welder extension cord???

mike paulson · Jun 25, 2011

i'm running a 225ac Lincoln welder, i have a 50 amp breaker with about 4 feet of romex to an outlet on the wall, from the outlet i run a 30 foot extension to the welder, would it be ok to run another 40 foot extension for a total of 70 feet to the welder??

old · Jun 25, 2011

Well that is a yes, no and maybe thing. All depends on what size wire you use. If you use say a #1 or #2 size wire you can run it a very long ways but if you use a #10 your already over max for that size wire. I use a #6 size wire on my welder then have 100 foot lead for the rod and a 50 foot one for the ground

John T · Jun 25, 2011

If you ran a total of 70 feet of No. 6 Copper extension cable to a 225 Amp Lincoln AC Buzz Box (50 amp Supply to Primary) I dont forsee any big problems.

What size is the wiring from the 50 amp circuit breaker to the welders outlet now??????????? Id use No 6 for that, if its No 10 or 12 you can exceed the wires ampacity if you"re welding at the higher amperages!!!!

SURE Ive seen all sorts of light duty jury rigged extension cords used (and worked) on shop welders but thats NOT proper and the wire could overheat if you weld at high amps for extended periods.

Most those Ive seen are straight 240 AC i.e. no 120 and no Neutral required, you just need two hots plus an equipment grounding conductor.

John T

mike paulson · Jun 25, 2011

just wanna clarify i'm not talking about lead length but extension cord lenght,..
i do have the correct line cord rated for the welders electrical draw, just wanna know what some of you guy's have.
and am i going about this the right way, should i be extending my leads instead of my extension cord? and if i do make a second extension cord is it ok to have a 30 and a 40ft plugged into each other or must it be a strait run? thanks for any info. i'm looking for about 70ft.

mike paulson · Jun 25, 2011

hey John T, i do have #6 romex from the panel to the outlet.

John T · Jun 25, 2011

Cool, that parts right, now all ya need is a big roll of 6/3 (aka 6/2 with ground) SO Extension Cord and the 50 amp plugs and outlets, its fairly straight forward maybe even available at Lowes or Home Depot etc

John T

old · Jun 25, 2011

Again it goes back to wire size. I.E. you can use say a 10 foot cord made with #8 cable but if you double that you need to go bigger so as you get more and more cord the extension cord or cords need to be bigger due to line loss

realolman · Jun 25, 2011

(quoted from post at 11:27:20 06/25/11) just wanna clarify i'm not talking about lead length but extension cord lenght,..
i do have the correct line cord rated for the welders electrical draw, just wanna know what some of you guy's have.
and am i going about this the right way, should i be extending my leads instead of my extension cord? and if i do make a second extension cord is it ok to have a 30 and a 40ft plugged into each other or must it be a strait run? thanks for any info. i'm looking for about 70ft.

I think John T is telling you right.

I think it would be cheaper to extend the power cord than the welder leads. every foot of wire has a little resistance... the bigger the wire the less resistance. the longer the wire the more resistance. the more current across a resistance the more power is wasted as heat... the heat is not good for the insulation on the wires and any power wasted in the wires is not used for welding... what you're paying for it for.

I think number 6 is what you want for 70 feet at 2% voltage drop you could probably get away with number 8 if you really wanted to.

John T · Jun 25, 2011

Those two welding leads being bigger (200 amp versus 50) and more flexible and heavy duty, are much more expensive then the 6/3 extension cord would be. Id go the extension cord route.......

John T

IH fan · Jun 25, 2011

Listen to John T... I spent 38 years doing maintenance and fabrication in a hydraulics factory, including the electrical work. As for an added extention to the 30 ft. you already have, if your connections are all good, it won't make any difference, but screws have a way of working themselves loose in those bigger connectors, and also someday you may want 100 ft., so I'd go with a one piece extention if the cost is not prohibitive. #6 extention cord is probably not cheap these days.

Harold Evans · Jun 25, 2011

I have that same welder (plus DC) and use it regularly with a 100 foot extension cord. If you have heavy duty plugs and receptacles, I'd expect you could just add on to what you have and be safe. One long wire would be better, of course. The other guys here have given you excellent advice on the size of wire, etc. I just wanted to let you know that I've done pretty much the same thing that you wish to do and my extension cord doesn't even get warm to the touch. Go for it. This is a real handy way to extend your welder's reach to a vehicle, etc. outside your garage or barn.

David G · Jun 25, 2011

I made a 100' one up with 6-0 SO cord

charles todd · Jun 26, 2011

I have a Hobart 230AC/160DC stick welder. I made a 50' cord from 8/3 SO. If I went longer, I'd go 6/3. 8/3 should be good for 45 amps, and 6/3 is rated 65 amps. I think. I only have a 40 amp breaker on mine, I never use it wide open. That is what my gasoline Lincoln 225 is for.

CT

jcwag · Jun 27, 2011

we have a extension cord for our welder, we used a used silo unloader cord from one that we scrapped. you can buy the cord from any dealer that sells silo unloaders, it is copper wire and has a very heavey rubber coating on it.

welder extension cord???

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