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Thread: 15amp plug on welder
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7th Jul 2010, 07:06 PM #1
15amp plug on welder
G'day everyone,
Just bought a new 140 Inverter stick welder and have discovered when I got it home that it has a 15amp plug! My neighbour is an electrician and I asked his advice as to what I could do about this as I have a standard 10amp power point in my shed. He said if I brought a 15amp extension cord and changed the male end to a 10amp plug he think s that this will be OK and would only trip the power not affect the new welder if it drew too much current.
Has anyone else out there tried this and had success - or thinks it's OK?
Or should I change brands and get a 10amp plug welder?
Thanks for your help
Geoff
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7th Jul 2010, 07:52 PM #2
Don't know about a welder but I did this with my TS that has a 15amp plug and it works just fine, trips the power though if I try to run some high powered lighting that I use when I need more lighting. This question has been addressed several times on the forum and some say its a no no and others say its okay. Guess you have to decide for yourself the best course of action. I know several guys running 15amp machines on 10amp outlets and of course, they think its okay. I am sure others will say differently.
Reality is no background music.
Cheers John
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7th Jul 2010, 07:52 PM #3
If you intentionally modify a cable to allow a 15A machine to be plugged into a 10A supply the first thing that happens is that your house insurance becomes void if your wiring melts and sets fire to your house. How does this guy know that the wiring in the shed is capable of taking the extra current load? If your shed has it's own circuit board for lighting and power it is be a simple job for a sparky to add another power socket breaker and a 15A socket.
Either buy a 10A machine, or get an electrician to wire up a 15A socket in your shed; doing a dodgy fix like you have described isn't worth it if it goes wrong.
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7th Jul 2010, 07:55 PM #4
Just to refresh people's memory
DISCLAIMERNo liability is accepted by UBeaut or the Wood Working Forum's administrators
or moderators for advice offered by members posting replies
or asking questions regarding electrical work.
We strongly advise contacting a Licensed Tradeperson for all electrical work.
WARNINGInformation supplied within posts is not to be considered as detailed formal instructions to complete a task.
Members following such information do so at their own risk
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7th Jul 2010, 08:18 PM #52 years from inception to completion
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If you have a search through this forum you will find a far bit about this subject has already been discussed. It was only a few months ago.
Cheers.
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7th Jul 2010, 10:24 PM #6Golden Member
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Geoff, check out http://www.woodworkforums.com/f160/15amp-plugs-114547/ which I started a while ago when faced with the same situation. I went for the modified extension cord option, but I'm also careful doing this - making sure nothing else is operating on that circuit, not running full amps on the welder and not for sustained periods. I have this niggling feeling that it also has the potential to affect your welder but I'm not sure how. Generally speaking most people will wisely say they don't recommend it, but know plenty of people who still get away with using a 10amp plug. Cheers - Mick
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7th Jul 2010, 10:45 PM #7Intermediate Member
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The 10A power circuit is still protected by a 10A fuse. The 15A welder will work fine. If it tries to draw too much current, you'll simply blow the 10A fuse. Your house will not go up in smoke.
I have run my 15A Easywelder off 10A GPOs for the last 20 years and think I may have popped a fuse just once.So many ideas........so little skill........
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7th Jul 2010, 11:37 PM #8Member
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7th Jul 2010, 11:51 PM #9
Thanks guys I really appreciate the feedback heaps.
Big Shed - are you the Legal advisor for this forum? Relax brother there isn’t no way I'd ever bring litigation on this fine forum for all the you beat information and help I get from its members!!
So if I could get the out and out best answer from a few people on this one Question please. I got a fairly good deal on this welder and to be perfectly honest I'd like to really keep it but If I need to have a 15amp power point installed it's gonna cost me money and therefore it's not gonna be such a great deal. So should I take this unit back and get a new welder that runs on a 10amp plug or keep my great buy and make and buy a 15amp extension lead and put a 10amp plug on one end?
I really do appreciate the advice
Thanks
Geoff
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8th Jul 2010, 12:20 AM #10Diamond Member
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The warnings are there for a reason, and 15A plugs are designed that way for a reason. Strictly speaking, a 10A socket is designed to deliver only 10A of current - if you, even indirectly, plug a device that draws 15A, you are going outside the design parameters of the socket and thus are at risk of the socket failing, most likely in the form of melting.
Strictly speaking aside, most modern power circuits have a 16A breaker, some perhaps a 20A. It's there to protect the cable from overheating and failing catastrophically (ie. starting a fire inside a wall). Realistically, your greatest concern using a welder is tripping a breaker, and depending on what else in on the same circuit you are using, that could well be a problem. That said, I have a 130A inverter welder that has a 10A plug, so a 140A unit is only just outside spec. Chances are it'll be fine, but you must be aware of the risks involved, however seemingly minor, and then take an informed decision. I'd suggest a good chat with your sparky neighbour about any possible downsides.
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8th Jul 2010, 12:45 AM #11Senior Member
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Why not get the neigbour to install a 15A socket on mates rates??
If it was my dad on the other hand he would file the ground pin down.
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8th Jul 2010, 01:36 AM #12
Mate's rates will still cost me still - so I figure I either run the welder on the altered extension lead and not lose performance or take safety risk. So it's either I can do that or I take it back and get a different brand that has a 10amp plug.
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8th Jul 2010, 11:04 AM #13
Not going to say whether it's safe or not, that is for you to decide, but why not ask your mate what size cable and circuit breaker is normally used on a 10amp circuit then ask him what size would be used for the 15amp circuit.
In most and note I've said most circuits, they'll be the same size cable, the difference is that the 10amp circuit will have say 2 or more 10amp GPOs on it whilst a 15amp circuit will only have 1 15amp GPO.
Its all about what load you can have on each circuit, which is why 15amp circuits only have 1 GPO as they're only rated to carry the load from one 15amp machine.
Aside from all that, I have a Lincoln Inverter which is 160amps of which I've put a 10amp plug on and have welded with it on 10amp circuits and have never blown a breaker with it.Cheers
DJ
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8th Jul 2010, 04:38 PM #14
I really appreciate all the replies and advice guys, but I decided to take the unit back and replaced it with a smaller 130A inverter welder that has a 10A plug.
Thanks everyone though for your time.
Cheers
Geoff
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8th Jul 2010, 06:54 PM #15
I asked this very same question of a mate of mine who is also a sparky. His response was that in modern home wiring the only difference between a 10A circuit & a 15A circuit, not counting the bigger earth socket, is that a 15A line can only have 1 outlet per line. Both 10A lines & 15A lines 'SHOULD' be using 2.5mm power cable. 10A & 15A lines usually have a 16A or 20A breaker in the fuse box.
So the question as to weather you can do what you are asking safely is yes - provided your wiring has been done correctly & providing its the only thing on that line - within reason. I have had a 15A table saw & a dust extractor on the 1 line for 18mths without it ever tripping out. I took a 15A extension cord, cut to the length i needed & replaced the 15A plug with a 10A version.
As has been previously mentioned there is an issue of a voided household insurance should there ever be a fire, weather the modified extension cord is the cause or not - we all know how much insurance companies love to use loo-poles to dodge payouts.
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