Power source problams for welder

[Stuart]

Here in Australia we have standard 240volt house power, this means 10amp plugs and plug boxes. I have a UniMig 270 which has a 20amp plug attached. My last place was fitted with a 20amp box in the power supply unite attached to the house. I have now moved into a rent house and I don’t want to spend big bucks on getting a trip box, and 20amp AC power supply wired up only to move in 6 months time. Is their a device that I can use to get around this problem?.

Stuart
Australia

[MoonRise]

To get around a device with a 20 amp plug and trying to use it with outlets that have 10 amp outlets (and breakers) installed?

Sort of, but as soon as you crank up the welder past the point where it draws 10 amps then the 10 amp breaker will trip.

You can make a 'special' extension cord with a 20 amp receptacle on one end for the welder to plug into and a 10 amp plug on the other end to plug into the10 amp wall outlet. But remember that as soon as the welder draws more than 10 amps then the breaker will trip.

A better solution would be to make your 'special' extension cord with the 20 amp receptacle for the welder to plug into and a plug that goes into a 'heavy-duty' circuit in your place. Like an electric clothes dryer circuit, or a big air-conditioner circuit, or an electric stove circuit, etc.

[Rick V]

You could make a 'Y' cheater cord. The bottom of the Y has a female receptacle into which you plug your welder.

The tops of each arm of the Y each have a male plug. You plug each of these arms into the female end of an extension cord (two cords) - and you plug the male end of each extension cord into wall receptacles that are on different 10 amp breakers.

In this way, the 20 amp load of the welder is shared between two 10 amp breakers.

CAUTION: You start by plugging the extension cords into the wall receptacles - without the Y attached. Then, using a volt-ohm meter, you measure the voltage across the same terminals (say both left terminals) of the female ends of the extension cords. If the voltage is zero - great - connect up your Y. If the voltage is not zero - do not connect the Y as you may have a short circuit.

Note: This may not be a problem in Aussiland.
In North America, while we have 240 volts coming into the typical house, the wall receptacles (with 15 amp breakers) are fed 1/2 of this 240 volts, so only 120 volts appears at each wall receptacle. But any given wall receptacle may be wired on one phase or the other:
red - white (neutral) [call that 0-120 volts], or
black - white [call that 120-0 volts].
e.g.
I had a 120 volt input welder that required 30 amps; the wall sockets are only 15 amps. I built the Y cable. I plug the extension cords into two wall receptacles. Then, using a volt-ohm meter, I check the voltage across the same terminals of the female ends of the extension cords. If the voltage is zero - great - I connect up my Y. If the voltage is 240 volts, I do not connect the Y as I will have a short circuit.

Rick V