Some NOS PowerArc 160's

[k0ua]

How close would be "nearby"? The laundry room is probably 20ish feet to the door to the garage. Is wiring up a 30-40' 10/3(?) extension cord a possibility?

it sure is.. You can get some SO cord at Lowes or HD and wire up the cord you will need and roll it back up when done. S O cord is very flexible with a tough black jacket that will stand being rolled up thousands of times. Think large flexible extension cord. It is not really cheap, but probably a lot cheaper than an electrician.

 

[prichard]

I got some 10-4 So at HD, they didn't have 10-3, and wired to dryer plug for now. It will actually end up at the other house right near the electrical panel. I think it was Under $2 per foot for the wire, another $15 for each plug.

 

[TheSpoon]

it sure is.. You can get some SO cord at Lowes or HD and wire up the cord you will need and roll it back up when done. S O cord is very flexible with a tough black jacket that will stand being rolled up thousands of times. Think large flexible extension cord. It is not really cheap, but probably a lot cheaper than an electrician.

OK, yeah. So 6/4 SOOW wire at HD runs about $5.50/ft (or 100' of 6/3 for $285) and 6/3 on ebay for 3.24/ft, so I'm looking at about a $200 extension cord when it's said and done. Something to ponder. Not having any prior welding experience, this was supposed to be my "cheap" introductory. Now I have something to chew on.

 

[TheSpoon]

I got some 10-4 So at HD, they didn't have 10-3, and wired to dryer plug for now. It will actually end up at the other house right near the electrical panel. I think it was Under $2 per foot for the wire, another $15 for each plug.

Prichard, from this chart:
American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits with skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength
is says for the power draw on the 160 (26A) you should be using 6 gauge wire. Am I missing something?

 

[aarolar]

That's silly to think of buying 6 ga SO for that machine 10 ga is more than enough, that chart is considering a constant draw think electric motor running a conveyor or something. We have over 15 machines at work most spend all day running .045 dualshield and not a single one has 6 ga SO on it.

 

[k0ua]

Prichard, from this chart:
American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits with skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength
is says for the power draw on the 160 (26A) you should be using 6 gauge wire. Am I missing something?

I used #10 SO cord for mine. It is 30 foot long. #8 is the biggest I would use for up to a 50 footer. I can't see needing #6. I wired the 50 amp outlet with #6 in the wall because I didn't know what machine I would put on it in the future that might need the full 50 amps of the receptacle. But This little welder will not pull no 50 amps. The 26 amp number you quoted is more accurate, and #10 is good for 30 amps in an open air intermittent service like this for reasonable distances. Use #8 if you are worried. My #10 has never even gotten warm to the touch in use.

 

[prichard]

Per UL #10 cord is rated 25 or 30 amps. UL General-Use Circuit Ampacity Reference Chart

I don't expect to be running the welder at 100% and even if I did there is duty cycle to consider. So, I'm OK with this but you have to pick your own level of safety/risk. I could log in to NFPA and see what NEC has to say about it but like I said I'm comfortable doing it this way.

 

[k0ua]

Your probably not even running 20 amps on the supply side burning a 7018 at 125 amps. I felt very safe with my #10 SO cord extension cord. and my practice has borne that out.

 

[TheSpoon]

No, thank you everyone. I know enough about electrical to be dangerous (not necessarily in the bad way), so I tend to compensate when I don't know for 100%. Better safe then sorry right? I'll pick up some 10/3 and have at it. Thanks again everyone, I don't feel quite as bad now.

 

[prichard]

I feel obligated to mention that if I was permanently wiring a 50A receptacle in my home I would follow NEC to the letter. Even though I may not use 50A for this welder a 50A load could be connected to that receptacle. BTW, wire is sized according to the breaker which is sized according to the load.

Cords and temp wiring are another matter.