What do I need to get started

[htownjoe]

Hello all, I have a 100 amp service coming to my home. I am just getting started trying to learn how to weld. I am trying to buy a cheap stick welder to get started just basically to learn the basics of welding. I am curious if a 110v receptacle with a 100 amp service is enough to support a welding machine at all? If so what type? I have seen there are some inverters, does that boost amperage at all? Any help is appreciated. I did search for this before posting but could not find anything. I am not really educated on welding terminology so I probably did not search correctly.

[Louie1961]

Not really. Get a 240v circuit, 30 to 50 amps and you can run most machines rated for 200 amps or less. 120v circuits will severely limit you

[htownjoe]

Not really. Get a 240v circuit, 30 to 50 amps and you can run most machines rated for 200 amps or less. 120v circuits will severely limit you

That is kind of what I was thinking. Thanks for the info...

[WelditU]

Sure, you can. Most start out with 110V machines.

Just have reasonable expectations. You won't be able to handle heavy welding on thick materials, but you CAN have a lot of fun learning to weld on 1/8" with an inexpensive 110V welder. You can do useful work.

There's no need to jump into expensive electrical upgrades to get started. That can come later if your needs (or interest) justify it.

You may be concerned because you have 100 amp service and think you can't run welders rated at 90 or 140 amps of output. Don't worry, it's not a 1:1 comparison. Because welders change low amp/high voltage input to high amp/low voltage output power, they draw just a fraction of rated amps.

More important, how good is your 110V circuit? You don't want anything else running on it while welding. Hopefully, it has 12ga wire and a strong 20 amp breaker, although will need a 30 amp to get everything out of a 140-amp machine. And, yes, an inverter style welder makes more efficient use of available power.

[Louie1961]

Here's the thing. Most inverters are going to draw more than 20 amps at max output and max output on 120v is going to be around 100-110 amps. For example, the Esab Rogue 181i draws 26 amps to deliver 110 amps of stick welding current at the electrode. So a "normal" 15 amp or 20 amp residential circuit is going to be tripping the breaker pretty often unless you limit yourself to tiny electrodes, which is probably not the best pay to learn. If you are set on using 120v service, then you are going to have to pay to have a dedicated 30 amp circuit installed and still top out at 110 amps. You will never learn to use the 1/8 7018 that that everyone relies on so much and probably never run a 7014 rod, even the smaller diameter ones. So if you are paying to have a circuit installed, just go for the 240v circuit and save pulling your hair out. Plus, the most common used stick machines that you will find on the used market are going to be 240v only (Lincoln AC 225/ AC/DC 225 buzz boxes, the Miller Thunderbolt, Hobart Stickmate, various Century and other similar buzz boxes)

[BD1]

IF you want to use a 110 volt, a 30 amp dedicated circuit is what you want. You will have trouble with a 20 guaranteed. There are many posts on this and IF you want to weld with a 110 machine , 30 amp is best.
Ideally, I would run a 220 volt 50 amp circuit and buy a buzz box. The Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC or Lincoln Tombstone have been around for ages and keep going. Depending on your location, most are around $300 to $400.00. Money weld invested.
Once you start welding, you'll be hooked. Having a 220 circuit will provide power for future machines too.

[Willie B]

I'm an opinionated SOB. I'm an electrician. I believe a versatile stick welder wants 5000 watts at high duty cycle. A MIG for auto body about the same. If you want to TIG weld aluminum double that figure. This is inverter welders, much more from transformer based welders. My transformer stick welder wants 25,000 watts at full power.
My TIG inverter is a 280 amp machine, full load is 37 amps.

That means little to you, so I'll put it another way; There aren't any 110 Volt welders that I've seen, most are 115 Volt. If you try to use a 115 volt machine configured for a 15 amp receptacle, you'll never know what welding is about. There are many models available, they are designed to separate you from your money, not to weld.
Plugging a 115 volt 15 amp machine into a general purpose outlet in your home or garage is a fire hazard. A receptacle not dedicated is going to supply numerous other loads. Connections in that circuit are ALL potential high resistance points. You might be hapilly welding away unaware of a fire starting in another room.
ALL welders should be supplied by a dedicated circuit.

A 230 volt circuit can use the same conductors as a 115 volt circuit, but deliver twice the power. Even a 20 amp circuit can deliver 4600 watts. I'll lobby for a bigger circuit than that, then if you get interested in welding, you don't have to start over.

Look at inverter welders, they deliver more power with less input.

[danielplace]

Most all power in US residential use are going to be 120/240 volt.

Try to get a dedicated 240 volt outlet installed and you will be worlds ahead.

Maybe a decent multi volt machine will let you weld on 120 then step up to 240 when ready. My Multimatic 200 welds fine on 120 in lower ranges. You can still do many projects running it off 120.

[Broccoli1]

Hello all, I have a 100 amp service coming to my home. I am just getting started trying to learn how to weld. I am trying to buy a cheap stick welder to get started just basically to learn the basics of welding. I am curious if a 110v receptacle with a 100 amp service is enough to support a welding machine at all? If so what type? I have seen there are some inverters, does that boost amperage at all? Any help is appreciated. I did search for this before posting but could not find anything. I am not really educated on welding terminology so I probably did not search correctly.

as people have already mentioned a 240v is always a better choice but not always an easy choice due to the electrical service.

I lived in an apt and used a Lincoln HD100 with CO2 gas and it was great.

Moved into a rental house with only 100amp service but the landlord allowed me to install 30amp 240v circuit in the garage but in reality I was only using my new Passport on the 120v range of power anyway.

If you can get a 30amp 240v circuit installed it is the way to bo but if it is too much $$$ then this little HF machine could work out for you.
Cheap and if you dont like welding no real money loss. If you do enjoy it it still is a little handy size machine if you upgrade to a 240v machine.

https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-f...der-56355.html

https://weldingweb.com/vbb/threads/7...-Easy-Flux-125

[Roert42]

If you have an electric dryer, you most likely already have a 240v outlet in your home.

Unless it is a giant hassle, you could make up and extension cord out of some S/O cable to run your welder on when you are not using the dryer.

[Welder Dave]

You could run a plug from the 100 amp breaker too but having a 50 or 60 amp plug will let you use just about any single phase machine. I'd buy a new (Chinese) inverter over a used Lincoln AC225 or Miller Thunderbolt. Having DC current will cut the learning curve way down. Look for a machine with a 6010 port.

[Broccoli1]

You could run a plug from the 100 amp breaker too but having a 50 or 60 amp plug will let you use just about any single phase machine. I'd buy a new (Chinese) inverter over a used Lincoln AC225 or Miller Thunderbolt. Having DC current will cut the learning curve way down. Look for a machine with a 6010 port.

I don't think he has a 100amp breaker available- he has 100amp service to the entire house

[Sberry]

My Max runs 95A on 20A 12 wire circuit out past 100 ft. If you are using 3/32 lo hy or 1/8 6011 you cant tell what circuit its on, works like any other machine. 1/8 lo hy gonna trip it and might run with a 30 breaker but if I was putting a new circuit in residential like a 10 cable. Lets a guy run buzzer class sticks and limited 250 mig if he needs too and it gives the smaller machines all the cheap help they can get along with being more robust and match listings at terminations, mostly with the recept and breakers above 30.

[Sberry]

I wired a new circuit for someone the other day, a first really but 2 metal cables 12 to a shared 30 breaker. Guy has new machine and needed 2 outlets really for convenience. If he ever needs more will face it then.