shed wiring for welder use

[charlie2017]

hey every1, I'm building a shed for my tools and stuff, I got a  Clarke MIG160TM MIG Welder but I'm not sure what sort of wiring I need to support it, 10mm or 16mm. shed is about 30m away from house main supply.  I don't really wanna spend money on 16mm armoured if I can use 10mm. any advice is welcome and thanks  

 

[Lurch]

Where have you got 10 or 16mm  from? Are you just plucking figures out of the air?

 

[charlie2017]

I asked few friends but I have no clue what that means apart from there price difference. 

 

[Lurch]

I asked few friends

I'm guessing none of them are electricians.

Best advice is get the guy installing it to size it correctly as required.

 

[apprentice87]

Hi There,

Welders do not like long mains cables, so, really, the biggest you can afford is what to go with..

No matter what the makers say, [They no doubt want you to believe it will run off a 13A plug] you will be wanting about 40A and within the allowable volt drop to power the thing

There are many things to consider, but 10mm should just about do it..

john..

 

[phil d]

According to the manual it needs a 16 amp supply, now using a basic calculator app , to pull 30 amp over that distance on a 3 core armoured, you'd get away with a 6mm cable, however as I said that's without doing the full calculations. What I will say is that it would give you a volt drop of 3% which is 6.8 volts and would allow a current of 30.43 amps assuming cable is clipped direct or buried underground.

However depending on where in the UK you are this work may well be notifiable under part P and will need signing off, and therefore you'll need an electrician, who'll be able to work out the size more accurately for you.

Sometimes as I fear is going to be your case, buying the equipment you want to use is often the cheapest part of the job, getting the correct supply in will cost you.

 

[Lurch]

They no doubt want you to believe it will run off a 13A plug

You're as bad as the OP. Nowhere does it say this, not on the website or in the instructions. Both say the complete opposite.

 

[phil d]

You're as bad as the OP. Nowhere does it say this, not on the website or in the instructions. Both say the complete opposite.

Quite, it says in the manual that the input load is 16 amps.

 

[apprentice87]

You're as bad as the OP. Nowhere does it say this, not on the website or in the instructions. Both say the complete opposite.

Quite, it says in the manual that the input load is 16 amps.

Not REMOTELY interested in what the makers claim.. They only say this to get muppets to think that they will get away with just plugging it in

So, a few FACTS...

The output current is 160a..

Arc voltage will be from about 20 to about 32 volts..

Have a guess at PF being anything from .5 to .8 and efficiency say. 80%

You do the sums..

Now then.. What was you all saying??

john...

 

[Lurch]

Not REMOTELY interested in what the makers claim.. They only say this to get muppets to think that they will get away with just plugging it in

Not sure what your point is, you said they probably try and tell you it can run off a 13A plug. They don't.

 

[apprentice87]

Not sure what your point is, you said they probably try and tell you it can run off a 13A plug. They don't.

No, but they hope that you think you can...

john..

 

[phil d]

No, but they hope that you think you can...

john..

The trouble is that people see a flex on something and automatically think it runs off a 13 A plug, I had a call to a faulty compressor once, it was brand new but constantly blowing fuses, I went round and the guy had it on a 13A plug top, despite the large sticker attached to the cable, "warning this equipment must NOT be connected to a normal 13A mains outlet"

I think the biggest cable I've ever seen attached to a plug was 4mm, the outer sheath had been removed and the inner conductors had been trimmed to get them into the terminals. and what was on the end of this cable? would you believe a 250 amp oil cooled welder!

 

[Andy™]

You're as bad as the OP. Nowhere does it say this, not on the website or in the instructions. Both say the complete opposite.

a lot of them come with a 13A plug already fitted

 

[apprentice87]

I sold a compressor to a bloke once, a farmer. You all know full well what i am going to say now!!

The supply cable to where he wired it was so long, that the thing would not start. In fact, it was that long that the resultant "locked rotor current" did not even trip the circuit OCPD [there was no protection in the motor starter]

The entire motor literally melted into a clump of aluminium, and so did the replacement!!

john..

 

[phil d]

I sold a compressor to a bloke once, a farmer. You all know full well what i am going to say now!!

The supply cable to where he wired it was so long, that the thing would not start. In fact, it was that long that the resultant "locked rotor current" did not even trip the circuit OCPD [there was no protection in the motor starter]

The entire motor literally melted into a clump of aluminium, and so did the replacement!!

john..

Oh yes, a mate of mine borrowed a welder off me once to do a quick repair on his car, he brought it back, "it's garbage, won't weld and just blows fuses" he told me. What he hadn't told me before he took it was this, he lived partway up a block of flats and had 2 of those 100mtr extension leads on drums, I think they were 1MM iirc.

 

[Lurch]

a lot of them come with a 13A plug already fitted

But not the ones that say 'for fixed wiring only' 'use a 16A supply'.

 

[Andy™]

ive seen plenty that do say on the back on the unit max 16a but have a 13a plug....

if you use them on low current then they usually work happily on a 13a plug

 

[charlie2017]

thanks every1 for replying back, I had a electrician come in and like most of u said 10mm will do it. thanks