Pistonbroke
Member
I have a 180 rtech and it'll go to about 160 amps on a 13 amp plug and fuse but our electric supply is very good anyway.
Mig welder power supply
- Thread starter tr250
- Start date
i could max out my old 180a on a 13a. ive a 400a single phase now and it will do just over 200a off a 13a plug. bigger welders will weld more with a limited supply: more copper in the transformer, less resistance, less heat generated, less power loss etc. The Rtech are inverters though arent they? maybe they use more power
it also has 50mm2 earth leads so there will be lower losses there too. i imagine the rtech one are 16mm2? same applies to the torch, will be lower losses in a mb36 torch vs a mb25
Last edited:
Pistonbroke
Member
I haven't tried it flat out tbh. Bloke came out to weld a shaft on the Keenan with a 275amp mig and it ran off a 13 amp socket,which he couldn't believe himself. Thought the point of inverters was they take less power but could be wrongi could max out my old 180a on a 13a. ive a 400a single phase now and it will do just over 200a off a 13a plug. bigger welders will weld more with a limited supply: more copper in the transformer, less resistance, less heat generated, less power loss etc. The Rtech are inverters though arent they? maybe they use more power
he wouldn't have been running at 275 amps though, but its not surprising really. bigger welders need less power to weld at the same current (on transformer machines anyway). im not sure whether inverters or transformers are more efficient, as the manufacturers of both claim to be the most efficient. my bet would be on transformers, they are used extensively in power distribution with very little losses.
startinghandle
Member
Bit late now , if tr250 wants to weld around the farm then an engine powered arc welder would be best option also
im guessing from the fact you suggested that, that you havent seen the price of decent ones lately
£8k for anything half decent new
Last edited:
Flatland guy
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
We had a similar problem about five years ago, with a new welder. We changed to a "D" rcd, of the same rating never been a problem since( Never knew there was a d or higher rating until then)
startinghandle
Member
Also metal to be welded needs to be clean for mig not so much for arc also mig welding can be tricky in windy conditions as it blows argon gas away one more thing I have found is if mig wire is left in welder it goes rusty ..
I mentioned a few days ago that I repaired broken stone trailer using arc to do same job with mig would have needed wheels removing taking longer which my very impatient boss would have said some very strong words
I mentioned a few days ago that I repaired broken stone trailer using arc to do same job with mig would have needed wheels removing taking longer which my very impatient boss would have said some very strong words
MCB not RCD
id argue the opposite. if you want any kind of penetration/strength then it needs to be clean, unless you are gonna burn through it at 350+ amps, which you cant do with a 3.2 welding rod, but you can with a decent MIG. even then the strength will be far less than if cleaned.
startinghandle
Member
I have seen prices as I need to replace my stolen machine and a decent 200 amp is well under 2k which I know is lot more than mig also the welder has 110 volt outlet which is saferim guessing from the fact you suggested that, that you havent seen the price of decent ones lately
- Location
- Northumberlandia
ive got the model below the 180amp & it clearly says 16amp for safe use on that & the 250 says 32amp so there is your fix sir
your version of half decent is clearly diferent to mine. decent mig is about 3k. you arent gonna weld anything other than sheet metal off of 110 CTE, and good luck doing that with a stick welder.
thinking about it its probably not even CTE from a 2k genset so not really much safer anyway.
Is it possible to run a single phase off the 3 phase socket?
Yes, if you have 5 pin 3 phase. Just wire from one phase to the neutral. If you have 4 pin 3 phase then no it isn't.
Sorry should explain that better: wire live from the welder to one of the 3 phases, and the neutral to the neutral, and obviously earth to earth
Check the current rating of your 3 phase socket though, if it's 16amp then it won't be any different to what's happening now
startinghandle
Member
What I should have said 110 outlet is safer for grinders and drills than 240v if conditions are not ideal which is common around farm buildings and is compulsory on construction sites also a genny welder can be taken to the furthest field to fix something if needed, my disappeared welder was 200 amp but I never used it above 140 for 4 mm rods
Welding vertical and overhead was never problem except when sparks dropped in my ear
- Location
- The North
rcd is earth leakage, ie faulty
110 cte is safer, from a genset it wont be cte anyway so not much safer. 110 is not compulsory on construction sites any more since the advent of rcds. Can use 240 with an rcd instead. You should be using a lot more than 140a on 4mm rods or you won't be getting any penetration.
i wouldnt really say having a 110 outlet on a generator is an advantage, if you have 110 tools then you will have a transformer anyway, which will give you proper 110 CTE, and if you plug the transformer into the generator it will be able to produce significantly more power than if running straight from the 110v socket on the genny, as well as being CTE. this is why i always use a transformer on the genny rather than the 110v socket.
Last edited: