spotwelder question
 

I picked up a little Miller spotwelder recently. It runs on 117VAC power
but it calls for a 30A circuit. I know I'm probably being a nervous Nell
but I'm wondering what bad thing could happen if I hook it up to a 20A
circuit just to try it out? It will only draw power for maybe 2 seconds,
not enough time for any wire to get very warm, and the worst it could do
is blow the breaker, right?

It's just a chicken and egg thing. I haven't decided yet if I want to sell
it or keep it and I don't want to put in another electrical circuit if I'm
going to sell it and to find out if I like using it I have to power it up ..

Grant

Grant,

IMO, it's worth a try. If it works, you are ok. If it trips the 20A
breaker there are 2 possible conclusions:

1) It is good but its normal current draw is in excess of 20 amps.
2) It is bad.

Bob Swinney
"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
I picked up a little Miller spotwelder recently. It runs on 117VAC power
but it calls for a 30A circuit. I know I'm probably being a nervous Nell
but I'm wondering what bad thing could happen if I hook it up to a 20A
circuit just to try it out? It will only draw power for maybe 2 seconds,
not enough time for any wire to get very warm, and the worst it could do
is blow the breaker, right?

It's just a chicken and egg thing. I haven't decided yet if I want to sell
it or keep it and I don't want to put in another electrical circuit if I'm
going to sell it and to find out if I like using it I have to power it up
..

Grant

In article , Grant Erwin
wrote:

I picked up a little Miller spotwelder recently. It runs on 117VAC power
but it calls for a 30A circuit. I know I'm probably being a nervous Nell
but I'm wondering what bad thing could happen if I hook it up to a 20A
circuit just to try it out? It will only draw power for maybe 2 seconds,
not enough time for any wire to get very warm, and the worst it could do
is blow the breaker, right?

It's just a chicken and egg thing. I haven't decided yet if I want to sell
it or keep it and I don't want to put in another electrical circuit if I'm
going to sell it and to find out if I like using it I have to power it up ..

Grant

I have one of those and I have never had trouble running it on a 20 amp
breaker.

30 amp could be full load

I also have the miller 115VAC spot welder, and its on a 20 or maybe a
15 amp circuit and tripping the breaker has never been a problem even
with a lot of continous use..

Just make sure your contact points line up over each other and the
diameter of the tips is within spec or it will not produce good sound
weld. Also make sure your threads on the tips to tongs are clean and
tight, and it don't hurt to apply a conductive anti sieze
either.........

To me adjusting the toggle action is a pain in the butt, and I usually
leave one of the nuts sufficiently loose so no wrenches are needed, so
its a simple matter to adjust one or the other and just snug em hand
tight.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:26:48 -0800, Grant Erwin
wrote:

===I picked up a little Miller spotwelder recently. It runs on 117VAC power
===but it calls for a 30A circuit. I know I'm probably being a nervous Nell
===but I'm wondering what bad thing could happen if I hook it up to a 20A
===circuit just to try it out? It will only draw power for maybe 2 seconds,
===not enough time for any wire to get very warm, and the worst it could do
===is blow the breaker, right?
===
===It's just a chicken and egg thing. I haven't decided yet if I want to sell
===it or keep it and I don't want to put in another electrical circuit if I'm
===going to sell it and to find out if I like using it I have to power it up ..
===
===Grant


I don;lt know about you and your upper body and arm strength, but it
sure does not take long bending over or lifting the spotr welder up to
wear my broke ass out. I try and use mine while its clamped in a vise
and lift the work if its at all feasible to do so.......ONe day I will
get around to making a stand or one of the counter balancers for
it........Until you get used to it, actually get used to having it,
you will still find yourself going for different methods to attach
items etc, and then it will hit you .....duh, I can easily spot that
sucker.........IMHO they are handy.........I got mine on ebay, brand
spanking new Miller complete with extra tips and tongs for $60 some
bucks..........a few years back, and I was the sole bidder.......that
place took a beating on selling it that cheap........and shipping was
pretty cheap aswell considering how much it all weighed. Sometimes yu
luck out other times you getshafted.......
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

I don;lt know about you and your upper body and arm strength, but it
sure does not take long bending over or lifting the spotr welder up to
wear my broke ass out. I try and use mine while its clamped in a vise
and lift the work if its at all feasible to do so.......ONe day I will
get around to making a stand or one of the counter balancers for
it........Until you get used to it, actually get used to having it,
you will still find yourself going for different methods to attach
items etc, and then it will hit you .....duh, I can easily spot that
sucker.........IMHO they are handy.........I got mine on ebay, brand
spanking new Miller complete with extra tips and tongs for $60 some
bucks..........a few years back, and I was the sole bidder.......that
place took a beating on selling it that cheap........and shipping was
pretty cheap aswell considering how much it all weighed. Sometimes yu
luck out other times you getshafted.......

My upper body strength is nothing to write home about. However, my
spot welder is on a Miller pedestal with a footpedal. I spent 2 days
tearing it down cleaning it and repainting it recently. I found that
Zynolyte "deep blue" is a pretty close match for modern Miller blue.
Not exact, but close.

My spotwelder has longish deepish tongs, too. They're 18" long and clear 9½".

I didn't buy it on ebay -- zero shipping (well, coupla bucks gas money). A
local guy wound up with it when his company went bust and he was tired of
it taking up space. My kind of seller.

Grant