X-cord for welder

[the old grind]

30A breaker and 6-50 plug on a 12 ga circuit? Show that to an inspector and let him know it's ok for welders. Never mind any safety factor in NEMA specs if you can get away with saving a few bucks on the cost of wire. btw, Voltage drop on long runs is soo over-imagined.

 

[WranglerX]

Keep in mind NEMA and NFPA specs for welding device circuits are different than for electric driers and stoves and air compressors and such.... And also read up on wiring requirement in manual of welder, just because it has a NEMA 6-50 plug (has become pretty much industry standard plug/receptical) does no mean it requires 50 amp breaker and #6 wire....

For example Hobart Ironman 240 MIG welder...

 

[Sberry]

I am getting at a missing link in the forum where the explanation falls short. This happens on electric forums too. There is a lot of pissing about code compliance but comes up short as to "why".
There are some highly technical answers most over my head but there is and are a couple fundamental aspects of common circuit design often missed. This is similar to paint booth, there is aleays about the third comment on how he pressurize a paint booth which makes it evident he doesnt have any grip on how it works.
The electric is similar in some respect but the fault with it or some of it really not dangerous. Its not going to hurt anything to use a wire cost 4$ a foot instead of 1.
The error with this is that their life will be vastly improved and they will become more handsome un the near future.
There is an argument for future proof and it does have a place but it usually doesnt pay to park 3$ a foot extra just in case, same for the extra conduit in the ground.
Been there, done it, demand often goes down before up and some becomes obsolete.
I run a lot of 1/2 conduit, never once. Never wished i ran 3/4 to a light fixture or service switch cause i needed to add a welder circuit later..
Lots of stuff that is dedicated run another wire or pipe to anyway, every wire doesnt need to run in one pipe.

 

[Sberry]

They alliow 65 ft of 14 on 30 A to 6/50

 

[Sberry]

Not only csn you put 12 on a 30 you can put it on 50

 

[Sberry]

Dale makes a good distinction about the difference in types of circuits. I think the manuals and that chart above is designed for the "qualified" as they say. It kind of assumes the guy reading it will understand what it means.
What it doesnt say clearly is,,,, if you use this minimum wire which you can legal that you need to limit the breaker to 30 but if the wire is larger (not cause the machine needs it but the code requires it) that this machine is allowed on 50A circuits. Because it comes with a 50A they assume the ocpd will be 50 and not 60 or 80.
This is why we dont simply allow larger breakers on smaller outlets, its not to protect the wire from thermal but to limit short circuit.

 

[Sberry]

Take a 30A dryer circuit, remove the 30A recept, put 6 50 on. Change breaker to 50, got a legal welder circuit but not legal dryer circuit.
Dryer still uses the same current under either breaker but internals not designed for short circuit demands of 50

 

[Sberry]

I appologixe a little here. We orking is one of yhe best members here, i resd his posts, he knows more about most yhings yhan i do snd more about tractors than i evrr will.

 

[Sberry]

My frustration comes from my inability to explain why it is allowed vs coming up eith my own rstionalixation as to why its not.
It would also be different if 1 engineer thoigjt yhis all the way thru but collectively over a long time is a diffetent matter and i still find simple stuff hadnt even ovcirrf to me how they do all this and rven how intricate the plug snd recept system is.

 

[Sberry]

There are srveral aspects to pvrrvurrent on the simple 15A 120 dont occur to most people. Might be hardrr to explain to someone knows something about it.
Its worth yhe study of a 15 and 20 plug and recrpt
Breaker, supply wire is identical to 20A with 15 outlets. Change the end on a 20 to 15, nothing chsnges, the minimum circuit could be 15 and it would simply trip the breaker, a singlr load would trip a 20 on thrrmal before overheati g a 14 but reason to use 20 ends is to prevent it from being on a general. You can install a 20A on a general and all it does is say , its ok to plug the machine you have installed a 20 end on it in here