Phillip Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 I Have a Harbor Freight 230V 120A MIG/Flux Welder, with no plug for it (Manual says it draws 21amp max). It has 3 wires coming out of the power cord for a 3 prong plug. I have a spare dryer outlet in my garage, although it is the 'new' 4 prong connection. I was wondering what plug I need to buy for the Welder, and if there is anyway I can plug it into my Dryer outlet, to avoid having to run another outlet. Since I will be needed an extension cord of course, this is prob a stupid question, but is there a extension cord that goes from a 4prong to a 3 prong? Any help will be much appreciated, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc052685 Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 Just go down to Home depot or Lowes and they can get you a plug and should be able to tell you how its wired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted July 2, 2010 Share Posted July 2, 2010 (edited) I always thought those required the 220v outlet. Interested in the outcome. Edited July 3, 2010 by Tyler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjstcroix Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 Hey, If you have a spare dryer outlet just change it out to a proper welding plug. They are available at any hardware store. Goes without saying that the outlet should be on a 30 amp double pole breaker. Make sure the "spare" dryer outlet is not junctioned off of your existing dryer outlet. Not such a problem, but don't expect to run the drier and weld 1/4" plate at the same time. If your talking an extension cord to go from a 4 prong male dryer outlet to to a 3 prong female welding outlet to accept a male welding plug...they don't exist. At least that I haven't found in my travels. Custom made can be done. Watch season 4 episode 3 of Macgyver for a video on how-to. Easily can be rigged up with spare chewing gum and a 3 inch Swiss Army knife. HA! You can buy factory made 3 pronged welding extension cords. 9/3 AWG. $$$ Don't bother with flux core. Get the regulator and Ar/CO2 gas before you start any welding. Flux core welding is a waste of time and materials. Also, if you're new to welding, read the welding tips page. Don't burn down your house trying to Red-Green a welding receptacle. Have someone knowledgable help you out with this. Insurance companies are bastards when it comes to unlicened handy-man wiring. If they had their way you would have to hire a licenced electrician to change a light bulb. Consider that my disclaimer. Happy welding! RSC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexPie Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 I just bought a 110V welder so I didn't run into these sorts of problems (doing body work 220 keeps burning though even on 1 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Posted July 3, 2010 Author Share Posted July 3, 2010 Ok so when I change the 4 prong outlet to a 3 prong outlet, what do I do with the extra wire that will be left over from the 4 prong? Just end cap it? I believe the two outlets are completely separate, because we used to have 2 electric dryers that could be ran at the same time, but recently we hooked up our new gas dryer, and took out one of the electric ones thus the spare lol. I'll double check with my dad though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 (edited) when you convert from a 4 wire plug to a 3 wire plug you can cap off or just push back the bare or green wire. this is the ground and it is merely an additional emergency path for the electricity. consider it like a 2nd chute for a skydiver. when my roomate bought his welder we made our own extension cord for it with like 30' of SO cord, a welding recepticle, and an FS box. we hardwired the other end to the panel but you could just as easily put a plug end on it and plug it into your converted dryer outlet. all these parts are at lowes/home depot and i believe it was actually labeled as a "welding recepticle" good luck. also, if you have 2 electric dryers each one will be its own circuit unless the wiring of your house was done by people completing community service... Edited July 3, 2010 by dangerboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted July 3, 2010 Share Posted July 3, 2010 That 4th prong is for 120V and can be capped off. I wired my basement and added circuits to my garage, but paid for a permit and inspections by the county, so no insurance problems. I think it was $30 for the permit, and well worth it because the inspectors that I talked to answered questions and gave advice that was worth every penny... Nowadays, everyone is starting to like self-reliance and thrift-except for union workers and people charging 35-75 dollars an hour for easy work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 4 prongs? is that 3 phase with a ground? as opposed to 3 prongs being single phase with a ground? You seem to have an awful lot of plug types and voltages in the states. I can't complain tho, I'm getting a diff plug type fitted here for the 240V 3 phase welder I picked up in may so I don't spend so much time waiting for my 240V single phase welder to cool down from the heat overload cutoff, So I'll have 2 diff Phases, even through they'll still be 240V still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzzzz Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 (edited) 4 prongs? is that 3 phase with a ground? as opposed to 3 prongs being single phase with a ground? You seem to have an awful lot of plug types and voltages in the states. I can't complain tho, I'm getting a diff plug type fitted here for the 240V 3 phase welder I picked up in may so I don't spend so much time waiting for my 240V single phase welder to cool down from the heat overload cutoff, So I'll have 2 diff Phases, even through they'll still be 240V still. Its not 3 phase.Sounds like it is a single phase 220v/110v. 2 hot wires plus a neutral and a ground wire. Some appliances require both voltages to operate. Do not cap the ground wire off! If your welder is 220v it does not need the neutral wire.No offense if you have to ask about wiring you should have an electrician do it. Electricity is no joke. Also there isn't any thing wrong with flux core. It has more spatter and you have to chip the flux. If you are going solid core wire spend the extra money and get 75% argon 25% co2 mix. Straight co2 spatters almost as bad as flux core. Edited July 4, 2010 by ozzzzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Just buy a 4 wire plug that matches the dryer outlet,provided it's a 30 amp outlet. Don't hook any wires up to the Neutral screw on the plug(usually silver screw) ,You should only have 3 wires coming out of your welder? 2 hot wires and a ground (bare or green or green tracer on blk wire) 240Volt single phase or you could change the outlet to match the welder. wired the same way. red and black are your hot and bare or green is your ground,cap off the white and push it into the box.Make sure you use the ground,it's for safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 ozzzzz Is right,If your not comfortable with electric don't mess with it!!! Some one could get hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 the neutral and the ground both go to the same place in your panel so its either or, the ground doesnt even begin untill its generated from the meterbase. it seems this topic has become severly overcomplicated for such a simple thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzzzz Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 the neutral and the ground both go to the same place in your panel so its either or, the ground doesnt even begin untill its generated from the meterbase. it seems this topic has become severly overcomplicated for such a simple thing. The neutral goes all the back to the power transformer. It is part of the circuit. The ground is so if the appliance shorts internally it has a path to ground. If the case of the appliance was not grounded the the only path to the ground would be you when you touched the case(if it was internally shorted). The neutral and ground both go to the ground at some point. At the appliance they should never be interchanged for safety reasons. It is very simple. If you use the ground in the circuit and the case is grounded and you are sweaty or wet you touch the casing of the appliance and make a path of less resistence, you die. Its that simple. You are quite right about it. Check your local codes there is a reason this practice is not allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 he would be connecting the equipments ground to the neutral so touching the case wouldnt have any effect. i dont need to check my local codes because im an electrician. unless the panel in his house is a "sub-panel" which i doubt, the grounds and neutrals are going to be side by side on the neutral bar anyway, so even a neutral would use the wire connected to the ground rods outside, or the cold water ground were it to be the path of least resistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 He said he has a 4 wire dryer outlet,which means he has a neutral and a ground at the outlet. So why would you tell him to hook the ground wire to the Neutral,he has a ground wire!!! Neutral is the grounded current carrying conductor back to the transformer. Will it work,yes. Do they go back to the same place at the main panel,yes. Is it the right way to do it,NO!! Use the GROUND WIRE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerboy Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 lol, this has become semantics, use whatever wire you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzzzz Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 lol, this has become semantics, use whatever wire you want That it is (semantics). He probably knows less about the subject than when he first asked. Just buy a book from Home Depot and read up. Best of luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 So how was that hospital stay? you're lucky to be alive, I figured you got Zapped (and I don't mean hit by a fancy yellow Z) because nobody posted in weeks. Calling an electrician to come fix it would have been MUCH cheaper than that hospital stay. I hope you will do that next time. Electricity is nothing to fark around with if you don't know what you're doing. Phar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOZ UP Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 So how was that hospital stay? you're lucky to be alive, I figured you got Zapped (and I don't mean hit by a fancy yellow Z) because nobody posted in weeks. Calling an electrician to come fix it would have been MUCH cheaper than that hospital stay. I hope you will do that next time. Electricity is nothing to fark around with if you don't know what you're doing. Phar Jesus. I'm not electrician, but I bought my 220v welder and got the 50A double pole breaker that I needed, 6ga wire, and made an outlet. It wasn't rocket science. First I read up on it and asked knowledgeable people, powered down the house, installed everything and then I just tripled check everything before I powered it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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