I've been looking around for an extension cord for my welder. The welder is 220v and rated for 30 amp.

I know the price of copper is up right now, but it seems ridiculous to pay $100 for a 25ft extension cord.

I'd like a 50ft-100ft, and was looking into making it myself. Anyone know how I can do this cheaply?

 

It's still not going to he cheap, but go to your local harware store and buy what you need. The gauge wire you need will be determined by amps AND length. The ends come with instructions in the box. Good Luck!

 

its going to cost you pretty much the same to build one or buy one. Making your own is easy but just about the same price tho.

 

making one yourself will cost you a lot more than buying one. I bought the 25' version of this and I LOVE it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-220-Volt-50-Amp-Heavy-Duty-8-3-Welder-Extension-Cord-MIG-TIG-Plasma-/271732668282?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4487777a

 

best price I have seen so far for these is at Northern Tool. they are very well made

 

Buy a 100' 10 gauge extension cord from Harbor Freight. Find a 20% off coupon, 119.99x.80=$96. Then buy the ends you need on it at Home Depot or Lowes for $10-$15 each.

 

Why, when you could have the proper gauge wire for the application for cheaper...

 

10 ga is plenty for 30 amps.

 

I made my self a 50 metre (165ft) extension.
50 metres of 2.5mm 3 core artic flex,
rcd plug and heavy duty socket.

Cost me £50 (75dollars)

Used by my mig (180amp) and tig (160amp) full bore on it no issues at all for ages now.

 

165 feet is extremely long, but I guess that means there aren't many places you can't go

 

Best way get some 10 gauge so cord from your home improvement center (not all have it at the same price) then buy the correct ends one female and one male 220 volt/30 amp receptacle same as the one you have and put it together only thing to worry about is the green wire which goes to the ground on plugs usually has a copper or gold looking metal coming off a half circle prong the other two wires go on the other two prongs that look str8 don't worry about the color cause its 220 no neutral

 

[QUOTE=whited;50378721]I've been looking around for an extension cord for my welder. The welder is 220v and rated for 30 amp.

I know the price of copper is up right now, but it seems ridiculous to pay $100 for a 25ft extension cord.

I'd like a 50ft-100ft, and was looking into making it myself. Anyone know how I can do this cheaply?[/QUOTE

I would increase the wire size to 8 gauge at 100 feet for voltage drop

 

Due to the length, I would use the #8 cord to eliminate voltage drop issues. Yes, I am an electrician with 20+ yrs exp. Inverter welders don't typically like voltage drop, could cause a failure. Look on the web for a prebuilt cord, they will save you money. Also why do you need a 100' cord? How about move the outlet to where its needed as cords can be damaged in use. Is this for the new shop? Good luck PM me if you have future ?'s. Also do you have spares? Might need some for the recently crashed rex.
Regards
Dave

 

The garage I am in is huge, 4000sqft. My work bench is on the other side of the garage from the power box, and there is a 20ft high garage door in between. I figured an extension cord would be cheaper than wasting 50ft just going up and back down.

 

You would be correct, however, do not run over the cord with anything, could cause a future failure.
Regards
Dave

 

home depot has everything you need.
i made mine for less then 50 bucks .

 

You won't be able to build a 100 foot 220/30 amp extension cord properly for 50 or less from good old HD but if you do build it yourself it will be much better stronger and serviceable or easier to repair

Also remember if you do 100 feet go 8 gauge being that you haven't added the lenght of wire from your panel to the outlet

Another method which might be over kill is to use sealtite/liquid tight and buy a roll of wire and mark one for your g4ound with green tape add up the cost first and make a decision

I always build my cords and usually end up repairing my store bought cords with better ends

 

i just bought a welder and it req a 50amp 220v.

my dryer is only a 30a so i went to home depot

i picked up:

50a 220v socket
metal housing
metal 220v cover
25' 10/2 house wiring
50a double breaker

total was $61. i assembled the entire thing, popped the breaker in the fuse box and voila, im welding 25' away.

my next step is to wire the original setup that i made, permanently to the wall, grab another 50' length of 10ga and a male/female 220v so i can reach the garage.

didnt calc it, but do i need 8ga or 10ga for the 50' run? the 220v socket from the circuitbreaker would be a 2' length. the extension would be another 50.

 

I have to run 220 at this point anyways. I now have a lift and compressor to install.

 

Howdy,

Rule of thumb says 6ga wire for 50A, but I expect you can safely be under that in specific situations.

Having said that, the rule of thumb exists for a reason and I'm not an electrician and the incremental cost of the wire isn't that much. For my DIY projects, I'll "miss too big" even if it costs me a few extra dollars. A 50' run is a pretty long distance.

YMMV.

Mark

 

I'm looking at the national electrical code for 2015 and it says that 10 guage wire is only good for 30 amps @220 volts out to 50 feet. After that your voltage starts to drop - by the time you get to 100 feet it is less that 200. I think if you are welding at the max DUTY CYCLE of your welder you may toast it because of the low voltage.
You would be better off using either 8 or 6 and that really depends on how much you are welding and if the welder is the only thing on that circuit. As far as electrical wire goes, I always err on the side of bigger is better.