Whats the average amp draw from a small welder?

[juicegoose]

Guys I was going to run some wire to two 220v circuits tomorrow and for right now I'm just going to run double pole 20A duplex receptacles at each one for use with my woodworking machinery. I do want to kind of future proof myself to some extent not possible needs for a small mig welder. Would 10-3 on a 30amp breaker be enough for a good sized mig welder or not? Also a medium sized plasma cutter. I've got one that I can use at any time.

 

[terabyte]

my 185 amp tig and 175 amp mig both only need 30 amp each.
i believe 10-3 is good enough as long as its a reasonable run and copper

 

[Norcal]

my 185 amp tig and 175 amp mig both only need 30 amp each.
i believe 10-3 is good enough as long as its a reasonable run and copper

Why spend the dough for a extra wire? It's a 240V load & welders do not require a neutral.

 

[terabyte]

Why spend the dough for a extra wire? It's a 240V load & welders do not require a neutral.

you need a white a black and the neutral\ground don't you?

 

[Norcal]

you need a white a black and the neutral\ground don't you?

Ground & a neutral are two different things. A 2 conductor w/ ground NM cable is fine, just have to reidentify the white conductor as a hot...

 

[terabyte]

Ground & a neutral are two different things. A 2 conductor w/ ground NM cable is fine, just have to reidentify the white conductor as a hot...

i really need to fully learn this stuff.
thank you for the heads up.
sorry to the OP for steering you wrong

 

[terabyte]

just for the record. for a 240 welder you do need a 3 conductor wire ?
and the 3rd conductor can be slightly smaller than the other two?

 

[AMCguy]

You do not need a three conductor wire. You need a two conductor wire. The ground which is included with either, is not a conductor.

A 10-2 will have the two conductors you need and a ground. In the breaker box and in the outlet, they must be identified as black and red regardless of what color they are actually.

For very little extra. about what you would have paid for 10-3, you could upgrade to 8-2 and then you are set for a 40 amp breaker.

 

[Norcal]

You do not need a three conductor wire. You need a two conductor wire. The ground which is included with either, is not a conductor.

A 10-2 will have the two conductors you need and a ground. In the breaker box and in the outlet, they must be identified as black and red regardless of what color they are actually.

For very little extra. about what you would have paid for 10-3, you could upgrade to 8-2 and then you are set for a 40 amp breaker.

There no code requirement that one has to identify a white being used as a "hot" red, it just cannot be white or green.

Oversizing a wire kicks in another code requirement in 250.122( B ) NEC 2008 edition.

(B) Increased in Size. Where ungrounded conductors are
increased in size, equipment grounding conductors, where
installed, shall be increased in size proportionately according
to the circular mil area of the ungrounded conductors.

The 10 AWG grounding conductor in a 8/2 NM cable will not comply with that code section.

 

[Boyd Who]

My electrician wired up my 3 welder plugs with 10-2 wire on individual 30A breakers.

 

[george4]

My Hobart 187 mig runs fine on 30 amps. But when I picked up 225 stick I had to upgrade to 50 amps. As long as you are starting fresh, you may want to consider 50 amps. I think most welders in this range use the same plug. 6-50?

 

[fflintstone]

Most welders and plasma cutter, use a 50A plug. Just go with 6-2 cable and the 50A plug NOW, and you are ready for any potential upgrades

 

[alecmcmahon]

Just thought I throw this in the mix, I emailed Hobart about what they recommend for running their Hobart 210 Welder and they replied.

The recommended circuit size is a 40 amp breaker with #8 wire for an Ironman 210 or the Handler 210.

Regards,

Keith McQuown
Manager, Technical Support

Hobart Welding Products An ITW Company
600 W. Main St.
Troy, OH 45373 USA
1-800-332-3281 Office
1-937-332-4804 Fax
[email protected]
www.hobartwelders.com
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-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 5:12 PM
To: INFO-Hobartwelders
Subject:
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What size breaker and wire is required off a garage sub panel to safely run the Hobart 210 Welder?

 

[mefarri]

I checked my Lincoln 180MIG and Miller Econotig and the lincoln calls for a 40amp and the Miller for an 80.