What size wire for a welder?

[batty53]

OK so I have to run some wire for an outlet for my welder.
I am wondering what size I should run for a 230V welder.
I have 40' of 10/3 already and am wondering if I need to go to an 8 gauge.
batty53

[Pistol Pete]

the bigger the better,,and the longer the cord you need,,the bigger it HAS to be to handle the current drop

[moose]

WHat is the max amp of the welder? Look on the plate and find the input amps for the 230.

[cam]

i remember us buying 8 i believe....i might be wrong.
but it's 50 feet long, so it's plenty for us..
and the welder(mig15) works awsome, and hasn't complained yet..

i think myles(static) is running 6 and i think his cord is something like 40 meters!

[JACK FUSION]

10/3 wire is good for 30 amps and most lincoln sp-175 220v pull approx 20 amps. if you have 8/3 already then i would go for that so if you upgrade to a bigger machine later then you'll probably have a heavy enough wire already.

[MaxW]

Is this for in the wall or are you making an extension core?

If it's in the wall you have a number of options, but you might find that going with the thickest wire will only be marginally more expensive. I ran 4 outlets and used 6/2 which is at least good to 50 Amps which are what my plugs are rated at. As I recall the wire was something like $2 a meter and I believe I ran about 40 meters. I believe it cost me $20 more then if I would have run the 8 gauge. BTW, if you are using the proper welder plug then you don't need 3 wire.

I ran the heavy wire because eventually I will get the big Hobart running.

There are a few other details about the plugs and box size and conduit that you should be aware of. I had to get it correct since I was having it inspected.

If you are running it in the wall and want to have a look at how I did mine give me a call, I'm usually up late, 656-4324, I'm near Panorama so I'm not to far from you if your in Sidney.

[batty53]

Yes this is "in the wall" and I do have the proper welder receptical. I will also be wiring in a switch that will take those round breaker fuses so I can safley turn off the power to the recepitcal. My Millermatic 175 will draw about 20 amps but I havn't checked my brothers stick welder yet. Yes upgradeing may be an option down the road so preparing now would be a step in the right direction. if more money spent on wire now = less work down the road then I am all for that.
Thanks guys!
batty53

[MaxW]

Correction.
I ran 8 gauge not 6. The memory is the first to go when you get old. Sorry, bout that.
Anyway, I dug up my receipt and it was NMD90 8/2 300v.
I had bought 45 meters at $2.10 a meter at Home Depot. If your running 40ft that's somewhere around 12meters which is about $25 for the thicker wire.
I also bought the box, mud ring, receptical, wire clamps at Home depot, but I bought the 40Amp circuit breakers at Canadian tire. My power pannel is the Federal Pioneer and Crappy tire had the best prices for circuit breakers, go figure.

Also, with the large wire you have to put in the 4"x4" box to meet code. They have these box fill requirement so you cant use the small box even though the welder plug looks like it will mount to a regular size box. There is a steel plate that matches the 2"x4" plug to the 4"x4" box, they call it a "mud ring". You also need the larger staples. If the wire is not covered by drywall, you have to run it in conduit in the exposed area, and if the conduit doesn't go all the way back to the box you have to use a wire clamp where the wire enters the conduit.

Also, check the amp rating on the receptical, I think I saw two different versions one for 30 amp and the other for 50amp, they looked almost identical except for the rating number.

BTW, the 45meters was for 4 runs to 4 different plugs, not a single long run.

[JACK FUSION]

you will find that some machines use 3 wire cable so i would suggest to put in a 3 wire.

[MaxW]

What kind of plug and receptical are they using?

[JACK FUSION]

they had a 50amp 250v 4 prong twist lock ends on them. these were not the original plugs but still utilized the neutral for the 110v power for the high frequency unit and the water cooled torch pump and i believe the power source had 110v outlets built in.
BTW i'm fairly sure (by code) that if the 4x4 box isn't mounted below 5' that a conduit isn't required but 5' isn't a very usable height and conduit it cheap and if you've ever seen anyone accidently chop a wire with 240v+ running thru it by leaning a chunk of plate against it then you've already bought conduit.