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| My shop is wired for 220 off a 30Amp breaker from the main box to a breaker box in my shop. The reason we didn't wire for 50Amp is because I hadn't used a heavy enough wire and didn't want to dig it up and start over. At the time I only needed 220 for my large compressor. It's about 30 feet away from the house.
I have a Lincon Arc Welder that will pull variable voltage, I normally use only 75 or less. The welder has a 125V plug on it. What I want to know is what can I do to use the welder at the shop. I have a 50Amp outlet below the main box at the house, but don't want to weld everything over there or drag out my SUPER HD 50A extension cord. Can I not wire a 50Amp receptacle from a 30Amp breaker? Or can I not use a 50Amp breaker on the 30Amp bars? (At the shop). I'm probably not wording this correctly, but I hope you can understand what I'm trying to do Any advice greatly appreciated. Regards, Jim in the Desert of NM |
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| "I have a Lincon Arc Welder that will pull variable voltage, I normally use only 75 or less. The welder has a 125V plug on it. " You sound confused. Is the 50 amps the OUTPUT rating of the welder? The instructions should specify a supply current, and it is NOT the same as the output current. Arc welders are mostly a very large transformer to decrease the voltage from the AC wall supply to a lower voltage while providing a higher current.
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| Confused? Moi? You bet your boots (smile)! As I said, or tried to say, it's quite versatile. Here's what the description says: "Broad output ranges: AC 40 - 225 amps". Do dat hep? Hope so. As you can tell, I don't know that much about Watts, Amps, Horsepower, nuclear reaction and splitting atoms. Regards, Jim |
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| The output range has relatively little to do with the input required. The manual should have the installation instructions. |
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| Actually, my question was more of a general question. The welder is an older one and there is no manual. I may just run 50Amps to the shop (overhead...no more digging). I just thought there might be a way to use it on a lower amp Regards, Jim |
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| It is very unlikely you need 50 amps on the 125 V input side. Look for the nameplate on the unit and post the information there (even duty cycle matters, so post everything). |
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