Wiring for welder question

[derekf]

My wish-list got a little shorter today (merry xmas to me):


It's a Syncrowave 200.

However, I'm a bit confused on how to connect it to the 220 that's been run over there.

The wires from the wall are white, black, and copper (no insulation). The wires from the welder are white, black, and green.

Is it just as simple as hooking white to white, black to black, and green to copper? The instructions specify green to "supply grounding terminal" so I'd assume copper, but AC naming confuses me sometimes.

Am I doing this right? I'd hate to ruin the new welder or to set myself on fire.

[jilge71]

my shop has copper wire as a ground and that was the ground for my 220 but look in the fuse panel to see how the wire is ran...then you should be able to hook it up...nice welder though . should be fun to play with

[Samckitt]

White is usually neutral, black is hot, green or bare copper is ground. To get 220 you need 2 hot wires one ran from each buss bar in the breaker box, done so by connecting to two breakers side by side, on the same side of the box. Every other one is connected to the same buss bar. For this case the white may be another hot wire. measuring voltage across 2 hot wires is 220, from one hot to neutral is 110. I can go check mine & see if mine has a white, black & ground, or if it is a red, black & ground.

[chassisguy]

Props on the welder its nice

[parsonsj]

Congrats on the new welder!

220 is 220. Both black and white are hot. There is no neutral. Your assumption is correct: black to black, white to white, green to copper. What size breaker are you using?

jp

[derekf]

Congrats on the new welder!

220 is 220. Both black and white are hot. There is no neutral. Your assumption is correct: black to black, white to white, green to copper. What size breaker are you using?

jp

Not big enough, unfortunately. I'd had the 220 run in anticipation of getting a (much) larger air compressor. I reckon I can do thin metals now until I get someone back out to run another drop.

Directions specify 60 amp min, the guy at Airgas said 100a. Which is correct?

measuring voltage across 2 hot wires is 220, from one hot to neutral is 110

That's where AC terms start to confuse me, I keep thinking of ground = neutral, and it just ain't.

Thanks, all of y'all.

[Samckitt]

I grew wiring houses with my father, but I am not an expert on Alternating Current. From the meter to the box there is 2 "hot" wires, and I think a neutral. And then the ground wire goes from the buss bar in the box to a 8' or so rod in the ground near the meter base. In the box the ground wires & neutral wires can be tied together in the same buss bar. The 2 "hots" from the meter are tied to 2 buss bars in the box that the breakers attach to. Every other one is on the same bar. So a 220 breaker is actually 2 110v breakers attached together. That way they are connected to 2 different buss bars. You can use one neutral for the 2 hot wires because the current flow is 180 degrees phase of each other. Basically while one hot is "pushing" the other is "pulling". Think of it kind of like plumbing, you have so much "pressure" in each hot wire, so measuring from one hot to neutral is 110, & between both the hots the pressure doubles so you get 220.

Then make it really confusing, industrial wiring, you have 3 phase & 4 phase transformers, so the current flow is 120 degrees & 90 degrees phase to each other. And then you get 330v & 440v.

That is my understanding.

[Happyfunballs]

White to white, black to black and green to bare(copper) as jp said. However, you need to know what amp rating the wiring from the panel is. If the welder spec is 60amp, then you better have 6-2(6ga, 2wire with ground, at least) running from the panel. Don't use the 100amp breaker.

[parsonsj]

So a 220 breaker is actually 2 110v breakers attached together. That way they are connected to 2 different buss bars. You can use one neutral for the 2 hot wires because the current flow is 180 degrees phase of each other. Basically while one hot is "pushing" the other is "pulling". Think of it kind of like plumbing, you have so much "pressure" in each hot wire, so measuring from one hot to neutral is 110, & between both the hots the pressure doubles so you get 220.

It's been a loooong time since my EE classes in college (believe it or not, I'm actually an Electrical Engineer), but I think you've got it.

Derek, my Lincoln 175A TIG welder uses a 60A breaker (my calculations at the time indicated a 67A breaker were what was actually required for full duty at 175A AC). 60A has been fine. For 200A, you might consider a 70A breaker. I don't think you need 100A.

jp

[parsonsj]

if the welder spec is 60amp, then you better have 6-2(6ga, 2wire with ground, at least)

Oh yeah. Good call. Make sure about the wire. Too small wire for the current is literally playing with fire.

jp

[derekf]

Understood. Thanks, all.

[derekf]

I reckon I can do thin metals now until I get someone back out to run another drop.

I think I'll be OK, if I go to a 1/8" tungsten and only do thinner metals -- I ran a bead at 150a last night without popping the breaker, and the 10/2 wires weren't warm at all.

Should be able to get someone out to run better wires so I can melt the big stuff after the first of the year.

[Happyfunballs]

10ga?! Please make sure you have that circuit on a 30amp breaker. Nothing more. Welders loooove electricity.

[derekf]

10/2 on a 30 right now.
6/2 on something bigger in the next few weeks.

[Happyfunballs]