Welder Extension Cord

   / Welder Extension Cord #32  
Well something is odd, I thought it was generaly accepetd 14 gauge wire is good for 15 amp circuits, 12 ga for 20 amp, 10 ga for 30 amp, 8 ga for 40 amp, and 6 ga for 50 amps.

I'm sure these are not exact ratings, but for wiring residential circuits I thought this was the standard ???

JB
 
   / Welder Extension Cord #34  
   / Welder Extension Cord #35  
   / Welder Extension Cord #36  
In my state if you wire up a 50amp breaker to #8 wire you'll fail inspection.
All of my 50amp extension cords are #6 three conductor with ground.
Just saying.
 
   / Welder Extension Cord #37  
I talked to the a Lincoln rep about the size wire on my Pro Cut-55, and he says and I agree that #8 is the correct wire to use. He also said to use an extension cord of the same wire size as the cord on the plasma cutter. I can also use my Ranger 8 and the Miller 10 KW Gen/welder with the plasma cutter.

Some of you can get away with some things, some of the time, but you can not get away with all things forever.

It's your machine and wire, so use what you have for the time being until you get it right.

There might be a difference whether the wire is 4-single stranded wires in a 1 in/1 1/4 in conduit, as compared to a wrapped set of 4 wires encased in a rubber sheath. [ extension cord ]
 
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   / Welder Extension Cord #38  
dstig1 said:
Yes, required by code to ground all metal bits, plus a very good idea.

JJ, #8 is used for ~50A circuits, not 80A. This is a standard welder extension cord. I can buy the exact cord with the 50A M&F plug ends on it from Hobart at the Fleet Farm store here. For home use, it is hard to get something that really needs more than 50A, and even harder to drive a welder hard enough to max that out. Home welders just don't run that hot and heavy. Not many interstate bridges built in home garages...
Click to expand...

#8 is good from 58A up to 89A according to the calculator at 240 V, copper.
 
   / Welder Extension Cord #40  
J_J said:
I talked to the a Lincoln rep about the size wire on my Pro Cut-55, and he says and I agree that #8 is the correct wire to use. He also said to use an extension cord of the same wire size as the cord on the plasma cutter. I can also use my Ranger 8 and the Miller 10 KW Gen/welder with the plasma cutter.

Some of you can get away with some things, some of the time, but you can not get away with all things forever.

It's your machine and wire, so use what you have for the time being until you get it right.

There might be a difference whether the wire is 4-single stranded wires in a 1 in/1 1/4 in conduit, as compared to a wrapped set of 4 wires encased in a rubber sheath. [ extension cord ]
Click to expand...
It is not a case of us getting away with things, we are using a heavier wire then needed, you are using a wire that is just big enough/too small, you are the one who is getting away with something. It is more a case of you using what you have, and not doing it right. With cables for things like this, thicker is better, there is no advantage in in using a wire at its max rating, except cost. The cable for my welder is almost 2x as thick as needed, so I am at much less risk of something going wrong than you are, with a wire being used right at/over its rated load.
 
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