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Old 05-01-2007, 06:37 PM
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Welding extension cable

Ok, so all the outlets in my garage are on one 15A circuit, so if I want to weld, I blow the breaker and my deep freeze and lights go out
However outside the garage is a plug that has nothing else on it, ie, I can weld using that outlet until I hit the duty cycle on my welder, without popping the breaker.

So I want to use an extension cord so I can run the welder in my garage.
The welder specifically states "no extension cords", i'm guessing because a typical 18/3 cord will produce too much voltage drop, and jump the current up.

So I can grab some X/3 wire from Home depot, and throw on ends and make my own heavy duty extension cable. I'm now wondering what the value of X should be? 14? 16? 12?
Welder is a stick welder, 25V open circuit voltage IIRC, 70A setting is maxed out. 25' extension i'm thinking.
Anyone have an educated guess, electrical circuitry knowledge, or complete wild guess?
Thanks
Old 05-01-2007, 06:59 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

the current required to weld isn't meant to be carried over extended distances, and personally, I don't think it would be that safe of an idea...
Old 05-01-2007, 07:03 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

If you're using a 220 welder, look into the power cords sold for RV use... You can find them at a camping world, rv dealer, mayber walmart... theyre extremely heavy duty and suitable for 50 amps or greater (depending on how much you want to spend). I've seen them in lengths up to 75 ft, but im guessing 25 would be plenty for what you need... should do the job and pose no safety issues.
Old 05-01-2007, 07:19 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Yea, that's the thing, I remember seeing a 220V extension cord used at a place I used to work, probably 100' long. Used for a mig on aluminum.
That's why I figured i'd be ok with a heavy duty extension cord.

I'm running a 110V welder. Maybe chop the ends off a 220V heavy duty RV cord? Or it might be cheaper to make up my own from cable and ends eh?
Old 05-01-2007, 08:04 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

for a cord i would recommend 10 wire, you will get less voltage drop and you should have no trouble using a 20 amp circuit with it. i assume this is a small 110 welder? I'm an electrician by trade and i can help with any related questions
Old 05-01-2007, 08:27 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Yea, it's a tiny little stick welder. Got it for christmas a few years ago, I figure if I can learn to lay a decent bead with this little guy, then I can lay a bead with a good MIG blindfolded. (This is hard!)
Ok, i'll see if I can get 10/3 wire. I think it's fairly cheap at home depot.

Alright, since i've got you here though;
I don't have 220V in my garage. My circuit breaker is a ways away, but if i'm creative, I might be able to drill through some walls and run a cable into my garage. Rental house, so I can't do anything that I can't undo when I leave it, say in 1 year. Anyway I can wire up 220V to my garage? I hear you hook up two 110V outlets sorta thing in series, that's what a 220V outlet is?
I'm probably not going to do it, for fear of burning down the 1/2 million dollar house and seeing the blame completely on me, and my negligence, but I am curious.
Old 05-01-2007, 09:03 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by thedude
the current required to weld isn't meant to be carried over extended distances, and personally, I don't think it would be that safe of an idea...
You do realize the electricity is carried around inside the house for more than 25 feet. If he uses heavy gauge wire it wouldn't be a problem. I'd be more concerned about the quality of the connectors.
Old 05-04-2007, 09:02 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by Sonix
Anyway I can wire up 220V to my garage? I hear you hook up two 110V outlets sorta thing in series, that's what a 220V outlet is?
I'm probably not going to do it, for fear of burning down the 1/2 million dollar house and seeing the blame completely on me, and my negligence, but I am curious.
yea, if you try to do that you will probably burn down the house, or hurt yourself and burn down the house . you can run a 220v line from your panel box to the garage, but if the welder is 110v there is no point. but if and when you get a 220v welder, you could run a line. running it in romex, regular household wiring, exposed is not the best thing to do but it works so long as its not subject to physical damage.

woohoo 1000th post!

and if price matters, try getting a price on wire from an electrical supply house, they usually have much better prices than home depot on everything except 14-2 and 12-2 romex

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Old 05-04-2007, 10:29 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

I agree with the point that it is normal to have more than 25 feet of cable between the breaker and outlet. The "no extension cord" deal is really more of a warning that it is easily possible to overheat a common extension cord with the amperage.

You can buy 10 gauge extension cords off the shelf at Home Depot, Lowes, and the like. This is a heavy enough cable that it can carry 20 amps without heating or creating a substantial voltage drop over 25 feet. I would recommend replacing the outlet you use if it is a little loose. It is important to make sure you have a good connection, and this is important whether or not you are using an extension cord.

I have used one of these 10 gauge extension cords with a small 110v MIG welder and haven't had any problems or concerns. I did try a 14 gauge extension cord once and it caused problems with the weld and was a fire just looking for a place to happen.
Old 05-05-2007, 12:14 AM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Ok great, thanks guys.
Old 06-19-2007, 06:59 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Ok, one more question;
Can I grab two 12/3 cables lets say, 25' long, then chop the female ends off, and splice them together into one female end. That way i'd be plugging two male ends into two different outlets, and plug my one load (welder) into the single female? Thus splitting the loads over two power outlets? I'm confident in my DC wiring, but AC always makes me think twice. Any reason this wouldn't work?
I'd be wiring up the cables in parallel obviously.
Old 06-19-2007, 07:23 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

HOLY CRAP NO! PUT DOWN THE CORD AND STEP AWAY FROM THE ELECTRICITY!!!!

you can absoultly not do do this!!!!

no way no how do not even think of doing this!!!

if the outlets are near each other, chances are they are on the same circuit anyway, so you would not prove anything. its also a VERY BAD IDEA and you will short something out and could possible cause voltage issues between the two circuits that can burn up the welder as well as anything else plugged into the circuts anywhere alse in the house.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

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Old 06-19-2007, 11:15 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Whoa, slow down here.
I'm sure they aren't on the same circuit, i've popped the breaker a number of times in the garage, as well i've popped the circuit from the outside outlet - different breaker pops.

So with that in mind, what's the danger? I know how to solder and am comfortable soldering heavy cable and all that. I figured worst case scenario someone walks or drives over my cables while i'm working, and somehow shorts two wires together, I get a spark and one or both breakers pop. Worst case would be a popped breaker.

Voltage issues between the circuits? I figured they'd both be on 120V, constant across the board? I'm not sure I understand the danger (aside from bad workmanship in making the cable, or insufficient wire thickness)?
Old 06-20-2007, 12:45 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Ok, one more question;
Can I grab two 12/3 cables lets say, 25' long, then chop the female ends off, and splice them together into one female end. That way i'd be plugging two male ends into two different outlets, and plug my one load (welder) into the single female? Thus splitting the loads over two power outlets? I'm confident in my DC wiring, but AC always makes me think twice. Any reason this wouldn't work?
I'd be wiring up the cables in parallel obviously.
There are several potential problems with that idea:

The two receptacle circuits have a 50% chance of being sourced from opposite legs of the service. "Jumpering" the two of them as you describe has a 50% chance of causing a direct, 240v phase-to-phase short, with the associated sparks, wire overheating, possible flames, personal and property loss, etcetera.

If they ARE on the same phase, there is still no way to presume that each circuit will carry half the total load. Eventually, the circuit with the highest I/R drop is going to go overcurrent and trip its breaker, and the second breaker will trip shortly thereafter from carrying the full load.

If one breaker does trip, the rest of the wiring for both circuits will remain LIVE, creating a potentially dangerous condition.

If either of the circuits are protected by ground fault or arc fault breakers, don't even consider jumpering them.

The welder should be fine with a standard 12/2/G extension cord up to 30m long. If the circuit is a 15A, and the receptacle is a 15A/125V, you will reach the limits of the circuit long before the cord becomes a problem. If you do use a longer cord, however, don't use it at full load with the unused portion of the cord coiled up, since it will create an inductive loop, causing further I/R drop and heating.

Personally, I'd lengthen the ground and electrode leads of the welder with AWG2 copper and call it good. That's what I've done on several transformer type "buzz boxes" and never had a problem up to 100'.

Eventually, you might want to consider installing a 240V subpanel in the garage, so you can more safely and efficiently power a welder, air compressor, etcetera, and even your 120V loads which may now be at the limits of capacity. You can get a 6-space, 240V subpanel and breakers for under $80CDN, add a ground rod and some feeder cable, plus a larger breaker in the service entrance panel, and you should be able to do it relatively inexpensively.

Last edited by Vader; 06-20-2007 at 03:49 PM. Reason: I can't spell-check
Old 06-20-2007, 01:16 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Ah, thank you Vader, some good advice there.
Unfortunately - rental house - I can't wire up a 240V panel. Or bigger 120V outlets, no house modifications

And yea, 15A breakers throughout, but the welder needs a 20A breaker to run on the higher setting (necessary). If I drag the welder out to a completely empty 15A circuit (no other loads on it), I can weld for maybe 1-2" before it'll pop the breaker. I don't like running downstairs to reset that every time. So yea, it's the breaker that's my limiting factor, not the extension. I can always buy thicker wire for an extension cable (or power and ground welding leads), I have no problem doing that.

Hmm, ok, if they are on different legs of the service - that's what I didn't realize. Is there a way to check? If both fuses are on the same side, aren't they on the same leg? ie, they always have dual columns, left and right correct? Or is it the horizontal rows and that color coding ?

Ok, I figured it wouldn't be a 50/50 split, but as long as I can get closer than 75/25, then i'm laughing. Since both outlets are similar distance from the breaker, I can assume the internal household wiring is going to be similar lengths. If I use identical extension cables, length and wire gauge, that should keep things close.

I don't want to test my luck and my shoes electrical conductivity, but as you can tell, I don't have many other options, shy of paying a welder to do this for me

If either of the circuits are protected by ground fault or arc fault breakers, don't even consider jumpering them.
This is still up in the air. How do I figure this out?

Thanks
Old 06-20-2007, 04:32 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

ok, im not sure how things are done in Canada, and if it differs from here in the US. as for the phasing in the panel, you "technically" have a single phase of 240volts coming into the house, but the transformer is center tapped with the neutral wire, the white one, and that allows 120 volts to the neutral, and still 240v across the phase conductors coming into the house. the buss, the part the breakers clip/bolt onto, in the panel alternates sides, so the first breaker on the to left of the panel is "A" phase. as well as the one directly across from it. the next one down on either side is "B" phase, the next one down is "A" phase and so on. as for the GFCI/AFCI, they would be different looking breakers, with a small push button on them, along with the little lever for turning the breaker on and off, the button will probably be white, yellow, or blue. if you hook the two together and one is a GFCI/AFCI, that one will trip and you will be left with only 1 circuit again. the outlet that is outside, should be a GFCI protected outlet, it may be a GFCI outlet, in which it will have a trip/reset button on the actual outlet, or it is protected elsewhere, maybe the kitchen or bathroom circuit. the garage also should be GFCI, and again it may be a self-contained GFCI outlet in the garage, or elsewhere.

If you connect the two cords together, and plug them into two circuits that are on the same phase, the circuit with the most length of wire will carry the least amount of current, and the shortest will carry the most, this has more to do with the wiring in the walls of the house and not the cords. just because the outlets are a similar distance from the panel means nothing as far as how much wiring is in the wall. the wire from the panel may go right to one of the outlets, and the other outlet could have almost 100ft of wire before it, depending on how the house was wired. if one of the circuits trips, the tripped circuit will be back-fed through the extension cord you rigged up by the other circuit, taking over the loads of that circuit onto the other, and at that point you may trip out the second circuit.

something else to think about, if you wire two cords together, you have a cord with 2 male ends. when you plug 1 in, the other will become energized.

Do not use solder to connect any wires that carry AC current. solder melts at a relatively low temperature and the NEC (national electric code, which does not apply everywhere but may be soon) does not allow solder joints for splicing, unless there is some-other kind of mechanical connection made first, if you really need to make this cord, make the junction in a junction box and use good wirenuts of the proper size, or bugs of some kind, but be sure to properly insulate the bugs because they are generally bare.

is the panel in the basement? is there a window? if you know someone who is an electrician, they could put an outlet under/beside the panel that you can then plug a good extension cord into and run it out the window and over to the garage to use with the welder. now this would involve going in to the panelbox, and install wiring. if you do not know what you are doing in there DO NOT TRY!

sorry to come off a little hard in the last post, but that is the kind of thing that i see time after time that causes fires and injuries. in general people are not afraid of 120V household voltage, and feel that they can handle working with it, and it is 120volts that kill the most people every year in the United States than ANY OTHER VOLTAGE, anywhere from AC low voltage to the 500,000 volt transmission lines that criss-cross the country.

just be safe, dont hurt yourself and others. i want to strongly recommend that you do not make up that cord thing you are planning, i know that does not really help what you are trying accomplish, but you risk physical and property damage.
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Old 06-20-2007, 06:35 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

If two 120V circuits on a service are fed from a single leg or phase (valid for single- or three-phase) measuring voltage from the ungrounded conductor ("hot" lead, usually the non-white one) of one circuit to the ungrounded conductor of the other circuit should indicate no voltage. If the circuits are sourced from different legs or phases, the voltage reading across the ungrounded conductors will be 208 or 240V.

In either case, I wouldn't recommend jumpering two circuits to increase the ampacity of the service. Either find a 20A circuit (typically in kitchens and laundry areas) or add a breaker and create a new circuit, either in a remote location or right beneath the panel, then run an extension cord from the welder to the 20A circuit to accomplish your task.

Without seeing the service panel, it's impossible to say whether the two opposing service legs are on opposite sided of the panel, or alternating along the length of the panel (some are one, some are the other).

Another alternative would be available if you have a 240V electric range or dryer receptacle. In that case, it would be possible to construct a cord, plug, in-line breaker, and receptacle to provide a higher ampacity circuit. Be aware that you would use only one leg of the circuit, and it MUST have a separate neutral (grounded) conductor as well as an equipment grounding conductor. If the circuit has only two power conductors and an equipment (safety) ground, you cannot use it.
Old 06-20-2007, 06:58 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

the buss, the part the breakers clip/bolt onto, in the panel alternates sides...
Be careful. I've been in some older Federal/Pacific panels which are phased straight down the line in the bottom half of the panel (was never sure what the reason was, since it precluds the possibility of 240V breakers).

Most everyone else (that I've ever seen) has phased breakers as you describe, whether single or three phase.

FWIW, most of the tubular, current skinning high lines are "only" 345 KV.

NEC ... does not allow solder joints for splicing,
I've always found it strange that in the NFPA solder is discouraged, yet one county east of me, solder is required on connctions and pigtails under nuts. They're a little ****-retentive.

I agree that this sounds like a statistic waiting to happen. I'm a little concerned because Sonix mentioned fuses, which could mean an ugly, messy old panel or lots of add-ins. If you cannot find a 20A circuit in a kitchen or laundry, add one in.

Last edited by Vader; 06-20-2007 at 07:34 PM.
Old 06-20-2007, 07:31 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Well, like mentioned, I can't "add in" anything. No permanent modifications to the house. I don't feel comfortable tearing apart the circuit breaker panel in my house at all, and I shudder at the thought of an electrician ($$). A point to consider however.

I mentioned fuses? Oh, sorry, I did mean breakers. Flip the switch to reset. None (zero) of the breaker switches have buttons on them. I think I know what type of plug you're referring to when you say GFCI/AFCI, the outlets that have the button there? I have one in the main floor bathroom, but I think that's it. I'll double check the outside one, but i'm sure none of the garage ones do.
All of the breakers are labelled 15A on them, except for the ones joined up with the one below it (A 240V line i'm assuming), and those are labelled 40A or whatever it may be.

Unfortunately the 240V outlet (dryer and oven, only the 2 that i'm aware of), are at the very far end of the house. Very far end, it's a big house.
I did find a 240V breaker for a "basement range". I can't find that plug however, but i'll check again and look deeper. If so, I could probably rig up the 240V -> 120V high amp cord, and run that out the window to the garage. It's still a huge hassle though, i'd have to get a much longer cable, and remove the screen, and leave a window open anytime I want to run this.

Yea, if I made this cable that I described in the beginning here, i'd chop the male ends off, and splice the two cables together, and into one male end. I wouldn't have two male ends, I see where you're going with that.

If two 120V circuits on a service are fed from a single leg or phase (valid for single- or three-phase) measuring voltage from the ungrounded conductor ("hot" lead, usually the non-white one) of one circuit to the ungrounded conductor of the other circuit should indicate no voltage.
I'd be testing this by sticking a multimeter probe into the outlet on the wall, which vertical slot am I testing? Lefty or righty?

Thanks
Old 06-20-2007, 07:44 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

WOW I agree reading about two male ends made my eyes much larger. but just be nice after all this is why he asked rather than dingus around the corner just doing it. this guy clearly has the ***** to ask first!


I would just keep it simple and get the heavy duty premade cord just about the perfect length to the garage, and maybe for some extra peace of mind get a nice quality outlet to go along with it. since you will be using this outlet more you want it to take the pluging and unpluging.
Old 06-20-2007, 08:12 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by Vader
Be careful. I've been in some older Federal/Pacific panels which are phased straight down the line in the bottom half of the panel (was never sure what the reason was, since it precluds the possibility of 240V breakers).
yea, what are they called, split buss panels or something like that, a real PITA

almost forget the ITE pushamatic panels, the buss runs straight down in those ones.

Sonix, provided the ground hole is facing down, the hot wire is on the right side, the neutral on the left.
you mentioned that all the breakers in the panel are 15amp? no 20amp in the whole house? hmmm...... is the house an older place or was it built in the last 40 years?

its totally possible that at some point the panel was changed out and only 15amp breakers were put in. you may have 20amp wire in the house, possibly close to where you need it to be, maybe all you need is a different breaker.

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Old 06-20-2007, 08:26 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by Sonix

...chop the female ends off, and splice them together into one female end. That way i'd be plugging two male ends into two different outlets, and plug my one load (welder) into the single female...

Yea, if I made this cable that I described in the beginning here, i'd chop the male ends off, and splice the two cables together, and into one male end. I wouldn't have two male ends, I see where you're going with that.
so you are splicing the female ends together and the male ends together? i dont see the point of this. you will just be making a "paralleled" cord, which get you no closer to the desired goal

i know you dont want to hear this, but you need to drop the idea of using 2 plugs and trying to split up the load, its not going to work or be same, you need a outlet, 20amp, and a cord to match, its really the only way to go...aside from running a cord from the neighbors when they are not looking....

Last edited by //<86TA>\\; 06-20-2007 at 08:29 PM.
Old 06-20-2007, 08:38 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by Sonix
However outside the garage is a plug that has nothing else on it, ie, I can weld using that outlet until I hit the duty cycle on my welder, without popping the breaker.
I was reading over the first thread, whatever happened to this outlet? it seemed to work. did it still end up tripping out or what up with it?
Old 06-20-2007, 10:08 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Oh ok, let me clear this up then.

My garage has about 3-4 outlets in it. Lights run off these outlets, etc. I can run an angle grinder, drill, etc. But if I run my welder, it trips the breaker, I'm standing in the dark like an idiot. I can go reset it.

Indeed, just outside the garage is a separate outlet, we used it for christmas lights. I tried just carrying the welder over there to play with it, practice etc. After running about 2" of weld, it'd trip the breaker again. Another 15A circuit

So that's why i'm thinking about splittling my load over the garage plugs, and this one outside the garage.

Since this is outside, i'd be carrying out the extension, plug it in, weld, unplug it and bring it back inside.

Just to clarify, i'd buy, or make;
-Two 25' 12/3 extensions

I'd cut the female end off both, say 6" back. One i'd throw out. I'd join up the snipped wires, white to white, black to black, green to green, and connect that to the 6" lead coming off my female end. So now i've got one female end, which then splits to two identical length 12/3 (or thereabouts) extension cords. One is plugged into an outlet in my garage, one is plugged into the outside plug. Assuming I make sure they are on similar phases...

And yea, I was toying with the idea of just stealing power from a neighbor But then I still doubt i'd find a 20A outlet...

oh it's an old house alright... Well, probably built in the '70s, judging by the beautiful thick off-white ****.... oh I love ****.
Old 06-21-2007, 06:48 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

are you sure that the outlet outside is the only one on the circuit? can you find the wire coming from it in the basement provided the ceiling is not finished? if you can see if you can find any markings on the jacket, every foot or so there should be marking, manufacturer, and wire size and type. maybe you will get lucky and its 12 wire. if that is the case you can swap a breaker out, its not hard, and you can turn the main breaker off to make it a bit safer for you.

maybe another venue to check out before the cord abortion, hey maybe you will get lucky. unless Canadian electricians dont use 12 wire, there is no reason for there not to be some in the house somewhere.
Old 06-21-2007, 07:24 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Nah, totally finished house. I guess I could shut off that breaker (outside) and see what else is on that circuit. But either way I can't really jump up a breaker size can I? I mean, I don't really know how long the wiring is in the house, or the gauge, so just going up a breaker size might cause a fire hazard right? I mean, worse than my cable idea?
Old 06-21-2007, 08:14 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

now i really dont want to say this, but even if the wiring is 14 ga, its good for 25 amps, but due to the "small conductor rule" 14 gauge wire is not allowed to be fused over 15amps for a general lighting/outlet load. the wire will hold the current with no problem, the issue lies in the extra heat generated by the conductor will slowly wreak havok on the terminations on the outlets/switches. while romex, the wires used in most houses, is considered 90 degree wire, rarely are the devices, outlets and switches, rated as high. so the extra heat would, over time, degrade the device and cause premature failure.
but like i said before, i highly doubt that there is only 14ga wire in the house, usually the bathroom/kitchen/laundry/dining circuits are wired in 12 wire, thus capable of carrying the load of the welder, provided the breaker was changed, if this is even the case. it would require a little investigation.
Old 06-21-2007, 10:28 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Alright, so lets say I flip the breaker to off for my outside circuit. Then I pop off the cover and check the wiring behind it - lets say it's 12AWG.
Then I go buy a single 20A breaker switch, come home and somehow turn off the power to the circuit breaker altogether (killing and resetting everything in the house). Then just switch the breaker from a 15A to a 20A ? I need to kill the main power to the breaker board right? Removal and installation of this breaker is pretty easy?

And you're recommending I go this route, rather than splitting the welding load over 2 circuits?
Old 06-22-2007, 10:59 AM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Don't mess around with the existing electrical. If you start a fire and they figure out why, the landlord's insurance policy could be in jeopardy.


While this method is probably not legal, it probably is the safest way to temporarily get the needed circuit for your welder without modifying anything on the house:

Buy a pony panel, mount it to some plywood, and feed the panel input with a stove cable. Then wire in a 20A breaker on your pony panel and run 12/2 extension cable as long as you need it to be to reach the garage from the kitchen. When you want to weld, unplug your stove and plug in your extension cable. And you can take it with you when you move... and bonus, it's really easy to upgrade to a 240V welder in the future and still use this pony panel trick.

Last edited by MonteCarSlow; 06-22-2007 at 11:17 AM.
Old 06-22-2007, 11:24 AM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by //<86TA>\\
unless Canadian electricians dont use 12 wire, there is no reason for there not to be some in the house somewhere.
12 gauge if it's aluminum, otherwise it's 14 gauge copper. All the circuits are 15A (except for the big items like water heater, dryer, stove, etc). Kitchen plugs are split (2 pole breaker, each 'phase' if you will, powers one half of the receptacle).
Old 06-22-2007, 02:07 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Man, you are making me nervous in this thread with talk of making a double headed extension cord.

Monte has the best advice so far. It would be even better if you found the 'range plug' that you mentioned and used that (only one leg, btw)

The absolute best method would be to have an electrician wire in a 120v surface mount receptacle right at the junction panel, that would be supplied by it's own 20amp service (12 gauge wire, btw, min). Then build an extension cord out of 12/3 or 10/3 to run where you need it. When you move out, you can always have a guy take the receptacle off the wall and remove the wire (breaker can stay). It not really permanent, unless you called a few screws permanent.

don't mess with trying to build 240v out of extension cords, it's really not safe.
Old 06-22-2007, 04:54 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

don't mess with trying to build 240v out of extension cords, it's really not safe.
Que? Who said anything about building a 240V extension cable?

The problem about trying to go from my kitchen to my garage is distance. I can't over state the fact that my house is LARGE, i'm talking 2500+ ft^2, and the kitchen is the FURTHEST possible point from the garage. I'd need a 100' extension.
I'm going to check for this mysterious basement range here.


What's a pony panel?? Dragging the stove out is a bit of a hassle, along with the already mentioned fact that this would be an EXTREMELY long cable. Dryer is about as long, but gets used less often, might be easier.

Since absolutely no one here is on board my idea of the extension cable , i'll start doing some looking for alternatives, since you've all come out of the woodwork to give me suggestions. Thanks for that, I appreciate it, knowing my options is great.

I'll check some of this out now, i'll post back in a bit.
Old 06-22-2007, 06:28 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Ok, so in the basement in a place where it would make sense to have an oven, I found a suspicious looking plate where an electrical socket would be. A cheesy little sheet of fiberboard glued onto the wall and painted white. I pulled it off, and lo-and-behold, 3 HEAVY wires. Black, red, white, and of course some bare copper. They have those little nuts on them to keep them non conductive.

There is some sharpie writing on the breaker board at a 240V part that says "basement range", and it's got a 40A label on it. However, the white paper sticker below shows that to be furnace and basement plugs. I'm not sure how it can be both, since it's coupled together as 240V. I'm guessing it was changed to the range, and that sticker wasn't updated.

I'm going to flip that breaker to off, and remove a wire nut, then hook up my multimeter, check for 0 volts, and reset the breaker to on and check for voltage. Making sure i've got the right breaker, and the wires are set up right.

Exactly what am I testing here? Black to white should be 120V? Red to white should be 120V? And black to red should be 240V?

Then i'll probably put on a wall plug, and buy a 240V extension (or make one), and then at my garage, split it into 2 20A 120V plugs. This way I can always easily modify this cable to be a 240V extension cord, in the near future or long future.
This cable should be 10/4 eh? Red, black, white, and ground?

Thanks
Old 06-22-2007, 06:50 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

if the wires in the box in that wall are hooked up to the breaker, then you should be getting 120v from black to white, red to white, and 240v from black to red. black or red to the ground will also give you 120v. if that checks out, you can make up a 240v cord to run outside, or you can just use 1 phase and just make up a 120v cord to go outside, and install a regular 120v outlet in the wall box, and not use the red wire. this will give you a circuit that is good for 40 amps, unless you swap in a smaller 20 or 25, if you can find a 25amp, breaker. either way you will be a lot safer than that spliced up cord contraption. just make sure your voltmeter will handle 240volts. if the wiring is aluminum and not copper, be careful, there are special nuts and devices for aluminum wire.

your new cord idea is fine, just be very sure to make sure that the white, neutral wire, is connected very well. now you have a multi wire branch circuit and if you lose the neutral, you will have voltage fluctuation on your cord, based on the connected loads. and make sure to check the voltage on the cord before you plug in the welder, dont want to fry anything.

Last edited by //<86TA>\\; 06-22-2007 at 06:55 PM.
Old 06-26-2007, 09:23 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Well, that was a few days ago, and we haven't heard from him yet. Anyone want to guess?
Old 06-26-2007, 09:50 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

haha, not yet. I'm still working on getting the car running. I just buttoned up the new top end and it's smoking like crazy and the oil is chocolate milkey
I'll have to redo that first.
Old 06-28-2007, 07:37 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

This is why I only weld with a gas torch....A few coat hangers and and some fire...good to go....Laugh`,.`
Old 06-28-2007, 10:50 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by BA92GTA
This is why I only weld with a gas torch....A few coat hangers and and some fire...good to go....Laugh`,.`
Ahhh come on. How about the 4x4 Guy way..

few batteries, some jumper cables and coat hangers.
Old 07-20-2007, 07:44 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

so sonix, ever get anywhere with this little project? havent hurt yourself have you?
Old 07-20-2007, 08:15 PM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Not yet. I just got my car running tonight, but the belt squeal finally drove me crazy so i'm throwing in a new power steering pump. Once the car runs relatively right, i'll get the extension.
Old 05-07-2013, 10:16 AM
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Re: Welding extension cable

Originally Posted by Sonix
Ok, so all the outlets in my garage are on one 15A circuit, so if I want to weld, I blow the breaker and my deep freeze and lights go out
However outside the garage is a plug that has nothing else on it, ie, I can weld using that outlet until I hit the duty cycle on my welder, without popping the breaker.

So I want to use an extension cord so I can run the welder in my garage.
The welder specifically states "no extension cords", i'm guessing because a typical 18/3 cord will produce too much voltage drop, and jump the current up.

So I can grab some X/3 wire from Home depot, and throw on ends and make my own heavy duty extension cable. I'm now wondering what the value of X should be? 14? 16? 12?
Welder is a stick welder, 25V open circuit voltage IIRC, 70A setting is maxed out. 25' extension i'm thinking.
Anyone have an educated guess, electrical circuitry knowledge, or complete wild guess?
Thanks
I too have recently purchased a welder with a 250 V capacity, which I'm told needs to be connected to a breaker with 50amp capacity X2. I asked about making an extension cord with the requisite connections and using the stove connection as my junction box for a power source. This may work for awhile, but it will cause a surge, as the distance is too great.
I will need to hire an electrician to create a dedicated power source out of the household panel box. The wire size required is either an 8 wire or a 6 wire, on account of the level of electricity required to. But I may be able to shorten the distance from the panel box to the outlet in my porch. Still need to research building code requirements.
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