This past weekend I purchased a new AC/DC 220 volt stick welder for my
shop. I plan on installing a 50 amp breaker in my box and establish
an outlet for the welder. I purchased 8/2 wire to make a long
extension cord for the welder, but local hardware store only had 6/2
wire onhand that I purchased to go from fuse box to the outlet. First
question.....is 8/2 (25 feet long) going to work as my "extension
cord" for the welder, and (second question) is there any problem
using 6/2 to run from my fuse panel to a outlet for the welder??
Since I did not have time to wire this up this past weekend, thought I
should take advantage of the knowledge here before making a dumb
mistake. Thanks for the input...

( I have all the correct outlets...and service into the shop..)
Bruce

Sounds right to me, I believe that I wired my welder using 8 ga with
neutral (most welders have only three connections, not four), and a 50
amp breaker. I believe my welder manual recommended 8 ga wire. Going
heavier wire (6 ga) is not a problem, just a little less voltage drop,
so a slightly better installation. With the heavier wire, you could use
a larger breaker if you wished, but I have never popped my 50 amp
breaker.

Richard


Bruce wrote:

This past weekend I purchased a new AC/DC 220 volt stick welder for my
shop. I plan on installing a 50 amp breaker in my box and establish
an outlet for the welder. I purchased 8/2 wire to make a long
extension cord for the welder, but local hardware store only had 6/2
wire onhand that I purchased to go from fuse box to the outlet. First
question.....is 8/2 (25 feet long) going to work as my "extension
cord" for the welder, and (second question) is there any problem
using 6/2 to run from my fuse panel to a outlet for the welder??
Since I did not have time to wire this up this past weekend, thought I
should take advantage of the knowledge here before making a dumb
mistake. Thanks for the input...

( I have all the correct outlets...and service into the shop..)
Bruce

Thanks Richard.....And there is nothing quite as exciting as getting a
taste of 220 volts running through your body. Did that last
night...next time I think I should pull the main breaker from my
panel, and not wave my hands around when I am talking to my
son......Welder works great, as does my new auto darkening
helmet......

Bruce


Richard Ferguson wrote in message ...
Sounds right to me, I believe that I wired my welder using 8 ga with
neutral (most welders have only three connections, not four), and a 50
amp breaker. I believe my welder manual recommended 8 ga wire. Going
heavier wire (6 ga) is not a problem, just a little less voltage drop,
so a slightly better installation. With the heavier wire, you could use
a larger breaker if you wished, but I have never popped my 50 amp
breaker.

Richard


Bruce wrote:

This past weekend I purchased a new AC/DC 220 volt stick welder for my
shop. I plan on installing a 50 amp breaker in my box and establish
an outlet for the welder. I purchased 8/2 wire to make a long
extension cord for the welder, but local hardware store only had 6/2
wire onhand that I purchased to go from fuse box to the outlet. First
question.....is 8/2 (25 feet long) going to work as my "extension
cord" for the welder, and (second question) is there any problem
using 6/2 to run from my fuse panel to a outlet for the welder??
Since I did not have time to wire this up this past weekend, thought I
should take advantage of the knowledge here before making a dumb
mistake. Thanks for the input...

( I have all the correct outlets...and service into the shop..)
Bruce

Richard Ferguson wrote in message ...

I believe my welder manual recommended 8 ga wire. Going
heavier wire (6 ga) is not a problem, just a little less voltage drop,
so a slightly better installation. With the heavier wire, you could use
a larger breaker if you wished, but I have never popped my 50 amp
breaker.


Just wondering - can you properly connect an applicance to a breaker
rated larger than the applicance rating??


Laurie Forbes

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:07:39 GMT, am (Laurie Forbes) wrote:
Just wondering - can you properly connect an applicance to a breaker
rated larger than the applicance rating??

Sure. The breaker is sized to protect the *wire* feeding the outlet. The appliance
is on its own. It can have internal fuses, or not, as the appliance designer (and UL)
chooses. For example, you can plug a radio or TV into an outlet protected by a
15 amp breaker, even though the radio may only draw a fraction of an amp. If the
designer so chose, the radio would have an internal fuse to protect it, or it might
be impedance protected in some other way to prevent it from drawing excessive
current in case of an internal fault.

Now if the appliance is *hard wired* into a dedicated circuit, the rules are a little
different. The breaker still has to be sized to protect the wire, but it may also be
required to be sized to protect the appliance. But as long as there's an outlet and
a plug involved, that rule doesn't apply.

Gary

Gary's comments are right on.

I noticed in the owner's manual to my welder that they recomended a
maximum 100 amp breaker, so apparently anywhere in the 50 to 100 amp
range would be fine. As Gary said, the breaker protects the wire, so a
larger breaker requires larger wire, which only makes common sense.

Richard


Laurie Forbes wrote:

Richard Ferguson wrote in message ...

I believe my welder manual recommended 8 ga wire. Going
heavier wire (6 ga) is not a problem, just a little less voltage drop,
so a slightly better installation. With the heavier wire, you could use
a larger breaker if you wished, but I have never popped my 50 amp
breaker.


Just wondering - can you properly connect an applicance to a breaker
rated larger than the applicance rating??

Laurie Forbes

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 21:25:49 GMT, (Gary Coffman)
wrote:

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:07:39 GMT, am (Laurie Forbes) wrote:
Just wondering - can you properly connect an applicance to a breaker
rated larger than the applicance rating??

Sure. The breaker is sized to protect the *wire* feeding the outlet. The appliance
is on its own. It can have internal fuses, or not, as the appliance designer (and UL)
chooses. For example, you can plug a radio or TV into an outlet protected by a
15 amp breaker, even though the radio may only draw a fraction of an amp. If the
designer so chose, the radio would have an internal fuse to protect it, or it might
be impedance protected in some other way to prevent it from drawing excessive
current in case of an internal fault.

Now if the appliance is *hard wired* into a dedicated circuit, the rules are a little
different. The breaker still has to be sized to protect the wire, but it may also be
required to be sized to protect the appliance. But as long as there's an outlet and
a plug involved, that rule doesn't apply.

Gary

I see what you mean Gary and it makes sense but I'm trying to recall
an counter example I saw a few years ago. It may have had to do with
certain appliances designed to be supplied by 15 amp circuits (as in
Canada) being used in the US where household receptacles are typically
fused at 20 amps (IIRC). May have had something to do with the
devices power cords which were only rated for 15 amps. OTOH maybe
what I'm trying to recall *did* have to do with hard wired devices.



Laurie Forbes

In article ,
says...
On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:07:39 GMT, am (Laurie Forbes) wrote:
Just wondering - can you properly connect an applicance to a breaker
rated larger than the applicance rating??

Sure. The breaker is sized to protect the *wire* feeding the outlet. The appliance
is on its own. It can have internal fuses, or not, as the appliance designer (and UL)
chooses. For example, you can plug a radio or TV into an outlet protected by a
15 amp breaker, even though the radio may only draw a fraction of an amp. If the
designer so chose, the radio would have an internal fuse to protect it, or it might
be impedance protected in some other way to prevent it from drawing excessive
current in case of an internal fault.

Now if the appliance is *hard wired* into a dedicated circuit, the rules are a little
different. The breaker still has to be sized to protect the wire, but it may also be
required to be sized to protect the appliance. But as long as there's an outlet and
a plug involved, that rule doesn't apply.

AFAIK, NFPA 70 does not distinguish between permanently
connected and plug-connected flexible cords for the purpose
of determining the required overcurrent protection. See
section 240-4.

Ned Simmons

Sounds right to me, I believe that I wired my welder using 8 ga with neutral
(most welders have only three connections, not four), and a 50 amp breaker.


For the usual 20 percent duty-cycle welder, 8-2+G and a 50 amp breaker is
appropriate.