Placing your welding machine in a different position question

[woodlandfarms]

So a friend was running his mig vertically (the blue box). It was properly ventillated but someone in the shop said he was ruining it,

For all machines, mig, tig, stick, barring blocking cooling air flow, why would having the box in a different position cause an issue.

 

[john40981]

good question, I also will be interested in the answer. I wouldn't have thought there would be a problem

 

[Reyer Farms]

Why is he set up like that? I would mindful of angle on leads, have liner trouble if in constant strain. Other than that, and air ?????

 

[Gary Fowler]

If I understand the issue correctly, the guy has the machine flipped 90 degrees from normal operation position. This looks to me like it would block one side of the airflow off. Not familiar with that machine, but normally welding machines inhale air from bottom or back side and exhaust it from both sides and sometimes the back as well. Turning it on its side would block the air flow a bit plus might really upset the conditions if it is designed to use natural ventilation rather than fan forced air.
I really don't understand why he would turn it on its side to start with.

 

[Western]

I knew one fella that did the same thing with a small mig, he did it because the spool fed better (it actually did). My thought was to figure out why the spool hung and make adjustments to fix it.

As Gary pointed out, I would be concerned with heat dissipation and the way it was designed to allow it.

 

[Shield Arc]

I turned a welder on it's side one time. I had to go in on a Saturday by myself to build something. Took a 966 loader with forks on it. Went to the far end of the job site, ran the forks under the welder started back to where I had to work. Hit the brakes, never dreamed the brakes were that touchy. Welder slide off the forks and rolled on it's side!:shocked: I jumped out of the loader and put a choker in the lifting eye, picked the welder up straight, and tried to start it. It wouldn't start! So I placed it off to the side, and went and got another one, but this time I used that choker in the lifting eye.
You guys are the first people I ever told what a bone head move I made that day! :shhh:

 

[BukitCase]

Which machine, and which side was up? The side where the leads come out, the side you open to change wire spools, or??? ... Steve

 

[chad22]

I turned a welder on it's side one time. I had to go in on a Saturday by myself to build something. Took a 966 loader with forks on it. Went to the far end of the job site, ran the forks under the welder started back to where I had to work. Hit the brakes, never dreamed the brakes were that touchy. Welder slide off the forks and rolled on it's side!:shocked: I jumped out of the loader and put a choker in the lifting eye, picked the welder up straight, and tried to start it. It wouldn't start! So I placed it off to the side, and went and got another one, but this time I used that choker in the lifting eye.
You guys are the first people I ever told what a bone head move I made that day! :shhh:

I'll be sure to not tell anyone. My lips are sealed. lol

Chad

 

[yomax4]

There is a steel door company I know of that hangs the Miller 251 units face down from the ceiling above the huge long work tables. They have 6 for sure and they have been fine like that.. They hang down and use real short guns. Shouldn't hurt anything.

 

[woodlandfarms]

it was face up, so he could access the controls. Butt side down but ventilated. It took up a bit less space (this would be one of the suitcase sized machines).

 

[BukitCase]

Only problem I'd see is if the machine were sitting in a position where the spool spindle was NOT horizontal (laid on one SIDE or the other) one way, the spool would fall off (probably) the other, maybe OK, maybe not... Steve

 

[JoeL4330]

I turned a welder on it's side one time. I had to go in on a Saturday by myself to build something. Took a 966 loader with forks on it. Went to the far end of the job site, ran the forks under the welder started back to where I had to work. Hit the brakes, never dreamed the brakes were that touchy. Welder slide off the forks and rolled on it's side!:shocked: I jumped out of the loader and put a choker in the lifting eye, picked the welder up straight, and tried to start it. It wouldn't start! So I placed it off to the side, and went and got another one, but this time I used that choker in the lifting eye.
You guys are the first people I ever told what a bone head move I made that day! :shhh:

Trying to start the engine (on an engine driven welder) would certainly be a problem as most engines are not designed to flow fuel/lube, etc. in such positions ...had the loader upset, you probably would have had trouble starting it, once righted ...

But I wasn't aware that the OP was talking about an engine-driven welder ...electric motors and solid state stuff don't much care about positions they've been subjected to, do they? Blocking airflow in an off position could be a concern, as could trying to push that wet-noodle wire around unnecessary paths.

 

[Winmac]

I'd agree the machine doesn't care, it'll run any which way but I'd consider it abuse to lay the machine on its side and potentially beat it up. they put them little pads on the bottom for a reason....

 

[camshawn]

Position is one of the considerations when the welder was designed. If the. Cooling is not adequate, then the heat producing components will have a shorter life. How each welder will behave and last differently depending upon how much extra cooling was engineered into the design.
Cam

 

[skyhook]

I turned a welder on it's side one time. I had to go in on a Saturday by myself to build something. Took a 966 loader with forks on it. Went to the far end of the job site, ran the forks under the welder started back to where I had to work. Hit the brakes, never dreamed the brakes were that touchy. Welder slide off the forks and rolled on it's side!:shocked: I jumped out of the loader and put a choker in the lifting eye, picked the welder up straight, and tried to start it. It wouldn't start! So I placed it off to the side, and went and got another one, but this time I used that choker in the lifting eye.
You guys are the first people I ever told what a bone head move I made that day! :shhh:

So, it was you. lol

 

[davrow]

Position is one of the considerations when the welder was designed.

I'm not sure I can agree with this. I believe position is simply 'common practice' in most cases. Any work counter height device (welder/soldering iron control/personal computer) has controls on the front for ease of access, not because engineering thinks they need to be there. Note that for many such devices the power switch is by the cord entry point, not with the rest of the controls.

Assuming forced air cooling (as opposed to strictly convection cooling) position is almost immaterial. For convection cooling (no fans) I believe position would be an engineered design consideration.

Assuming, of course, that the device is actually engineered and not just put together by marketing as is so commonly done.

 

[ThomasH]

All of the welders that I have seen the inside of (which is a half a dozen only), were designed with a mix of passive cooling and some fans on the hotter components and possibly a fan to suck air in the back and force air through the case. Obstructing the vents or not orienting them in the way the case was designed by putting it on it's side or back would result in the cooling not being as effective as it might be. How much that matters would be driven by how much you obstruct the normal airflow by doing that and how much of the welders capacity it is being run at.

I haven't seen a welder that states that the unit can be installed to operate a it's higher capacity in any position, but then again I haven't seen but a few dozen or so different welders up close. To my recollection, they all had lower louvers or some type of air intake areas, and then upper vents of some sort that allowed passive cooling, along with some internal fans.

So I would only do it for a limited situation where it was necessary, why cause the unit to have to be hotter than it has to be?