Thinking about getting myself a welder, but...

[deereman75]

And it's not hard to use a dc welder instead of ac. I know pro union welders that will not even make 1 weld with av

I am not saying anything bad about DC, I love my dc welder. Infact I havnt even turned on the old lincoln tombstone since I got it. DC is way better I agree, but the risk of getting zapped should have no part in choosing.

 

[Oaktree]

GFI might not work,may trip when you strike a arc from surge.

My whole garage is on a GFI and I've never had it trip while welding. YMMV

 

[greasemonkeyok]

"March 29, 2012. Jorge Javier Rodriguez, 30, died Wednesday afternoon, electrocuted while he was doing welding work on his grandfather's house ...."

I weld, and am not a chicken little about it. But, the danger is real, and deaths do occur. To belittle those who issue words of caution is a disservice to the readers who are interested in getting into welding. The thing is, we don't know what the OP's level of sophistication is relative to electrical circuits. So, what is common sense to me, may not be obvious to him.

Take GFI for example. It does NOT protect you from being electrocuted by the electrical circuit going through the torch and ground clamp, if the circuit from the service to the welder is not compromised.

 

[JDgreen227]

"March 29, 2012. Jorge Javier Rodriguez, 30, died Wednesday afternoon, electrocuted while he was doing welding work on his grandfather's house ...."

I weld, and am not a chicken little about it. But, the danger is real, and deaths do occur. To belittle those who issue words of caution is a disservice to the readers who are interested in getting into welding. The thing is, we don't know what the OP's level of sophistication is relative to electrical circuits. So, what is common sense to me, may not be obvious to him.

Take GFI for example. It does NOT protect you from being electrocuted by the electrical circuit going through the torch and ground clamp, if the circuit from the service to the welder is not compromised.

VERY well stated...and I appreciate your input here, as well as those who pointed out the possible dangers. And for what it is worth I have had extensive experience with both rewiring homes and outbuildings and new construction wiring. The only thing I refuse to do is hook up the main panel in a house to utility wiring, for obvious reasons !!

 

[Jesse masterson]

This final post of mine to this thread is to those thatmade safety a joke it's no laughing matter when people die . You all can't learn anything because your to busy knowing everything. When I played baseball in college you were the guys on the bench telling everyone how great you were instead of learning the game. Do some research before you open yor mouths next time.

 

[Soundguy]

to add a little centricity to the far ends of the field.

yes.. there is SOME risk welding.

Generally.. with any power tool, you CAN get hurt. ( any tool period )

you generally have to avoid common sense safety to get hurt.

heck.. waking up is dangerous. Lookup the statistis on people having heart attacks in the morning upon waling and getting out of bed... I'm not kidding.

life is dangerous.

you can lock up inside the bubble.. or you can practice some common sense and safety and have at it.

soundguy

 

[jake98]

DC shocks are not better for you than AC shocks, I believe the stats show the opposite. I doubt if it makes much difference which way the electrons are going thru you tho.

 

[Jesse masterson]

I personally have never heard of anyone dying from getting shocked by a coil on a car and that's thousands of volt and that's dc but many has been killed by ac

 

[deereman75]

I personally have never heard of anyone dying from getting shocked by a coil on a car and that's thousands of volt and that's dc but many has been killed by ac

Part of that is that is a very low amperage dc. If they were the same voltage and amperage, they could kill you just the same. It depened on voltage to get through the body, and amperage to kill the heart. Doesnt matter if it is ac or dc. You really dont seem to know what your talking about.

 

[Jesse masterson]

Thanks for the compliment , do you talk to ur wife like that when you disagree or your ex wife are you an electrician by trade . I know if the amperage was the same dc could kill you to . But you don't have to insult to have a discussion

 

[deereman75]

Thanks for the compliment , do you talk to ur wife like that when you disagree or your ex wife

:laughing: Sorry if I offended you, it just annoys me when someone keeps going on and on about an almost trivial detail. Sure in THEORY AC is more dangerous, but in practice, there isnt much difference. BTW, I am one of the TBN young guns, so no on the wife comments....

 

[Jesse masterson]

My dad was pro welder Worlked out of plumbers and pipefitters for 35 years he has seen people fried on ac machines my brother was also a pro welder out of plumber and pipefitters local 160 out of murfresboro Illinois they wouldn't let me as a kid even weld on a ac machine they saw people fried on them . Job sites actualy outlawed them because of liabilities I speak out of knowledge not ignorance on the subject

 

[Ken45101]

This is the absolute worst thread that I have seen on this board :laughing:

and yes, I am unsubing so that I don't see any more of it.

 

[deereman75]

This is the absolute worst thread that I have seen on this board :laughing:

and yes, I am unsubing so that I don't see any more of it.

I agree. I am putting the "expert" on ignore, and not looking again at it.

 

[Jesse masterson]

Bet you will, cause you like the argument and I'm sorry if I know more than you . It's really tough being this smart lol but this is a serous issue and people if not taken serious could die . There will be people looking at this thread that has never welded and they should know all the facts and dangers even if thery are remote . Which I agree they are remote

 

[k0ua]

I personally have never heard of anyone dying from getting shocked by a coil on a car and that's thousands of volt and that's dc but many has been killed by ac

If you think DC is safe you are sadly mistaken. The closest I have ever come to be electrocuted was when working as a TV technician, many years ago I got onto the 330 volt B+ bus on a television tuner, when reaching in with one hand to pull a nuvistor tube, and came in contact with a feedthrough capacitor. The 330 volts came through my hand and out my arm near the elbow where I was touching the metal chassis. The 330 volt line on this set could probably provide anywhere from 500 to perhaps a full 1000 milliamps (1 amp or so) of current. In any case the 330 volts and what ever current my arm drew from the circuit was enough to knock the snot out of me. I had to sit down for some time, I felt weak, and had a funny taste in my mouth. I had the other hand in my pocket as we were always taught to do to prevent a path through the heart. A few thousand volts at a few MICRO amps is not enough to kill but a few hundred DC volts at a few MILLI amps (typically thought to be around 50 milliamps) is enough to knock your butt down and out forever. I was lucky, and I followed last ditch safety procedures. While all my Ham gear now is solid state and the highest DC voltage inside is 13.8 Volts. In the past my transcievers used up to 800 volts at up to 500 milliamps. as the B+ voltage supply, and I assure you if you were to touch that voltage and let it cross you body through your heart, someone would be attending your funeral.

James K0UA

 

[JDgreen227]

This is the absolute worst thread that I have seen on this board :laughing:

and yes, I am unsubing so that I don't see any more of it.

OP here, sorry you and Deereman feel that way. Everybody here is entitled to their opinion and you may not agree with it but at least let another member give his input without being judgemental and/or critical UNLESS his comments are directly aimed at you.

Thanks. I have personally appreciated everyone's comments here and have learned many things from everyone who has posted.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Good point JDgreen227.

K0ua, you correct but you have to admit that most folks do not come in contact with 300v DC, and it takes higher DC voltage to conduct through the body than AC, unless you stick your tongue on it.

I don't know what the voltage is on DC welders, but I think most of the consumer transformers are stepped down to 50v or less?

 

[k0ua]

This is long and a little technical, but may help to clear things up:

Ohm's Law (again!) : ELECTRICAL SAFETY

James K0UA

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Good article, thanks.:thumbsup: