Welding Tips and Tricks

Thought id make a new thread asking about Generators..

So i was looking at getting a 250amp welder in my other thread... problem is that in Aus you need a 15amp outlet at your house to run such a unit.

As getting a 15amp outlet maybe a bit tricky where i am now (waiting to get a elec t check it out)... and then by the time i get a Electrician to do the work if more needs to be done than im hoping etc.. = $$$

Also... as it turns out i will need a generator for work soon... i was going to forkout maybe $500 for one... running hand tools etc... i saw most have a 15amp plug.... and then was thinking if i threw a few more $$ at it,I might be able to run the welder off that? and the up side would be to have a more mobile 250amp welder...

But i dont know if they produce the power to so.. so i was wondering if say about a 5kw unit will do it? usually rated about 4.7kw seems to be the run of the mill.. Or would i have to step up to a 7kw range?

Is there anything else i should watch out for? should it have RCDs? Some dont.

I see a term called AVR thrown around.. it stands for Automatic Voltage Regulation, is this something that would be needed with a Generator for welding? Someone was saying the Welders can be temperamental with voltage drop off... ie: what if runs out of fuel? or engine starts playing up..

I was thinking something like this...but seems small?
http://powerlite.com.au/product/powerli ... generator/

Problem is they do get expensive fast once they get bigger.. that one is a top brand though...

So any thoughts welcome really. Im expecting that it is doable... but doing it properly is cost prohibitive.

Stato wrote:Thought id make a new thread asking about Generators..

So i was looking at getting a 250amp welder in my other thread... problem is that in Aus you need a 15amp outlet at your house to run such a unit.

As getting a 15amp outlet maybe a bit tricky where i am now (waiting to get a elec t check it out)... and then by the time i get a Electrician to do the work if more needs to be done than im hoping etc.. = $$$

Also... as it turns out i will need a generator for work soon... i was going to forkout maybe $500 for one... running hand tools etc... i saw most have a 15amp plug.... and then was thinking if i threw a few more $$ at it,I might be able to run the welder off that? and the up side would be to have a more mobile 250amp welder...

But i dont know if they produce the power to so.. so i was wondering if say about a 5kw unit will do it? usually rated about 4.7kw seems to be the run of the mill.. Or would i have to step up to a 7kw range?

Is there anything else i should watch out for? should it have RCDs? Some dont.

I see a term called AVR thrown around.. it stands for Automatic Voltage Regulation, is this something that would be needed with a Generator for welding? Someone was saying the Welders can be temperamental with voltage drop off... ie: what if runs out of fuel? or engine starts playing up..

I was thinking something like this...but seems small?
http://powerlite.com.au/product/powerli ... generator/

Problem is they do get expensive fast once they get bigger.. that one is a top brand though...

So any thoughts welcome really. Im expecting that it is doable... but doing it properly is cost prohibitive.

It will run some mig welders
I have seen some use for welding in the past

If doing stick welding get a gas welder
If have the need and money

Dave



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

You would need to know the input current drawn by the welder you are considering. Current x Voltage = Watts
If the welder needs a 15 amp circuit a rough estimate would be: 15x230= 3,500 watts +/- A 5000 watt generator should handle the load but it might be stressed at the higher machine settings. Of course a 7000 watt unit would be nice but I think unnecessary. As far as voltage regulation goes that's more critical for sensitive electronic devices. A "tombstone" welder is nothing more than a transformer and a rectifier. The newer inverter based welders have electronics in them but should work fine. Use heavy cables to keep the voltage drop minimal.

I ran a 200amp inverter welder all day Friday last week off a 7k watt generator without issue. I was running 6010 and 7018, plus an angle grinder and an electric drill simultaneously (3 people). Never a hiccup. Even with the 6” metabo running, the arc starts were normal.

PS. Ran the welder on 230v

depends on the type of machine your going to be running and also the welding amperage, Ie you could run a 300amp inverter on a 4000 watt generator running 90-125 AMPs but you wont be able to run a 250 amp mig welder at 230 amps doing spray transfer on that same generator.

best thing i can say is to get the biggest generator you can.. over 5000 watts