ADVICE NEEDED: wiring 220V for a welder
 

I'm seriously considering the purchase of the Hobart Handler 210.

Here are the specs:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...6866_200336866

All I need now is the 220V line. I've got an existing breaker box in the garage attic with 3 single pole, 15A breakers. All three are used.

The line going into the breaker is 3 #10 AWG and it runs about 100 feet from the garage attic to the house.

Can a 220V line be tapped into the box, or do I need to run another heavier gauge line from the house to the garage?

Help please....

Troy

just tap into it and what ever you tap it into dont run whats connected to it for instance i rewired my welder with a bit thicker gauge wire with a new plug and just wired mine right below my breaker. I wired mine to the exsisting stove which we never use. it works great however if I do use the stove i cant weld. hope this helps

Find a friend who is an electrician or knows one. Guessing with that kind of voltage can burn your house down. :D Do it right.

:guitar:

ya true wabbit if your not good with electronics and such it would be in your best intrest to have it done by someone who is. My buddy helped me. his dad owns a cabinet shop and my buddy new all the laws and such and has done this kind of stuff alot of times. Be very carful always when dealing with power like that

yeah... this is as easy as calling an electrician...

The thing to do is look @ the nameplate of the welder. What you are looking for is the FLA rating (full load amps) If I had to guess you are in the boat of 40-50 amps@220 volts. You might want to step the wire up to #8 b/c of the long length that it is, to be on the safe side. I'd call an eletrician to verify this for sure. Happy welding!

To get 220V you'll need two separate phases of 120V current. You could try an AC volt meter to see if any of your 3 breakers are on the same phase or not. If on the same phase, you'll get essentially 0V between the hot leads of each breaker. If any are separate, you'll see 220V between the leads. If those 3 breakes are all on the same phase (likely if they are connected to the same feed wire), you'll need to go back to the main panel to get the 2nd phase.

And yes, would be a good idea to get professional help if you don't know what you are doing.