Welding Tips and Tricks

I have picked up welding after retiring from the navy but it has been sometime since welding anything good thing I can go back to the school to brush up put that GI Bill to good use. I recently purchased a Lincoln power mig 210mp. But not sure what size circuit breaker to buy for a 230v outlet. I know it's all about the amps. All I see on the back panel is 20A could be wrong just doesn't seem like a 20A breaker would work for a 230V circuit. Can anyone help?

Thanks for your service. 20 amp breakers are generally for 110v settings. Generally 220/230 volt is 50 amp breakers.

I have that machine? I use it primarily on the 230 volt plug. Breakers are sized to protect the wire between the panel and the point of use. So you just have to make sure the breaker is equal to or larger than the minamum required breaker. I believe the minamum is 20 amps in order to make sure you can use the machine at full capacity without tripping the breaker. I have run mine one time on a 220 volt plug that was on a 15 amp breaker. I welded in a floor patch on a friends car. Used .023 wire and spent about 2 hours tacking and welding. Never had any problems but I wasn't running the machine maxed out either.

The id plate says max current for 230v is 27 amps. Probably does not run at that like 308 says but I would size it above that as well as anything else on the circuit running at the same time like air compressor etc.

One must always consider the wire running from the breaker to the outlet....both the gage size and how long the run is. Nothing good will come from too big a breaker coupled with too small of wire. Lots of info out there.

Could get into a discussion about duty cycle/NEC de-rating etc. Easiest answer.....30amp double pole std. trip curve at 230V w/ #8 THWN.

And for the record...amperage has nothing to do with 1,2 or 3 pole molded case breakers. You can buy a 1.0 amp or 400 amp double pole breaker 600v