Welding 3/16" & 1/4" with 120v wire-feed

[Sodo]

Well I appreciate it. I put a decent amount of time into trying to help and end up running defense all day long. Thats the culture here, currently and theres no need for it.

I wish I could offer a data point for 7000w. Keep in mind that my MultiMatic 200 is an inverter MIG, which may have a different performance than other types of MIG power supply. ALso the PAIRED 2000w Hondas are inverter types, and are able to synchronize the AC and put out a full 20amps. But with the welder set at 1/4" the Hondas initial bog is too much for my taste so I dont use the 1/4" thickness preset with the Hondas.

Keep in mind that if you ran a 120v welder on your 7000w generator, that 120v is only pulling off one leg so in that sense your generator is 3500w (and the other 3500 goes un-used, I think) Better wait for somebody who "knows" before putting that to memory.

But for completeness, and since the subject of this thread is "120v" its pertinent to note that the pair of 2000w hondas may be equivalent to a single 8,000w generator where you can only using one leg of the 220v. Where you get 4000w of 120v and the remaining 4000w goes unused.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Single phase AC Amps = watts / volts x power factor

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[MinnesotaDaveChalmers]

I'm really glad you posted this because I've been wondering about generator use and welding, and why I couldn't use my continuous 7K to run a welder, wherever 220 isn't economical or practical. How come we never hear about people using gennies to run a larger welder? Is it just the noise and inconvenience factor?

These have been great threads on welding and I appreciate the input from both weekend welders and pros. Thanks for starting them.

Often it has to do with needing a high in-rush current.

Inverter welders are more efficient and have a lower need for this high in-rush current I'm told.
My miller maxstar 150s welds nicely on 240v from my 5000 watt generator so could be true.

Sodo also made a good observation that many generators only provide half the rated amps at each plug on 120v because of there being two separate power generation "banks."

However, some generators allow a switch to be flipped to provide full output at 120 volts by running the two banks together. 240 volt power is not available in this mode.

Edit: I should add that I've tried running my old small mig on 120v off my older model 5000 watt Generac, it bogs down pretty easily and then the wire feed is erratic.
Once it smooths out I get less heat out of the machine than when plugged into the wall.