Additional idlers brought on line should have run capacitors for best
performance.

Bob Swinney
"Ignoramus11916" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 07 Sep 2005 19:25:02 -0400, JohnM wrote:
Ignoramus11916 wrote:
I have a rotary phase converter with a 10 HP idler.

If I was to run a serious 3 phase welder, I would need to increase the
capacity of my RPC. My own thought is to add two more 10 HP idlers (at
very little cost). They would be switched on (if necessary), one after
another, after the first idler properly spins up. Once they are
running, I could turn on the load. That's better than one 30 HP idler
because

1) They do not strain the breakers at startup
2) It would require a lot less starting capacitance
3) I could regulate how much idler power I am using

Does it make sense?

i


It makes sense, but get the welder and use it with the one convertor you
have now before you make any decisions. I hooked up a 600 amp Lincoln
transformer welder to my 3hp phase convertor and it worked fine at low
settings, but I could tell the convertor was maxing out around (I guess)
180 amps. Your 10hp unit should certainly keep up with reasonable
welding requirements.

Thanks. That makes sense. I will try it with the existing RPC. I have
a 7.5 HP motor also, should be easy to "plug in" if necessary.

i