Power for Millermatic 211

[dforsman]

Hello there,

I am in the process of purchasing a Millermatic 211.

http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/DC12-54.pdf

I want to use a 40 AMP breaker in my panel that I had for our oven but has been replaced by gas range so the breaker is available. I want to wire it (#8 wire) to the outside of the house and then run a 25 foot welding extension cord to my carport.

Should this be ok?

Thanks for responses.

[nadogail]

Will the extension cord be an 8 AWG or heavier? Will the plugs and receptacles be rated for at least 50 Amps ?
If all the answers are yes, I would have confidence in the setup.

[rustyanchor]

When you get your 211, you will be surprised that the power cord is 14 ga. According to the 211 owners manual, the 211 draws 24.3 A at rated output on 230V. The owners manual also says you can use a 14 ga extension cord up to 53 feet long. I think I will stick with something a little heavier myself, but I am pretty sure Miller has done their testing and research to come up with 14 ga as sufficient.
I would believe that a 40 A breaker with 8 ga wire will be more than adequate. Mine is wired to 10 ga and works fine, it is what I had available and is sufficient to carry the amperage. Bigger is usually better if you have the bigger wire on hand, if you have to go buy it, see if it is cheaper to down size the breaker to a 30 A and run 10 ga, it will be plenty for your 211.

Just my thoughts, may not be worth a darn and I am not an electrician, just trying to be practical.

Mark

[bigb]

Originally Posted by dforsman

Hello there,

I am in the process of purchasing a Millermatic 211.

http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/spec_sheets/DC12-54.pdf

I want to use a 40 AMP breaker in my panel that I had for our oven but has been replaced by gas range so the breaker is available. I want to wire it (#8 wire) to the outside of the house and then run a 25 foot welding extension cord to my carport.

Should this be ok?

Thanks for responses.

It will be fine. The extension cord does not need to be bigger than #14 due to the welder's duty cycle, although like rustyanchor says you may want to go a bit more. I made mine 50 feet and used a #10 extension cord because I had one laying around.