Extremely beginner question

[gordonmacnaughton]

Hi guys,

Bought myself a new welder however it didn't come with a plug attached.

What im wondering is what plug I need to attach.

It says on rear of machine

INPUT
AC 230V

Does this mean just a normal house plug?

The wires seem a bit industrial for a normal house plug.

Please see picture below

https://i.imgur.com/W1uvQ0J.jpg

Thank you

 

[MikeMl]

No, requires a 240V outlet like would be used for a range, stove, dryer.

Does it say how many Amps it requires. Maybe in the Owners Manual Specifications page. Might be strapable to operate on 120V

You might need to put a dual-ganged 240V breaker in your panel, and run conduit to the workshop. I would use a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 outlet and matching plug.

 

[Diver300]

Well I got the impression that Gordon lives in the UK. However Mike thinks that Gordon lives in the USA.

The answer to the original question depends on where Gordon lives. A "normal house plug" is rated at 13 A and 230 V in the UK and 120 V and 15 A (or possibly 20 A) in the USA.

The answer also depends on the rating of the welder.

So, in answer to the question, I have two more questions:-

What country is the welder being used in?
What is the input current rating of the welder?

The wires are a little chunky compared to most mains connections, but they will probably fit a 13 A 230 V plug without too much trouble. Whether you should or not depends on the current rating and whether you want to plug it into a 13 A socket.

 

[dr pepper]

I live in the uk, I've a couple of welders a mig and a mma, both had bs4343 connectors (the round blue ones found in industrial applications).
Being totally irresponsible and farmer like both sets have a standard 13a plug on.
Theres been occaisions where the plugtop has welded itself into the socket or an extension has been a little too warm.
You can fit a standard uk mains plug, but please only use a 13a fuse designed for it, you'll get around 100amps or so weld current before the fuse goes