Welder / Electrical Question

[motobrewer]

For Christmas, we're buying my dad a Hobart 187 230v MIG.

My dad will have to run a 230v service in his garage. My question is, what type of breaker will he need for his panel?

I thought it'd be funny to just wrap and give him the breaker, then wheel out the MIG as he's trying to figure it out.

 

[AiredAle]

Check with the shop where you buy the welder, they will know how to size the breaker.

 

[Smashing]

I believe a 220/230 volt outlet calls for a 40amp breaker.

 

[kevink]

Look in the manual. It will tell you what amp breaker to get.

 

[Smashing]

Electrical code dictates breaker size based on wire guage.

 

[amb1935]

It depends on what the load of the welder is. That can be found in a manual or equipment cut sheet, basically in literature somewhere. Based on the load (or even better if it lists full load current) you can google the size breaker/wire you need. Be sure that the reference you use references the NEC. Check a couple different breaker/wire size calculators to get a good idea of what's correct.
Selecting breaker and wire size is quite simple, but you can literally kill yourself or others in the process. In other words, pay an expert to do the work

 

[Brek81]

Manual says 20.5A@230 V, and recommending a 25A breaker or 30A fuse.

 

[day_trippr]

My Lincoln Pro MIG 180 calls for a 40A breaker. Local code here requires 8 gauge wire (2 conductor plus ground)...

Cheers!

 

[Shockerengr]

Ok...this is a good example of beware of advice provided via the internet.

For the breaker, the circuit ampacity required will be defined by the product in use. in this case, as described above, this welder uses 20.5 amps running, and requires a 25amp breaker or 30amp fuse.

Once the ampacity is defined, you can determine the wire guage needed to support the device, in this case a 10 awg wire is appropriate.

As for the type of breaker needed, it will depend on the panel it's being installed in. There are a lot of different brands and styles, and they are not all interchangable. You'll need to find one that's compatible with the existing panel.

 

[amb1935]

Ok...this is a good example of beware of advice provided via the internet.

For the breaker, the circuit ampacity required will be defined by the product in use. in this case, as described above, this welder uses 20.5 amps running, and requires a 25amp breaker or 30amp fuse.

Once the ampacity is defined, you can determine the wire guage needed to support the device, in this case a 10 awg wire is appropriate.

As for the type of breaker needed, it will depend on the panel it's being installed in. There are a lot of different brands and styles, and they are not all interchangable. You'll need to find one that's compatible with the existing panel.

Thumbs up to this.