Pookster
1/2 ton status
And your trying to figure out the max amps, and you have a double pole 20 amp fuse (2x20's), does this mean you have 40amp of 220?
CK5
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If you've got 220V, and its 3 wire...
- Thread starter Pookster
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big4x4ride
1/2 ton status
no its still only 20 amps, 20 amps on each of you hot legs
Pookster
1/2 ton status
Gah! This is gonna be troublesome. Im trying to run my welder which is a synchrowave 200-
It doesnt specify more than once that the power is supposed to go up to 50A @ 230.
My garage is wired for 20a (double pole) 220.
My thought would have been that this would have effectively given me 40Amp of power.
For some reason, the guy at home depot told me to just upsize the breaker. WTF? is that correct? It goes against anything I know about electricity, it makes the weakness the line instead of the breaker.
It doesnt specify more than once that the power is supposed to go up to 50A @ 230.
My garage is wired for 20a (double pole) 220.
My thought would have been that this would have effectively given me 40Amp of power.
For some reason, the guy at home depot told me to just upsize the breaker. WTF? is that correct? It goes against anything I know about electricity, it makes the weakness the line instead of the breaker.
G.M.H
Registered Member
I am no electrician, but I know the breaker CANNOT be rated higher than the wire size you have. You can still run the welder off 20 amps, but you will be limited on the power output.
Go get some 55amp wire and a sqare D breaker.
As an electrician, I am going to say please call an electrician. From what you have posted (and I seriously mean no offense) you don't know nearly enough about this to solve the problem yourself. Listening to the Home Depot chimp and just up-sizing the breaker is dangerous, not in the "you might get a little shock" way, but in the "your house may burn down and kill your whole family" way.
I forgot to ask, What service do you have comming into the house?
big4x4ride
1/2 ton status
he has a 20 amp 2 pole breaker, now I have never seen his house or garage but i would be willign to bet that the wiring is #12 or maybe #10, good for only 30 amps anything higher than that and you need bigger wire, doesent matter if it is solid copper or not it can only hold so much. Now being an electrician here is what I would do.
Get some 6-6-8 SEU (2 number 6 hots and a number 8 ground), or you could go ahead and run some 6-3 romex just in caase you need a nuetral later on (2 number 6 hots, 1 number 6 neutral, and 1 number 6 ground) Get yourself a 50 amp breaker to fit you panel and the right receptacle for your welder and be on your way
Get some 6-6-8 SEU (2 number 6 hots and a number 8 ground), or you could go ahead and run some 6-3 romex just in caase you need a nuetral later on (2 number 6 hots, 1 number 6 neutral, and 1 number 6 ground) Get yourself a 50 amp breaker to fit you panel and the right receptacle for your welder and be on your way
No, you can't. You don't have nearly enough information to make that assumption. My guess would be he has 12 gauge wire feeding his 20 amp circuit which is rated for... you guessed it 20 amps. Just sticking a larger breaker on it would be very dangerous.4xcrazy said:
4xcrazy said:
Maybe you don't understand the danger involved. I drive a service truck for a living. That means I go into people's houses every day and see all the bad things that happen, and to be honest I'm amazed more houses don't burn down. Electrical work is not a hobby, and I don't recommend anyone do it themselves unless they are willing to research it enough to understand all of the danger involved. It would be irresponsible of me to recommend a course of action that I don't think the person is capable of, so in my opinion he should call an electrician.
indyrenegade4x4
Registered Member
well put. Find someone who is an electrician and getb them to help you
Pookster
1/2 ton status
this is exactly why i didnt listen to the chimp at homedepot.
I need to pull the wire apart and see exactly what he ran- or at least call him to ask him what he ran for service.
I do my own electrical work for the most part, but when it comes to running major lines, i still call a licensed electrician.
For now, I am only going to run 220 20 amp, until I figure out what I have in the wall. I do know that he did run solid copper, I just dont know what GA. i'll pull it apart tomorrow afternoon to look at what the wiring states.
The second part is, this is a subpanel from the house- So I dont know what he ran either there.
I am building my extention cable right now with 30amp wire and plugs, so that it is not the part causing resistance. And I'll see how much power I really need, and work it from there...
As always, you guys are the best.
I need to pull the wire apart and see exactly what he ran- or at least call him to ask him what he ran for service.
I do my own electrical work for the most part, but when it comes to running major lines, i still call a licensed electrician.
For now, I am only going to run 220 20 amp, until I figure out what I have in the wall. I do know that he did run solid copper, I just dont know what GA. i'll pull it apart tomorrow afternoon to look at what the wiring states.
The second part is, this is a subpanel from the house- So I dont know what he ran either there.
I am building my extention cable right now with 30amp wire and plugs, so that it is not the part causing resistance. And I'll see how much power I really need, and work it from there...
As always, you guys are the best.
indyrenegade4x4
Registered Member
if you are coming off a sub panel you im assuming it would be a 100 amp or 60 amp. If you are running a 220volt welder most take 40-50 amps. 8-3 w/grouond is good for 50 amps. give me some more details on what exactly you are doing and I will walk you thru it.
Pookster
1/2 ton status
Its a sub panel off the main box from the house to the detached garage.
When it was wired, I told them I wanted the biggest 220 I could get- no 3 phase power avalaible, only 1 phase. I'll open up the box tomorrow, see what I got in there... and then I'll reply to this...
When it was wired, I told them I wanted the biggest 220 I could get- no 3 phase power avalaible, only 1 phase. I'll open up the box tomorrow, see what I got in there... and then I'll reply to this...
