Plugs.... 13 amp or 16 amp ?

[Richie mac]

Good morning guys ..... TFI Friday lol
Quick question to make me look like the total newbie that I feel like

I have finally caught up totally with my wworkload for the first time in 3 months and have found myself with a little time on my hands to play with my new machines from Steve at weldequip..... I've had them in my possession for over a week and yet currently they still sit untouched in their boxes.should I be using 13 or 16 amp plugs with my machines ? I do have 16amp plugs and sockets kicking around but was unsure about the lack of fuse & secondly the size of mcb to run the sockets for power supply I have all sizes available but electrics aren't my strong point
The machines I'm gonna be using are the ifl 170 and ifl cut 40 .....
Cheers for any input

Richie

 

[Robotstar5]

Both machines specify a max input current of 22A so ideally you need a 32A blue plug, you could use 16A plug but may trip mcb/fuse at high power.

 

[rtbcomp]

I don't like using 13A plugs on equipment such as welders and compressors. Most aren't very good quality (I have a plug that gets warm running a 1 KW heater) and there's 2 extra connections (each end of the fuse) which introduce weak spots. The 16/32 A blue plugs & sockets have a greater surface area on the connector pins.

As long as the MCB in the consumer unit protects the wiring you'll be fine.

 

[Richie mac]

Cheers guys I'll go with the 16amp for now and as I have it to hand so I can play and get a couple of 32's ordered in...... So should I be using a 32 amp mcb or would this be ott

 

[Richie mac]

As I say sparky I'm not I just wanna play wiv me new toys...... But don't wanna take risks & my regular sparky ain't in the country right now

 

[Richard.]

My Mls 2300 is rated at 16amp and my magicwave before it was the same. I've only ever hooked them up to 13amp sockets as that's the power I have available and it's never been a problem even at and above 200 amps welding current.
This aside I'm not an electric guy but a couple of things make a difference to what you can do. Tig is probably the most forgiving process on the mains and mine is rated only 3 amps more than what the fuse is rated. Mig/mma plants are not so forgiving and usually rated a bit higher. The other thing I've noticed is good quality units tend to get more out for whats put in. It's always best to plug in to the rated size supply. If it's rated as said 22 then you won't get much out of it power wise on a 13 before it trips.

 

[Kent]

It's not so much the plug size but the breaker size
No point running a small hand tool of a 32 infact with such a high trip it will be dangerous
Sometimes I have to work of 13 amp out on jobs and have to be careful with the rods I choose to burn etc
I also carry a box of 13 amp fuses in the truck and without access to the fuse board it's not worth starting
Adding the right supply for a plant in my view is critical to getting the best from the kit
Putting in a split supply for house and shop at my place was some of the best money I spent trips are all a few steps away and I can directly monitor use with the additional meter I have in the shop

 

[rtbcomp]

If you have a 32A socket the wiring must be capable of delivering 32 A, it's unsafe to replace a 16A socket with a 32 A and then fit a 32A MCB if the wiring isn't rated at 32A

If you want to run a small tool off a 32A supply, get a 32A plug and connect it to a 13 A trailing socket with about 6" of cable. The 13A fuse in the plug on the tool will protect the tool and its cable.

 

[Kent]

If you have a 32A socket the wiring must be capable of delivering 32 A, it's unsafe to replace a 16A socket with a 32 A and then fit a 32A MCB if the wiring isn't rated at 32A

If you want to run a small tool off a 32A supply, get a 32A plug and connect it to a 13 A trailing socket with about 6" of cable. The 13A fuse in the plug on the tool will protect the tool and its cable.

Yes I hope there isn't more read into my post through any poor choice of wording

All my wiring is over specified so by changing a trip and socket I can swap a 16 out to a 32 etc

I run a mobile welding plant down heavy cable through to a 13 amp similar as you suggest in reverse

Mods feel free to edit my post as I do not suggest one should risk running anything off too large a trip for that appliance