

[The Cobbler]

sounds like your wiring is the issue, with 240 there's no common, it's 2 hots.
show us some pics of your plug and your outlet

 

[AA/FC]

Welcome to Garage Journal.

 

[DenisG]

You should be able to measure 220V on both hot wires. Sounds like your hots are both coming from the same bus in the box.

 

[joe_padavano]

Let's back up. This welder has obviously worked for you before. Is it plugged into the same outlet that worked previously? Has anything else changed?

 

[Ed1964]

Dead welder

Hi all!!

I have a Miller Thunderbolt XL that I purchased new approach. 10 years ago. It has about 5 hours of use on it and when I last used it, it worked great. I went to use it again and nothing. No fan, no welding. I checked power going to the plug and both hots measured 110 volts. I then measured up to the switch and again 110 on both sides of switch. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

[sberry]

Most likely an input problem or something simple. Those are brutally tough. I have ran them 3 hours in an afternoon.

 

[The Cobbler]

Re: Dead welder

read your original thread , there's a lot of possible info there

 

[Lelandwelds]

Re: Dead welder

I forget the details but is yours the 300 amp or the 225 amp? AC/DC? Hard wired or twist lock like a trumpet?

Those are extremely simple machines. There is a schematic taped under the blue cover. That switch actually directly breaks the line current just after it enters the case.
https://www.millerwelds.com/support/manuals-and-parts Sometimes those fans just don't spin for no reason other than being stiff. Do you get any open circuit voltage between your ground clamp and stinger?

 

[hammerhead611]

Re: Dead welder

Here's the link to your original thread with suggestions

 

[brownbagg]

that a 220 model

 

[c39er]

Re: Dead welder

I have a 225 AC/DC Thunderbolt... the fan only turns on when the machine needs it.

 

[James-W]

Re: Dead welder

Try resetting the circuit breaker and see what happens. This should not be difficult to diagnose.

 

[Bert_]

Re: Dead welder

Hi all!!

I have a Miller Thunderbolt XL that I purchased new approach. 10 years ago. It has about 5 hours of use on it and when I last used it, it worked great. I went to use it again and nothing. No fan, no welding. I checked power going to the plug and both hots measured 110 volts. I then measured up to the switch and again 110 on both sides of switch. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

We don't care about voltage to ground, the welder doesn't use ground other than for safety.

You need to check for 240V from one "hot" to the other. Do not test from hot to ground it tells you nothing important and can lead you in the wrong direction.