This weekend I am picking up a scyrowave 180sd. I am wiring the garage right now to run the welder with 8/3 wire. The run is only 50 ft from the breaker box at the max. I was looking at the specs of the welder and it says it pulls 54 amps. So would that mean I would have to get a 60 amp breaker to make up for the amp draw from the wire I am running now? 54 amps seems like alot....

I'm no electrican so please don't bash me too hard.

 

yes you'll need a 60 amp breaker, but i woulda used 6/3 wire. #8 is only good up to 50 amps, you should be ok though.

 

Just get yourself a piece of 6/3, its not much more the 8/3 anyways. Then use a 60 amp breaker.

 

I wired mine up using 8/3 (it was free) and a 60 amp breaker. Never had an issue but if you're buying wire, I would go with the 6/3.

 

can it be 6/2?

 

Why would he need 6-3 wire? He's not installing a sub panel. 6-3 has three power wires plus the ground. It's used for three phase stuff or an oven/range or running a sub panel, where you need to have a neutral wire going back to the main panel.

All you need is #6 wire. If it's going in a conduit, it's against the code to run 6-3 (Romex). I also wouldn't run #6 wire with a 60A breaker. Get a 50A breaker. You would want the breaker to pop before the wire heats up and catches fire.

Good luck!

 

I recently wired my 180SD, but I wanted to be able to use a 'generic' 220V extension cord if required. I was limited to the typical 220V 50A plugs/cords unless I wanted a ~$1000 extension cord.

Miller recommends hardwiring that welder. It only comes with ~6ft. of wire, and is supposed to go into a disconnect box. I decided that I didn't want to live without the extension cord, so I used a 50A breaker, a 50A disconnect box, a 50A female wall receptacle and a generic 50A male plug.

I've blown the breaker, but only when welding aluminum at over 160A. I've never had a problem when welding with less than 160A.

- Dave.

 

Bump, can 6/2 be used?

 

yes 6-2 can be used, 2 hots and a ground. good to go.

 

Uhh..

Well.. I thought he was making himself an extension cord, and when you buy flexible cord, all conductors are insulated, so 6/3 is what he would need, SOOW is the grade I would use, very durrable. 6/3 in a flexible cord has a black, white, and green. Cords are nice, especially if he plans on moving the machine around, I have no idea what his application is.

Otherwise I would use 6/3 BX, I wouldn't use romex, its just not.. durable enough for any type of garage/working environment. You know what its like to find 6/2 BX? Yeah, thats what I don't you probably have no idea, but its not easy. Use a 6/3 bx, and just isolate the white, then in the future you have power at another location you have more uses for (having a neutral to give you 240/120).

Any oven or range you have in your home, is not 3 phase. 3 phase is more commerical/industrial, so in the use of 6/3 in a residential use, its used for 120/240, not '3 phase' please get your terminology straight, im sure your confusing people. Your right about it having a neutral, the neutral is used to provide you with the possiblity of getting 120.

What are you talking about telling him he should put #6 on a 50amp breaker? Because theres a possibilty of the wire heating up and causing a fire before a 60amp breaker can pop? I think you better talk to the boys who write our code books because there allowing some potential fire hazzards.. (sarcasum). What you said, will NEVER happen.

Ive run ~90amps though a temporary service on a jobsite on #6 and the wire gets warm, but no where near anything that could cause a fire, do you have any idea how north american stuff is sized, Its all such overkill! You can drive a train though our electrical rooms (commercial) and nothing would get damaged, everything is huge and heavy. Go over to europe and look at how there stuff is sized,, (smaller) and everything is plastic! and still, its very safe.

Why would someone pull romex though a conduit anyways? Its a waste of money. Might as well just buy yourself some T90, and pull that.

OP.

You can use some 6/2 between your panell and outlet. Id recommend either making yourself an extension cord, and straping that up (easy to move later), using some SOOW flexible cord.. (you need 6/3.. it dosen't even come in 6/2 so don't worry about that). since the flexible cord conductors are all insulated. Or, running yourself a piece of BX, rather then Romex, its much more durable.