Electrical 220v

[Sulla]

Still a new guy here. Names David, I'm up in North Conway NH and am running a CKHST 20 Kioti. My wife and I just bought a forty five acre chunk of land up here. I plan on clearing it and building a farm, but that's for another thread.

One of the first things I need to do is set up a welding shop so I can fix every thing I break and fabricate what I can't find.

So making a long question longer, how do I run a 220 line for the welder and is there any reason I can't do this myself?

I am really trying to do as much as I can myself as I think these skills could be very important in the not to distant future.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer.

 

[Donman]

We could use a little more information here in order to answer intelligently. That 45 acre chunk of land you have; does it already have buildings on it or is it bare land? If it does have a house and a barn, is the electrical service on the house and only 110v to the building? Or are you asking how to run a 220v branch circuit for a welder?

 

[Milton Burro]

My initial reaction is, if you need to ask that question, stay away from your circuit box. Unless you understand the hot/neutral configuration of your panel, I would advise taking a basic electrical course or hiring an electrician to do it safely. You can get the diagrams from the net, but until you understand the factors involved in installing safe electrical circuits, you could be a danger to yourself, others and your new shop.
That being said, you need to know the amp draw of your welder, and the length of your run to select the proper wire size, breaker size and also to consider the capabilities of your panel to run the welder along with everything else it supplies. Local codes may require certain installation restrictions as well.

 

[Sulla]

Sorry, the 220 line would be at my existing home. I expect it will take a few years to get property to point where my wife live there. Our current house was built 8 years ago and has fully up to date wiring.

Thanks for pointing out the confusion.

 

[Craig Clayton]

As an electrician I looked at your post very early on and I chose Not to advise you on how to wire up the welder. I do not want you to possobily cause damage to your home or loose a life. It will not cost that much to get a proper contractor to rough in the the circuit. You will save that money back many times over with a welding repair shop, probably on the first major repair.
Craig Clayton

 

[JoelD]

Electric can kill quick and catch fire easy

With that said I've run dedicated circuit from my panel for my 220 compressor and another to power the house from the generator

You need to know length of run and amp draw to get right gauge wire and breaker also you need to be certain you get the right brand breaker for your panel you also need to be sure ground everything correctly

Not a big deal but a good book helps a bunch for the first timer

Joel

 

[kjung17]

I would suggest consulting (for a small fee) an electrician to find out what materials you need and how to do it properly. You may be able to bury the wire and maybe do SOME of the work. Depends on local codes and zoning laws. Leave the Final connections to the Pros.

 

[Sulla]

I've always believed I could learn the basics of anything. That said I also believe that from the basics it then takes years, perhaps a lifetime to master something. After reading up on wiring basics all over the net and reviewing your posts. I now realize that I can kill myself trying to learn this skill.

I'm going to hire a contractor to run the line and take a course or two on the subject before I touch anything. For anyone who has spent their life mastering these skills I apologize if you found my naive question insulting. I'm simply hungry to learn to do for myself.

By the way this is the most helpful forum I have ever subscribed to.

Thanks

 

[JoeL4330]

welding manual should explain hookup ...here is extract from a Miller welder

 

[kjung17]

I've always believed I could learn the basics of anything. That said I also believe that from the basics it then takes years, perhaps a lifetime to master something. After reading up on wiring basics all over the net and reviewing your posts. I now realize that I can kill myself trying to learn this skill.

I'm going to hire a contractor to run the line and take a course or two on the subject before I touch anything. For anyone who has spent their life mastering these skills I apologize if you found my naive question insulting. I'm simply hungry to learn to do for myself.

By the way this is the most helpful forum I have ever subscribed to.

Thanks

That's a healthy attitude. Good luck with your shop.

 

[BobRip]

Hire an electrician and be his apprentice for the day or two. Pay him a little extra for teaching you stuff. Then when you do something have him inspect before and after the job. Be very careful and make sure power is off when working on anything. Also you should buy a book on electrical wiring. Lowes probably has something. Study it first.

 

[1grnlwn]

Well most 220 welders are 50A. You will need a 50A welding receptacle to fit your plug. #6 wire 2 lengths black or red and one green. 50 A. breaker that fits your panel. Conduit or stain relief connectors depending which type of wire you are using. Surely you have a buddy that knows elect. The safety comes in good connections , proper strip lengths and proper ground. Here is a tip . If you hire a pro leave him alone and let him do his job. Price 50$ hour, 75$/hr if you watch, 100$/hr if you help.

 

[crazyal]

Electrical wiring is not too difficult. However the codes are. Codes were put in place because someone somewhere found out the hard way how not to do something. The first thing you need to check is can you legally do the work yourself. Around here I'm allowed to work on my house but in other places across the country there are laws prohibiting you from doing the work.

Second, if you ever plan on selling the house or maybe your children after the two of you passed away your house, barn, shop will need to be inspected. Anything not up to code wil most likely need to be fixed before any sale can happen.

That being said it's worth learning as there is always electrical work needed on almost any house. I did all the wiring on my house (I had several friends who are in the trade). I love the fact I know where every wire goes in my house. Things like having more than two breakers per room (since I could anticipate the load much better than someone who could only assume where things like TVs would be) and using 12 gauge wire throughout are nice to know.

Even if you don't do the wiring yourself an electrician may let you string the wire, drill holes through studs, and placing the outlet boxes (roughing it in). Some will want to do it all themselves while others really don't care one way or another about the grunt work. But doing grunt work is how most who enter the trade learn the ropes.

 

[lectro88]

For anyone who has spent their life mastering these skills I apologize if you found my naive question insulting.

Thanks[/QUOTE]

I have 23 years in the electrical trade, now an electrical contractor. No insult taken. One thing I can say, not many houses have burned due to a plumbing screw up. With electrical sometimes you get 1 chance, it can work and be wrong, sometimes bad wrong and work. Like a snake in the corner waiting to bite. Can't see it, taste it, smell it, or hear it, till its too late. Yes you can taste copper when shocked just right, tastes like pennies.

 

[BHD]

welding manual should explain hookup ...here is extract from a Miller welder

that may be correct for that model of welder, but I would not use that for all 220/240 volt connections, and would not suggest trying to wire a grounded 4 prong 220 volt receptacle up that way,

 

[PoorMansCat]

It comes down to what is legal for your area, and what you feel comfortable with doing.
My personal experience has allowed me to do ALL the wiring of my new shop. I am not an electrician, and could not seem to find one willing to wire it to my specs. I kept hearing, "oh, you don't need all that extra stuff, all we gotta do is tie all these outlets together!!!" Had to do some slight arguing with the city inspector to get him on-board with me doing the work.
When he came out to inspect it, he stood there in awe of depth I went to to do the wiring. I have (2) 4 squares on each breaker. A dedicated 240V 50A welder outlet. Lighting is ran similar to 120v outlets. Everything is ran in metal conduit.
The ONLY bad part is when the in-laws found out that I was capable of this, not I have been roped into rebuilding the wiring going from their barn, riding arena, shop, feed room, tack rooms..etc.. Its gonna be a mess, while the service is there, the years of "add a wire here" mentality will all have to be ripped out and ran properly..
So, be careful who you tell if you decide to do wiring on your own.

 

[b2910]

I am a bit surprised that no one suggested getting a portable welder for use on acreage like that. I have never priced them and can be sure they are very expensive but it sounds like the OP does expect to do a lot of welding and having a portable unit that can be dragged around with your tractor or pickup would be a big plus. Depending on the distance you have to go to your shop a circuit large enough for a welder will be very costly, a few dollars per foot for the wire alone. I go along with the others that this is not a first timer electrical project.

I really was hoping to see some comments about a tractor pto powered welder, what to look for, etc. in this thread.

 

[Sulla]

I am a bit surprised that no one suggested getting a portable welder for use on acreage like that. I have never priced them and can be sure they are very expensive but it sounds like the OP does expect to do a lot of welding and having a portable unit that can be dragged around with your tractor or pickup would be a big plus. Depending on the distance you have to go to your shop a circuit large enough for a welder will be very costly, a few dollars per foot for the wire alone. I go along with the others that this is not a first timer electrical project.

I really was hoping to see some comments about a tractor pto powered welder, what to look for, etc. in this thread.

I asked a dealer about a PTO powered generator for my tractor. He told me the power would't be clean enough. I was disappointed for all the reason you state. I thought a PTO geni fit the bill perfectly. I have been looking at some used construction generators but they're pretty pricey. I figured it would be a hassle but cheaper to bring anything that needs work back my house and work on it here.

If anyone thinks. PTO geni would work please convince me. It's the way I want to go if I can.

Thanks

 

[Milton Burro]

I've always believed I could learn the basics of anything. That said I also believe that from the basics it then takes years, perhaps a lifetime to master something. After reading up on wiring basics all over the net and reviewing your posts. I now realize that I can kill myself trying to learn this skill.

I'm going to hire a contractor to run the line and take a course or two on the subject before I touch anything. For anyone who has spent their life mastering these skills I apologize if you found my naive question insulting. I'm simply hungry to learn to do for myself.

By the way this is the most helpful forum I have ever subscribed to.

Thanks

No offense taken. I just know from experience one can do more damage than good when one gets into an area where he has no knowledge. I learned that at sixteen years old working on my motorcycle. I mistakenly interpreted inch pounds as foot pounds while torquing down my head bolts. :confused2:

 

[bobodu]

It's certainly not as big a deal as some would have you think. If you are capable of replacing a breaker,you can run a few wires too.