HOW TO - make a 220V extension cord

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by Ben Bean

It was straight. I looked at the NEMA # but with this oldtimersdiesease it's hard to keep numbers in my haid that long... hell I don't even remember when I went to the baffroom last!

I'm going in there this morning & will look see. I do remember it was $18.

....b

18 bux to go to the baffroom

[Ben Bean]

Originally Posted by denrep

Didn't catch the NEMA # and brand name by chance did you?

Was it straight or 90 degree?

I ask because it seems, "There's a cord in my future!"

Thanks

OK, so... I went into True Value today knowing there were 3 of these plugs in their bin. I found the last one so these must be in demand for only $18.95
Anyways, here's a pic of the thang....

.....b

[Broccoli1]

Those are 240v 6-50 fer Welding machines, Kilns and such

50amp Rv use a 14-50 120/240v Dual Voltage plug

[InstigatorCycles]

Thanks for everyone's help on this thread. I made my extension and rewired my dryer plug to properly handle my MIG (The dryer is gas...no need for dual use). I did make a 50ft. extension as well. My only difference is I used 12-3 cord instead of 10-3. Since I am only using a 175 and hardly weld for long periods of time...I thought it would work fine. Any thoughts on this?

[Broccoli1]

The 12/3 will work for the 175

[InstigatorCycles]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

The 12/3 will work for the 175

Thanks...I didn't think this welder would draw more than the 12/3 could handle. I will keep an eye on the temp of the cord just in case.

[xubby]

I made a cord similar to this and I've been having trouble with my welder, getting it to strike an arc etc. I was wondering if I hooked up the cord wrong will the welder work at all? The cord I purchased had black, white, and green wires inside... I wired the plug on the end to use black as the ground and green and white as the two power on the dryer plug. I'm not good at wiring at all, but I figured this was right. I then was reading and realised that maybe the black wire was a power wire so I put either the green or the white where the L is on the plug (where i previously had the black) I turned the welder on and when I touched the metal part of it I got a nice shock ... so If anyone could clarify I'd appreciate it.

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by xubby

I made a cord similar to this and I've been having trouble with my welder, getting it to strike an arc etc. I was wondering if I hooked up the cord wrong will the welder work at all? The cord I purchased had black, white, and green wires inside... I wired the plug on the end to use black as the ground and green and white as the two power on the dryer plug. I'm not good at wiring at all, but I figured this was right. I then was reading and realised that maybe the black wire was a power wire so I put either the green or the white where the L is on the plug (where i previously had the black) I turned the welder on and when I touched the metal part of it I got a nice shock ... so If anyone could clarify I'd appreciate it.

STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3- Prong Plug or a 4-prong plug???

[fredf]

The GREEN is the GROUNDING connection and should NOT carry current except in a fault condition it is used to safely ground your equipment so you don't get a shock.

BLACK and WHITE are CURRENT CARRYING conductors,

For use on 120 Volts, the WHITE is connected to the NEUTRAL (which is bonded to the GROUNDING conductor at the service panel; thus the white is grounded but NOT the GROUNDING conductor IE: it happens to be grounded, but should NOT be used as an equipment ground) the BLACK wire is connected to the breaker.

For use on 240Volts, both the BLACK and WHITE wires are connected to the two poles of a two pole breaker. some RED or BLACK tape or paint on the white wire is a good indication for the next guy (or your self a few years down the road)

The GREEN wire connects the frame of your equipment to GROUND

Neutral connections are often denoted by a silver screw vs a brass screw for the Hot connection.

Ground is usually a GREEN screw, and is often hex headed

I will let ed answer your question, but figured a clarification might help someone . . .

[xubby]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3- Prong Plug or a 4-prong plug???

3 prong plug. The cord on my welder didn't come with an end so I bought an extension wire and the end for my dryer plug. The wires out of the welder (cheap harbor freight arc welder) was a green, white, and black wire... I wired the L shape of the plug into black and the other side ones green & white.. the welder just doesnt seem to work very good (I assumed it's my bad welding though)... So I switched it thinking that white or green may supposed to be the neutral and go into the L plug... I can't remember if it was white, or green that I put in the L shaped connector but when I hooked it up and turned on my welder I touched the case of the welder and got a nice jolt ....

I assume the green wire should go into the L shaped connector, and the black and white should be on the two straight connectors? If so does it matter which one goes to which on the straight prongs? or the two straight prongs are interchangeable color wise [black and white]? I'm just a bit confused

[Craig in Denver]

Originally Posted by xubby

I assume the green wire should go into the L shaped connector, and the black and white should be on the two straight connectors? If so does it matter which one goes to which on the straight prongs? or the two straight prongs are interchangeable color wise [black and white]? I'm just a bit confused

You are correct, the L shaped connector gets green. Black and white go on the two straight prongs and will work either way you connect them.

Green is ground, the world around.

You're lucky you didn't cook the welder, or yourself. When wiring, do your homework first.

[Hopsing]

If I want to plug into a NEMA 14 dryer socket (four post) do I just skip the neutral post and connect my three wires to hot, hot, ground??

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by Hopsing

If I want to plug into a NEMA 14 dryer socket (four post) do I just skip the neutral post and connect my three wires to hot, hot, ground??

Correct

[Nomand]

Originally Posted by Craig in Denver

You are correct, the L shaped connector gets green. Black and white go on the two straight prongs and will work either way you connect them.

Green is ground, the world around.

You're lucky you didn't cook the welder, or yourself. When wiring, do your homework first.

Just to be sure.

1. White - neutral - big flat prong. (in some cables can be RED)
2. Black - phase ("hot") - small flat prong.
3. Green - ground - tubed prong.

Neutral and ground IS NOT the same. Although on many occasions connected....

[robrob]

Here's my Home Depot Special 220 volt extension, 110 volt pigtail, and 220 volt welder power cords. With all of them I wired the green wire to ground, black to narrow blade, and white to the wide blade.

[Norcal01]

Originally Posted by robrob

Here's my Home Depot Special 220 volt extension, 110 volt pigtail, and 220 volt welder power cords. With all of them I wired the green wire to ground, black to narrow blade, and white to the wide blade.

Those surface mount receptacles are intended for perm. mounting not for a extension cord, they are not rugged enough for that use just drop them once & you will see what I mean.........

[pinjas]

Some of you might call me crazy or something, but I hooked my welder up straight to the sub panel's breaker. I ran two 2 gauge thwn-2 wires straight to the back of the welder just after removing the housing. The way I remove the housing on wires that thick is I heat up a piece of very sharp or thin steel and cut it like a knife, I don't put any real pressure as I don't wish to scuff up the copper wires. After I get a good ways through I just pull off the cut with pliers, real easy.

I grounded the TIG straight to a grounding rod I put behind my garage, I have been welding aluminum a lot and that requires HF (high frequency), doing this is essential as I described, otherwise your welding will cause interference on radio waves and things of that nature.

Sure, you can 'unplug' the welder, but what are you going to plug into it? Unless you've got several welders and you run around your work area with your welder I can't imagine needing to spend the extra cash to get a plug and the receptacle. Personally, if I had several welding devices going on in the area I would just get another breaker and run wire(s) straight to it.

[Broccoli1]

Pinjas you can do whatever you want - don't make it correct

[Felonyass Monk]

pinjas said"Sure, you can 'unplug' the welder, but what are you going to plug into it?

I have two 220 60 amp circuits ,have two 220 welders,220 plasma cutter,220 compressor,220 table saw,220 planer,220 power hammer to plug into those receptacles Hope this helps with your question?
Felon

[slimneverdies]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

The 12/3 will work for the 175

Hey Broccoli, Im switching from the Econotig to a Diversion 165 and a millermatic 211 autoset. Can I run that same setup for 60' to my range recept? that 6Awg is a freakin pain to move, roll, or even plug in. Feels like its about 40lbs

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by slimneverdies

Hey Broccoli, Im switching from the Econotig to a Diversion 165 and a millermatic 211 autoset. Can I run that same setup for 60' to my range recept? that 6Awg is a freakin pain to move, roll, or even plug in. Feels like its about 40lbs

The MM211 Manual states 14 gauge up to 53' so 12 would work but 10g is not that much more $. You can buy a Ridgid 10g Cord at Home Depot for about 50 bux.

Are you going to just use the Plugs form the 6g Cord you have?

[slimneverdies]

Originally Posted by Broccoli1

The MM211 Manual states 14 gauge up to 53' so 12 would work but 10g is not that much more $. You can buy a Ridgid 10g Cord at Home Depot for about 50 bux.

Are you going to just use the Plugs form the 6g Cord you have?

Yes I will. How manageable is the 10 guage? I guess The Diversion could use the same?

[Broccoli1]

Originally Posted by slimneverdies

Yes I will. How manageable is the 10 guage? I guess The Diversion could use the same?

10g no problem- be a dream after the 6g

[slimneverdies]

Cool. Im headed to the store now.

THANKS
Slim

[thenrie]

Thought maybe I could give a short summary of important info presented on this very informative and looooong thread. Maybe it will help somebody. Keep in mind that these are suggested values and not necessarily code restrictions, and I am not a certified electrician, although I have some experience.

House wiring:
Romex cable (solid copper) or THHN stranded for larger gauges (8 and larger), normally no more than 8-10 110v outlets or appliances (ie light fixtures) per circuit. 220V circuits are normally dedicated to one appliance.
14 gauge - max 15 amp circuit breaker, maximum 15 amp receptacle
12 ga - max 20 amp circuit breaker, maximum 20 amp receptacle
10 ga - max 30 amp circuit breaker, maximum 30 amp receptacle
8 ga - max 40 amp circuit breaker, maximum 40 amp receptacle
6 ga - max 55 amp circuit breaker, maximum 50 amp receptacle (I have never seen a 55 amp receptacle)
4 ga - max 70 amp circuit breaker, maximum 70 amp receptacle
2 ga - max 95 amp circuit breaker
1/0 - max 150 amp circuit breaker (double size for aluminum)
- If you install a higher rated receptacle on a lower rated circuit and exceed the amperage rating of the breaker, the breaker will simply pop. The danger is when people change the receptacle AND the breaker and burn out the wire. If you install a lower rated receptacle on a higher rated circuit, you could burn out the receptacle if you exceed the receptacle's rated amperage.

Welders and other equipment:
The manual on my 3hp table saw indicates a startup value of 18 amps and requires no smaller than 12 guage for an extension cord and a 20 amp receptacle (L6-20).

The manual for my Miller Maxtron 300 inverter power source indicates the following:
Three-phase Single-phase
Input volts 230 460 230 460
Input amps @ rated output 43 21 59 29
Circuit breaker size (amps) 64-86 32-43 88-117 44-59
Input conductor size (AWG) 8 10 8 10
Max length (feet) 141 380 115 312
Grounding conductor size 10 10 8 10
(the spaces were removed in the posting, so you'll have to interpolate for the above table)

As you can see, while the circuit for my welder, if I were using it at max output, would require a 90 or 100 amp breaker, due to start-up amperage spike, and wire size of 2 to 1/0 copper, I could make a power cord for it of up to 141 feet from 8 guage stranded copper SO cord.

Romex cable should never be used as an extension cord. If extending a circuit by Romex cable outside a closed wall, it must be covered in conduit for safety purposes.

- Extension cords should be made of SO type cable (stranded copper with rubber outer insulation).
- Ensure metal boxes are grounded to the green strand of the extension cord and make sure all openings are closed (you don't want a stray piece of metal poking in a hole in your receptacle box).
- If you combine a 220 receptacle with a 110 receptacle by splitting one of the hot leads, be aware that it will be connected to the breaker on the 220 circuit, so you could easily fry your 110v-8amp tool if a short should occur in the tool. Also, if you exceed the breaker's rated amperage with the 110 outlet, it will trip the 220 breaker. In other words, if your 220 extension is connected to a 30amp breaker and you exceed 30 amps on your split-off 110 outlet, the breaker will pop (this is a good thing). It is legal to split a 220 circuit to create a 110 line in house wiring, so I am not certain it is a code violation on an extension cord to do the same, as some have asserted in this thread. Somebody else might speak more authoritatively on that.

Standard appliance amperages:
Dryer 30A circuit breaker
Range/oven 40-50A circuit breaker
A/C 60A circuit breaker (sometimes larger)

NOTES:
- You can run lower amperage draw items on a circuit or extension with higher amperage rated cable with no problem.
- If you run lower amperage items on a circuit with a much higher rated breaker, you risk frying your tool if it should short.
- If you run higher amperage tools on a lower rated circuit, you will blow the breaker before any damage is done to anything.
- If you run lower rated cable on a higher rated breaker, you could burn down your shop and/or house, or at a minimum, fry your cable. For this reason, house wiring sizes are more conservatively rated (larger) than extension cords.
- Match your breaker to your house circuit wiring size. Match your extension cord and receptacles to your tool's amperage draw.
- If you put a 30A receptacle on a circuit with a 50A breaker, then you try to run 50 amps through it, you may fry your receptacle.
- Even though your welder may be a 225A unit, you might not ever use it at max output, so a 30A dryer circuit from your house may work fine. If you exceed 30 amps, the breaker will pop. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE THE BREAKER TO A HIGHER VALUE AS YOU COULD BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!!!

It is currently code standard to use 4-wire circuits for 220 circuits in house wiring (black-hot, red-hot, white-neutral, green-ground). If you run a three wire extension cord to a 4-wire plug, cut back and cap or tape the white wire in the extension cord. If you do that you should not split your 220 receptacle at the other end to create a 110 receptacle, as you will not have a common wire. It will work using the ground as a common, but your safety factor goes down even further.

I made a 30amp extension cable 25' long for my table saw (18amps startup) and split the 220v to add a 110v outlet for a shop vac (12amp startup). I do not start them at the same time. I used 10-4 SO cord and an outdoor receptacle box with spring-loaded lids to keep sawdust out when not used. I used an L6-20 (20amp) receptacle and plug on the saw end and an L14-30 (30 amp) plug and receptacle at the wall end, both twist locks. The circuit is wired in the wall with 10 ga solid on a 30amp breaker. I got it all at Lowe's and Home Depot. Note: If my shop vac were to experience a short, it would fry all the way to the receptacle and probably fry the receptacle as well, since it is on a 30A breaker, but that's where the damage would stop.

I hope any adjustments to the above will be made in the spirit of helping rather than simple-minded criticism. I don't claim to be an expert.

Tony