Welder / Wiring for Small Garage

[dieselscout80]

Doesn't that page for the 210 say it'll pull 24amps at 230V?

And the 200 says 19 amps at 240V?

It does, but it also shows a 50 amp plug for 220 volts.

 

[etpm]

All, question on wiring and breaker for my personal use small garage.

I have a 50 amp circuit from my house to the garage on 6/3 wire (black, red, white and ground).

I planned to wire a 30 amp circuit for welding with 8/3 wire, but is that enough for say a Hobart Handler 210MVP or a Mult-Handler 200 Multiprocess? I wouldn’t ever need to weld anything thicker than 3/8”.


Handler® 210 MVP™ MIG Welder | HobartWelders

Multi-Handler 200 Multiprocess Welder | HobartWelders

Will a 30 amp circuit with 8/3 work?

#8 copper THHN wire is good for 55 amps. You will need to look at the manual for the welder to see how many amps it draws. AND REMEMBER, THE BREAKERS IN THE PANEL ARE FOR PROTECTING THE WIRE ONLY. THE BREAKERS ARE NOT FOR PROTECTING ANYTHING CONNECTED TO THE WIRING. Also, it doesn't matter how thick the metal you are going to weld is, the wire supplying power the welder must have the ampacity equal to or greater than the maximum amps the machine is rated for.
Eric

 

[dieselscout80]

#8 copper THHN wire is good for 55 amps. You will need to look at the manual for the welder to see how many amps it draws. AND REMEMBER, THE BREAKERS IN THE PANEL ARE FOR PROTECTING THE WIRE ONLY. THE BREAKERS ARE NOT FOR PROTECTING ANYTHING CONNECTED TO THE WIRING. Also, it doesn't matter how thick the metal you are going to weld is, the wire supplying power the welder must have the ampacity equal to or greater than the maximum amps the machine is rated for.
Eric

I understand that the breaker protects the wiring of the circuit.

Where would I find chart that shows # 8 copper can handle 55 amps? I thought # 6 was only rated for 50 amps.

 

[KennyG]

It does, but it also shows a 50 amp plug for 220 volts.

I think this class of welder typically uses a 50 amp plug as the default connector, but that doesn't mean it needs a 50 amp circuit. I have that plug on my Lincoln that I run off a 30 amp circuit. Also, if I recall correctly, a welder extension cable can have smaller wire because of the limited duty cycle, as opposed to a continuous load like a motor.

 

[dieselscout80]

Kenny that makes sense.

 

[ray66v]

I agree, the NEMA 6-50 receptacle seems to be the modern standard for welding equipment.

And, in my experience, they are commonly only wired to a 30 amp circuit.

 

[WranglerX]

Two things... The 50 Amp plug shown in manual is industry standard for most 230 volt welders in this class no matter what the amperage draw is for welder....

And the amperage draw shown in chart is for midrange weld not for maximum.....

If wires size dictates it can be capable of amperage draw for welder, it still may be a case of breaker being to small for load....

I have Hobart Handler 140 the stated max draw at full out is 20 amp.... But I kept popping breaker .... When I did calculation of the KVA value at 120 volts it stated max draw was actually 24.6 amps...... Had to go to 30 amp circuit too keep from popping breaker on my machine at full amperage/voltage settings...

 

[NYTrainer]

When running 240vac the current load is shared by both hot legs so factor that into your wiring choice. For example if welder pulls 30 amps each leg supplies 15 amps so wiring can be determined by that and wire run length.
wire it and use welder for 240vac and forget about using it with 120vac IMO.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep. If I had a 110/220 capable welder, and I was going to run a new circuit, I'd just go with the 220 circuit.

 

[etpm]

I understand that the breaker protects the wiring of the circuit.

Where would I find chart that shows # 8 copper can handle 55 amps? I thought # 6 was only rated for 50 amps.

I wrote about THHN specifically, because it seems to be the most common single strand wire, the wire most likely to be found at the local hardware store or home improvement store. Anyway, check out this link: THHN/THWN-2 Copper Wire | WireAndCableYourWay.com
Eric