Got my SIP 130 welding fine now...

[nickjaxe]

Hi guys...I have owned an SIP 130 turbo for about 10 years now...its been a love hate thing with it all those years...I dread getting it out to do a job with it sometime never knowing if its going to work ok...gives poor blobby welds with little penetration being the main problem,

I also have a 110 amp oil filled Oxford welder...it needs to run from a 30 amp supply with 30amp fuses or it will trip out the fuse,

I could never understand why the 130a mig is only supposed to run of the std 13 circuit,

Anyway as an experiment the other week before starting a big job on my old Landrover I made up a special 30amp ext cable 6mm twin and earth cable that I can run in the window to our 30amp cooker socket...gave it a try bit better,

So then just for test purposes I soldered a piece of 30amp wire across the welders 13 amp plug fuse and gave it another try...it then performed the best it ever has...I if fact did around an hour of welding with it set-up like this and kept checking cables plugs sockets for over heating...all seem fine,

So I'm at a loss now...why is it working ok running from the 30 cooker socket and 30 cable inc fuse when it suppose to run fine from the std 13 amp circuit.

Nick.

 

[rtbcomp]

You've obviously got a smaller voltage drop with your experimental setup. I suspect the "will run off a 13A plug" is a marketing thing really. It's true for lower welding currents, but if they advertised it as needing a 30A circuit it might put people off buying it.

I run all my high current stuff off 16A commando plugs & sockets, much less voltage drop. Domestic plugs are pretty ropey, they run warm even on a 2KW fan heater.

 

[Jan]

You don't say what kind of mains run you need to reach the welder, but an ordinary 13 amp extension cord plugged into a 16 amp ring main will start to see an impedance related voltage drop after 10 metres if not sooner. Don't forget the every junction or plug/socket in the way will also add some resistance to the circuit which will be lost as heat. On lower amperages my SIP 130 is fine with either a 5 or 10 metre extension and still copes with short weld runs at full chat.

I assume that you've added the wire feed mod and replaced the main liner with a steel one? If not then do so as it will transform the machine for under a fiver and you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner.

 

[Robotstar5]

So then just for test purposes I soldered a piece of 30amp wire across the welders 13 amp plug fuse and gave it another try...it then performed the best it ever has...I if fact did around an hour of welding with it set-up like this and kept checking cables plugs sockets for over heating...all seem fine

I hope you replaced the fuse after the "test" with the correct 13A one as it is there to protect the cable feeding your welder should a fault develop.

Correctly rated fuses are fitted for a reason!

 

[nickjaxe]

Out to my garage I have a run of 30amp armoured underground cable,

I can also plug into the 30 amp cooker socket in my kitchen,

Yes fitted a wire liner some years ago...never moded the wire feed motor...is there a link to what involved on here...although the wire feed seems very smooth,

What symptoms does a dodgy motor give,

Why is it a 110amp arc needs a 30amp feed and a mig doesn't.????

Nick.