Brought a Paton 160 and need help please!

[ChrisBailey]

My TecArc 181 didnt even come with a plug. I ran it on a cheap screwfix 13amp plug for a while. No problems, only that it would trip my breaker if I turned the power up too much.
Mine is a 185 amp transformer machine so draws more power than your 160 inverter will.
Pretty sure they supply with 16amp plugs as thats usually what a workshop or factory would have.

 

[Jim Davey]

Yes but it draws more than 13 amps so it doesn't fall under it. You can get away with a 13 amp plug but the manual states it needs more.

Exactly my point. It is outside the scope of PAT test regs and falls under BS EN IEC 60974-4 2016 but I’m not spending my day debating a point with someone on a forum who’s experience in the field is not known.

 

[Porkypine]

I simply bought the of the adaptors, about £3.99 evilbay.. I've also been running a fronius inverter with one of the adaptors for donkey's years. ( The adaptors have a 13a fuse inside too)
I also thought the cable on the paton a bit chunky to comfortably gash into a 3 pin plug .

 

[GRW]

I simply bought the of the adaptors, about £3.99 evilbay.. I've also been running a fronius inverter with one of the adaptors for donkey's years. ( The adaptors have a 13a fuse inside too)
I also thought the cable on the paton a bit chunky to comfortably gash into a 3 pin plug .

It fits OK actually with no problems if you cut the live to the correct length and terminate that first, which leaves just enough room to fit the Neutral & Earth neatly.

 

[Porkypine]

Certainly doable to just bung a 13a 3 pin plug on it, I've bodged them on all sorts of stuff in the past

 

[Kevlincs]

You could do with checking your facts. It was supplied (not by me I might add) with a 16 amp European plug from new. The supplier is not duty bound to fit a plug at all although many do. Some also supply a fused 13 amp adaptor which simply clips over the plug.
The machine is a class 1 product which requires an earth (which it will have in the supply cable) the two pins of the plug are for live and neural but there will also be a strip of metal on each side of the plug which are connected to the earth wire/machine casing/chassis and mate with sprung contacts in a 16 amp Euro socket.
Fitting a 13 amp plug is a relatively safe thing to do in theory, if the load exceeds the supply fuses rating of 13 amps it will simply blow the fuse.
Problems can arise when plug tops get worn, fuse holders get loose and then they can start to overheat.
The supplier fits a plug he/she is bound by law to fit the correct plug (by correct I mean a plug of equal or greater current carrying capacity to the maximum input current requirements of the set) if they fit a plug they are responsible for it and should carry out a BS EN IEC 60974-4 2016 electrical safety test and record the results for proof should it be required later.
As this step is time consuming and requires a competent person and some relatively expensive test equipment many dealers opt to sidestep this potentially risky area of the transaction by leaving the factory fit plug on, and leaving responsibly to the customer to arrange the fitting of the correct plug and wall outlet.
Customer beware is the oft touted phrase here.
Personally I don’t agree with that sentiment, I believe a good dealer will ask the relevant background questions about available supply, intended usage, and make the client aware )if the aren't already) of what will be required to install a machine and be able to use it to its full potential.
This often means a customer has to rethink their plans for what set to buy when it becomes clear they need a 32 amp supply to run a 250 amp MIG etc, but I’d rather loose a sale than have someone try and bring the machine back a day later as they only have a 13a outlet in their lockup and can’t run the set the way they planned.

In the OP’s case I’d say put the 13 amp plug on if you’re comfortable/competent to do so to get you going. In the meantime enquire as to the cost of getting a suitable wall socket fitted by a qualified electrician.
Post up a picture of the data plate if you want some help confiding exactly what the supply requirements are.

Thanks for the extremely thorough and clear answer.

For the forum I confirm it wasn't supplied by yourself.

Where I think there may have been a breakdown is I spoke to 1 person for advice when looking what to order but another when I actually called back to order at a later date. Having told him that I would only do van bodywork and to try some Tig he said that would be fine and come on a 3 pin when I asked about plugs.

I therefore wonder if the first person would have put the plug on but the person I ordered with who has no knowledge of the previous conversation has just sent it off.

I'm happy and capable to fit a 3 pin plug, it was purely a concern around the warranty if the worst happens. I was hoping for some fast advice on a Saturday evening with the Mrs going at me that I'd brought something unusable...

I'm aware the advice is to fit a heavy-duty plug and replace once a year, though having seen elsewhere the machine draws 19amps I think I'll have a chat with the electrician who lives down the road...

Many thanks for the clear help

 

[Tom Orrow L]

Sorry for being late to the party. We supplied the Paton 160.

They’re supplied with the EU plug as they’re made over in the Ukraine and, as Jim mentioned, we usually leave them that way so the user can fit whatever plug they desire. Changing a plug doesn’t affect a warranty whatsoever.

If a customer requires a plug fitting we will ascertain the relevant details and get a qualified person to fit it.

To op… drop me a message if you need any help with the machine whatsoever, happy to help wherever we can

 

[Kevlincs]

Sorry for being late to the party. We supplied the Paton 160.

They’re supplied with the EU plug as they’re made over in the Ukraine and, as Jim mentioned, we usually leave them that way so the user can fit whatever plug they desire. Changing a plug doesn’t affect a warranty whatsoever.

If a customer requires a plug fitting we will ascertain the relevant details and get a qualified person to fit it.

To op… drop me a message if you need any help with the machine whatsoever, happy to help wherever we can

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. No issues with the machine, looks good and as I said above so long as it doesn't affect the warranty I'll do it.

I was going to phone and check tomorrow but I was getting so much ear ache last night just needed some faster help