I have two 250a machines which I run from a single phase supply (only one at a time) but they are connected to a dedicated 32 amp supply. Getting such a supply fitted is not particularly expensive or difficult.*
I did for a little while use my TIG welder using an adapter and a standard 13amp plug but I wouldn't recommend it. The inrush current made turning it on a tricky operation involving multiple trips to the consumer unit to turn the power back on, and turning the welding power up too high meant regular blown fuses.
*However....
I did for a little while use my TIG welder using an adapter and a standard 13amp plug but I wouldn't recommend it. The inrush current made turning it on a tricky operation involving multiple trips to the consumer unit to turn the power back on, and turning the welding power up too high meant regular blown fuses.
*However....
To the OP, you need some cable like this, call into your local electrical supplier and ask,
Its armoured cable so you can bury it in the ground, I put mine inside a 2 inch diameter
plastic water pipe and buried it over a foot below the ground, there are probably regulations
on how deep it should be, so check that, you can use the same cable on top of the ground,
just lay it there not buried at all as long as you have a place to keep it neat, like clamping it along a wall.
It is armoured, but I find it can still be damaged if you have rough stones like in a quarry under it and
machines crossing over it, below is a link to the kind of wire I mention,
https://hdcarmouredcable.com/10-mm-armoured-cable-3-core/
If you are taking a cable from inside your attic to a shed attached to the house, then no need for this
expensive armoured cable, use the same thickness of cable just not armoured, three core cable is all
you need for single phase, that is live neutral and earth, brown blue and green wires all inside an outer
cover.
IMO you need to be very careful with advice like this. There are most definitely regulations about this sort of install and unless you know exactly what you're doing then this is a job that should be done by a qualified electrician, and at the very least it must be checked by one. Getting it wrong can have very serious implications. I've seen too many instances of ignored advice, or selective parts of advice taken with other parts ignored on this forum to think it's a good idea.To the OP, you need a spare slot on your fuse board, insert a 40 amp breaker, take a very heavy cable from that
breaker and connect it to a three pin 32 amp socket on a wall near your welder, that's it.
If you need advise on what welder suits best, than feel free to ask.
My brother had a 330 amp oxford welder, and a 300 amp parweld mig,
the parweld was the smoothest and used for nearly everything,
the oxford was the best for the heavier work, like digger buckets.
Either one would run all day on that 40 amp circuit breaker, and a good heavy cable from it to the wall socket.