Max amps for domestic supply for MIG welding

[gixerspiderman]

Hi, another query i hope someone can help with -and i know this may sound obvious/stupid to some, but leccy ain't my forte!
I only have domestic mains, so without rewiring/burning the garage down is a 130 welder the most powerful i can buy?
Or could i get away with a larger one?
Thanks again!

 

[Wozzaaah]

You can go much larger than that.
It depends on the type of supply you have running to your garage/workshop. If it's via an extension lead then you're very limited but if you have a separate consumer unit then you could probably go up to a 40A supply which would run a very big welder.

Your budget isn't far off the Clarke 160, it's not gasless though, is that a necessity?

 

[gixerspiderman]

No not a necessity,but i do most if not all of my welding outside as so much flammable stuff in garage, & never having used mig i wasnt sure how much wind will affect it,hence the option of gasless. Could go to £350 including regulator etc

 

[gixerspiderman]

Forgot to mention - think its a substantial supply - has its own trip meter in garage, but i run an extension cable out & weld infront of the garage door (and no it doesnt blind passers by,i have a solid gait!). Perhaps heavy duty extension cables are available??

 

[Wozzaaah]

Mig isn't ideal for use outdoors but with careful use of windbreaks and upping the gas flow rate it can be done.
The 160 will work quite happily of a normal 13A plug at pretty much all of the power settings though it may pop the fuse every once in a while if you're running it flat out.
Nice machines, set one up for a forum member a while ago and was very impressed with it.

 

[Wozzaaah]

If it's just the normal wind-up type of lead then you may get voltage drop, especially if you don't fully uncoil it (which you should!).
If you MUST run an extension lead then best to get some 2.5mm cable (blue 'arctic' type) , that's the thickest you'll fit into a 13A plug.

 

[slimjim]

Dont use a 13amp cable extension, coiled up, it will heat up and melt, even using a 100amp welder, dont ask me how I know this

 

[Ed.]

No not a necessity,but i do most if not all of my welding outside as so much flammable stuff in garage, & never having used mig i wasn't sure how much wind will affect it,hence the option of gasless. Could go to £350 including regulator etc

It depends on how much wind you have, I built a fully welded 12mt by 10mt by 3.3mt garage/carport outside my house using MIG, I couldn't weld on really windy or wet days , but on mild or slightly breezy days then I just covered the weld area with my welding glove, or if welding at ground level then a sheet of ply would be propped up to divert the wind. Every piece of the frame was built using 100mm x 50mm RHS Galv., so all the welds were either 100mm or 50mm long, if you are doing longer welds then a screen should offer protection. Every frame piece was cut and welded outside. I didn't have any dramas MIG welding in up to 10-15 Km/hour winds doing the sort of welding I did.

As for the extension cable, I used a 20mt length of 4mm square cable with a 15amp plug and socket for the ends and plugged into a 15amp 240V socket that I put in the fuse box. Trimmed down the 4mm cable at the ends so that the cable would fit into the socket and plug connectors.
My MIG at the time was a 235Amp Unimig. No Voltage drop and the MIG worked fine even running at full capacity doing the footing pads.

Below is a pic of it partly built.