What Size Extention Cord for a Wire Feed Welder

I want to buy a extension cord for my Powermig 180 but does not list a gauge thickness in the manual. What gauge do I need for a 25' extension?

10:51 AM

Quote Originally Posted by dremmick View Post

I want to buy a extension cord for my Powermig 180 but does not list a gauge thickness in the manual. What gauge do I need for a 25' extension?

HF sells 10ga extension cords and its relatively easy to change plug and outlet on each end.
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10ga is 30amp. usually you want at least that for a welding machine. obviously depends on circuit you are plugged in to and the circuit breaker. you are suppose to be on a 30 amp circuit breaker if using a 30 amp rated extension cord. that way circuit breaker will trip if over 30 amps for more than a few seconds and protect the extension cord from over heating.
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6ga usually is 50 amp if you want to be on a 50 amp circuit breaker
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usually if going more than 50 feet you want the next size bigger extension cord so you dont get too much a voltage drop. for example 6ga 50 to 100foot extension cord for 30 or 40amps. you always want the circuit breaker sized to protect your wiring including extension cords. thats the whole point of circuit breakers

11:13 AM

Be careful of the chinese extension cords.

They have proven to be cheating us on the copper content and using counterfeit UL certification stickers

Surprise ?

Go to Home Depot, buy the SO cord "cabtire"
The nice black rubber extension cord material.

You can get the ends there too.

https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-u...ncolnElectric)

20 Amp 220 input
25 Feet

12 gauge would be safe, 10 would be better.

Keep in mind someday you may want to plug two together and go longer so, the bigger the better.

11:23 AM

aluminum wire also has a lower amp rating than copper wire. not good to assume you have actual copper wire
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also all extension cords if the wire screwed on connections are corroded they get hot and plugs and outlets can often get damaged from getting hot. you should check extension cord and the outlet and plug after heavy use make sure they dont feel hot.
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i have seen even copper wire connections get corroded and hot over time. i have even seen wire burst into flame cause it got that hot. just saying it might work ok when new but got to also watch when it gets older too.
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if you are hand holding a stick electrode holder you can feel it when its hot even wearing gloves. but who touches extension cords feeling for heat ?? its not just the wire its also the plug and outlet getting hot

Quote Originally Posted by WNY_TomB View Post

HF sells 10ga extension cords and its relatively easy to change plug and outlet on each end.
.
10ga is 30amp. usually you want at least that for a welding machine. obviously depends on circuit you are plugged in to and the circuit breaker. you are suppose to be on a 30 amp circuit breaker if using a 30 amp rated extension cord. that way circuit breaker will trip if over 30 amps for more than a few seconds and protect the extension cord from over heating.
.
6ga usually is 50 amp if you want to be on a 50 amp circuit breaker
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usually if going more than 50 feet you want the next size bigger extension cord so you dont get too much a voltage drop. for example 6ga 50 to 100foot extension cord for 30 or 40amps. you always want the circuit breaker sized to protect your wiring including extension cords. thats the whole point of circuit breakers

The extension cord never needs to match the circuits protection. It only needs to be able to serve the device plugged into it. From the factory the wiring for a 50 amp cord cap might only use a 14 gauge wire. Nice it if is as then you can use for up to circuits rating but if you don't need that heavy of a cord it is extra money and weight to carry around for no benefit really.

12 would be fine 10 would be better for this machine. The machine can't draw more than the machine draws. Lol. Then you have the duty cycle that allows of considerable lengths of rest time.

For only 25 feet you don't have a lot of losses especially if plugged into a true 50 amp outlet fed 50 amp with #6's like it should be.

They sell made up 50 amp cords pretty cheaply in 25 foot lengths usually they are 10 gauge.

As daniel mentioned, off the shelf cord $56.00 on Amazon.

Southwire 19178806 8/3 Heavy-Duty STW 40-Amp/250-Volt Nema 6-50 Blue Welder Extension Cord, 25- Feet, 8-Gauge,

DIY: 12/3 Cabtire cord at HD $1.29 /ft $32.25
6-50 Plug $16.00
Forney 6-50 female connector $26.00

$74.47

obviously anybody using a extension cord not rated for the circuit breaker is taking a chance. the whole point of a fuse or circuit breaker is to prevent fires. if you got 30 amps going through a 14 or 12 ga extension cord it will get hot and possibly start a fire.
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other thing is plug and outlet have a amp rating. for example a nema 15 plug and outlet is rated 15 amps. you can have both on a circuit and get overheating and a possible fire if putting higher than 15 amps through it. for example somebody trying to put 30 amps through a plug and outlet rated for 15 amps. thats why 240 volt 50 amp plug and outlets are common with welding machines
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your insurance company can obviously deny any claims if you got a not to the electrical code setup. you can argue all you want but if its not to the electrical code any judge and court will tell you you are wrong

Show me an example of a Christmas tree fire claim denied.

Claims get paid and then they'll drop you but I have never heard of a claim being denied, not that I'm on the lookout for denied insurance claims.

Code only applies to what's inside the walls. Does not apply to extension cords.

From what I know the code is written to best protect the structure and appliances come with dedicated plugs to help reduce the risk of fire cause by electrical overloads.

i.e. 20amp window AC unit power cords and 20 amp plugs with the one blade horizontal so ya cant plug it in to a 15amp receptacle.

On a job site- OSHA would have a say though.

Quote Originally Posted by WNY_TomB View Post

obviously anybody using a extension cord not rated for the circuit breaker is taking a chance. the whole point of a fuse or circuit breaker is to prevent fires. if you got 30 amps going through a 14 or 12 ga extension cord it will get hot and possibly start a fire.
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other thing is plug and outlet have a amp rating. for example a nema 15 plug and outlet is rated 15 amps. you can have both on a circuit and get overheating and a possible fire if putting higher than 15 amps through it. for example somebody trying to put 30 amps through a plug and outlet rated for 15 amps. thats why 240 volt 50 amp plug and outlets are common with welding machines
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your insurance company can obviously deny any claims if you got a not to the electrical code setup. you can argue all you want but if its not to the electrical code any judge and court will tell you you are wrong

Here are the spec's on that machine. It draws 20 amps pegged out. You think it requires a #6 extension cord because the 50 amp feeding the outlet. That's crazy but even still be better to change it to a 25 or 30 if that makes you feel any better.

The machine can only pull what it draws. If it goes to ground or shorts to neutral then a 14 gauge wire would trip the breaker.
The machines cord is same as the extension cord if sized for it's demand at the length it is your good. The extension cord only needs to be heavy enough for the machine it is serving.

Quote Originally Posted by 12345678910 View Post

Be careful of the chinese extension cords.

They have proven to be cheating us on the copper content and using counterfeit UL certification stickers

Surprise ?

The conductors in Chinese electrical wire is usually considerably smaller than the gauge that's claimed on it. On top of that, the copper in it is so impure that it has a much higher resistance than what it should. I would be very hesitant to use it at anywhere even close to it's "rated" capacity.

Quote Originally Posted by WNY_TomB View Post

obviously anybody using a extension cord not rated for the circuit breaker is taking a chance.

Show me a lamp with a 12 AWG cord on it. It just doesn't work this way. The breaker is designed to protect the wire up to the disconnection means. The appliance provides protection for itself.

Quote Originally Posted by danielplace View Post

Here are the spec's on that machine. It draws 20 amps pegged out...

And it's duty cycle is what? I think it needs even less copper than you think.

Quote Originally Posted by rlitman View Post

And it's duty cycle is what? I think it needs even less copper than you think.

I think he was demonstrating an overkill scenario viewed in context to what he was responding to by assuming that it's a 180A @100 duty cycle

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote Originally Posted by danielplace View Post

Here are the spec's on that machine. It draws 20 amps pegged out. You think it requires a #6 extension cord because the 50 amp feeding the outlet. That's crazy but even still be better to change it to a 25 or 30 if that makes you feel any better.

The machine can only pull what it draws. If it goes to ground or shorts to neutral then a 14 gauge wire would trip the breaker.
The machines cord is same as the extension cord if sized for it's demand at the length it is your good. The extension cord only needs to be heavy enough for the machine it is serving.

20amp at RATED output of 130amps 30% duty cycle.

But imma bet the power cord on the Lincoln 180 is 12g.

07:35 AM

Quote Originally Posted by Broccoli1 View Post

20amp at RATED output of 130amps 30% duty cycle.

But imma bet the power cord on the Lincoln 180 is 12g.

My brand new Miller Multimatic 200 it has a 50 amp cord cap on 14/3 cable. Designed to be used on a 50 amp circuit and it suggests #14 for up to 65 foot of extension cord.

Suggesting a unit smaller than this requires a #6 cord because it is in a 50 amp outlet is completely ridiculous.
That would be like using a 12 gauge cord for a lamp because the outlet is 20 amp. LMAO !!

Here it is #14 gauge for 240 volt and it uses a 50 amp cord cap designed to be plugged into a 50 amp outlet.

It's darn near impossible to find an extension cord that is NOT Chinesium made....

Your 14 cord is allowed on 50 because it has a special adapter. 12 is the limit for 50A. For 14 its limitem to 30,, the short circuit interuption rating. 16 cords used on 20A circuits every day.

Quote Originally Posted by danielplace View Post

My brand new Miller Multimatic 200 it has a 50 amp cord cap on 14/3 cable. Designed to be used on a 50 amp circuit and it suggests #14 for up to 65 foot of extension cord.

Suggesting a unit smaller than this requires a #6 cord because it is in a 50 amp outlet is completely ridiculous.
That would be like using a 12 gauge cord for a lamp because the outlet is 20 amp. LMAO !!

Here it is #14 gauge for 240 volt and it uses a 50 amp cord cap designed to be plugged into a 50 amp outlet.

When did you get your MM200?

Just curious as the newest manual doesn't list out the 14g ext cord anymore.

Doesnt really matter as both of us agree, the OP should just buy a pre-made welder extension cord and weld on.

01:38 PM

Quote Originally Posted by Broccoli1 View Post

When did you get your MM200?

Just curious as the newest manual doesn't list out the 14g ext cord anymore.

Doesnt really matter as both of us agree, the OP should just buy a pre-made welder extension cord and weld on.

It is just one year old. Has the Bernard mig gun. The latest I see have a Miller MDX.

I went online to copy that so it wasn't from my actual manual. Page 24. Lot easier than scanning my manual.

https://www.millerwelds.com/files/ow...53392J_MIL.pdf

Yea no doubt. Molded ends and ready to work. They aren't really better than a good home made really but cheaper and will do the job for some time if treated properly. Gonna have 10's or 8's in them so they are robust for this welder but still the way to go since you can't buy a nice lightweight #12 25 foot ext cord with 50 amps ends. They would be great for many of these inverters people are using today.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/25ft-220Vol...MAAOSwepdcePuU

Quote Originally Posted by danielplace View Post

My brand new Miller Multimatic 200 it has a 50 amp cord cap on 14/3 cable. Designed to be used on a 50 amp circuit and it suggests #14 for up to 65 foot of extension cord.

Suggesting a unit smaller than this requires a #6 cord because it is in a 50 amp outlet is completely ridiculous.
That would be like using a 12 gauge cord for a lamp because the outlet is 20 amp. LMAO !!

Here it is #14 gauge for 240 volt and it uses a 50 amp cord cap designed to be plugged into a 50 amp outlet.

It only allows for 14 cord and wire if the circuit breaker is 30A. The 14 on the cord to the machine is protected by the adapter. Without additional protection the limit it 12 cords plugged in or wired to 50A.

The code tends to assume everything is correctly or factory wired. About the only place a breaker protects a properly wired circuit is a general 120v with multiple outlets. Plug too many heaters in and trips.
A lot, maybe most equipment relies on the circuit breaker for short circuit at least to a point it has additional protection if required like these small welders. After the switch they have reset for thermal and to protect fine wire inside.
So,, while the machine with 14 and adapter can be plugged in to 50 a 14 cord ahead of it cannot be, needs a 12 cord unless the breaker is reduced to 30.

The code tris to protect till there is at least 2 things wrong. The owner puts a 30 fuse on a 14 wire and then plugs in 2 heaters. One heater with 15 end wouldnt overload. If he put 30 to stop trips from a saw came 15 end wouldnt be a problem so much.
He puts a 50A end on a 300 Synchrowave and plugs it in to a 50A outlet he wired with 14 and a 50 breaker.

I've migrated to a policy of buying or making cords one size larger than recommended or larger than what you'd think just so I can run them end of end for more distances without having to even give it a thought.
A guy gets to operating on the cheap and the next thing you know you've got hundreds of feet of cheapo 18 gauge or 16 gauge cords that you can't even run a saw off of when strung way out there.
Quit being cheap on the cords. They last a lifetime.

I don't normally need to run hundreds of ft. 99% of my cord is 16. I got other stuff but it's really rare I need it. Biggest cord use is 4 1/2 and battery charger, used a cord on a vaccuum yesterday.

I make my own cords out of SO wire.... Hate the cheap junk sold today....

What Size Extention Cord for a Wire Feed Welder

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