Rattlerattle

Howdy,

Got me a Miller M-175 today. Now I need to pull power from the dryer plug. The breaker box is inside the house and with finished walls.

Question is the dryer plug has 3 wires plus a ground. Where as the plug for the welder has two plus ground.

I have got a receptical / plug that matches the welders plug but want to make sure I have the right wires.

Is it the white that is netrual and isn't used? Should it just be black and red and the ground? Does it matter what side the black and red go on?

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to building bumpers for the truck.

R

DF5152

use a voltage tester and test the outlet for the dryer it will be 2 hots(110v) a common and a ground. you will need to use the 2 110 legs and the ground. if u didnt already know this. happy welding. I love my lincoln sp175T now that i have it I couldnt live without it and odnt know how i got along without one for so long. Plasma cutter next ;D

NWDave

[quote author=Rattlerattle link=board=10;threadid=18993;start=0#msg178530 date=1062204295]
Howdy,



Is it the white that is netrual and isn't used? Should it just be black and red and the ground? Does it matter what side the black and red go on?



R
[/quote]

Conventionally, the white is, by code, neutral, unless it is redesignated by changing the exterior color.
That said, check the voltages present in the dryer plug. The neutral to ground should of course show no voltage. Black to ground should be 110 or so, Red to ground should be 110 or so. No, black and red don't care where they are as long as they're not on the same terminal. Then you'd only get half of what you want. Across the black and red leads, you should read 220 volts or so. It is however important to note the amperage rating of the welder. Dryer circuits are generally 30 amp rated circuits. Is your welder the same? There should be a data plate on the welder stating the requirements. If it requires more, like say 50 amps, better hope you've got an electric stove. They're generally rated for 50 amps. For the first few times of use, check the temperature of the cord you are using to connect the welder to the outlet. Warm is ok, hot is not. Hot means the cords isn't of sufficient resistance rating (not large enough, awg wise) to carry the current draw. If you're using a long extension (say over, 35 feet) you might consider going up a size in extension. For 30 amps, 10 gauge is adequate up to about 35 feet. Beyond that you'll experience a voltage drop (noticeable at the welder because it isn't enough voltage to run the unit at it's maximum capability) Beyond 35 feet, you'd want to up your cable size to 8 AWG to compensate for the voltage drop. Then you should be good for up to 100 feet. I add this part about the extension cord because you imply the outlet is not going to be convenient to the welder.

~Dave

DF5152

My welder sayse to use a 50 amp plug which is what it it wire to right now through my sub panel in the garage. but prior to that i used it on many a dry outlet with no ill affects. just dont use a 100ft 14 guage extention use at least 8 wire and keep it as short as possible..

Rattlerattle

Thanks both for the replys.

The max imput for this miller is 19.5 A @ 230 V. So I used about 30 feet of 10 guage.

Seemed to work fine last night although I didn't crank up the welder.

Sounds like I should be fine with the 30 A breaker that is normally there for a dryer.

RR