August 23, 20232 yr I have the old Montgomery ward 230 welder. I’m wiring my shop and don’t see information on what it draws so I need to know the wire size and breaker size to set up. thanks. ken
August 23, 20232 yr Welcome from the Ozark Mountains. If you don't have an owners manual, you can download one from here. I believe the 230 draws a max of 230 amps. I would go with a 50 amp breaker & # 8 copper wire. I'm sure Steve will be along to correct me if I'm wrong. http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=20781 I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus
August 23, 20232 yr Author 46 minutes ago, Kenny P said: I have the old Montgomery ward 230 welder. I’m wiring my shop and don’t see information on what it draws so I need to know the wire size and breaker size to set up. thanks. ken
August 23, 20232 yr and here I come along lol 230 amps is OUTPUT not the draw. which would be more than 99% of what all houses have available. According the the welders back plate I found on the internet, it draws 48 amps max, so connecting to a 30 amp dryer plug will work for most things, the 50 amp stove plug for anything it is capable of doing What plug is on it now?
August 23, 20232 yr If you google it, the NEC has a special table for calculating the required wire gauge for dedicated welder circuits. You can get away with a lighter gauge since the limited duty cycle at high settings prevents heating the wires as much as a constant load would. Of course, there's no problem with using heavier wire than required, but copper isn't cheap these days . . .
August 23, 20232 yr Breakers are sized for the wires used, dont short cut it to save a few dollars, thats how fires happen most installiations require 8ga THHN for 50 amps
August 24, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, Mike BR said: You can get away with a lighter gauge since the limited duty cycle at high settings prevents heating the wires as much as a constant load would. This only works if you adhere to the duty cycle by watching the watch. The new welders have a cutoff when you get it to hot, but the old welders just start burning varnish. Ask me how I know.
August 24, 20232 yr Thanks Steve, at least I got the wire gauge & breaker right. I never thought of looking for the welders back plate with specs. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus
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