Confused which socket/recepticle I have for my welder

The dryer receptacle with the 'L' ground is a NEMA 10-30R receptacle, rated 30 Amps 125/250 Volts 3-pole 3-wire.

If you want a male plug to put on the welder extension cord, you need to get a Leviton 9332-P or 287-T plug - if your local store doesn't sell Leviton they should be able to cross the number to Eagle or P&S.

The welder receptacle with the 'U' ground appears to be a NEMA 7-50R

50A 277V receptacle - but since the pictures are out of focus I can't be sure. This is an odd plug to find on a 240V welder (unless it will also run on 277V which is usually found in factories), good thing they sent you a receptacle with the welder.

Most US welders use a NEMA 6-50R 50A 250V receptacle - the same one used on older electric ranges.

You want to really complicate things, the ranges and dryers in new houses (and old ones in mobile homes) need to have 4-pin receptacles with separate neutral & ground connections to meet current codes, so your adapter cord may not work in the neighbor's dryer receptacle. The 4-wire dryer receptacle is NEMA 14-30P and ranges are NEMA 14-50P.

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Page 698 Look at the chart near the top of the page. The plug is style 7-15. It's 277 volt 15 amp (220/240V -

15A) unit. Item # 7120K52. The outlet is item # 7120K35.

If you go to the item number in the list and put your mouse pointer on the item number, you will see a clear image of the plugs and receptacles.

Just an observation: You clearly do not know what you are doing. That is very apparent with your questions. Call an electrician and have your electrical service installed by a pro. You are playing "you bet your life".. IMHO..

If I installed an outlet in my garage for the welder what would be the best amperage recepticle to use? Here is the welder, it's not very big

Would 30 amps be big enough?

PJ wrote:

The seller on eBay did not disclose very much about the unit. He said you can get the information on the internet. Without the make and model number - fat chance..!!

Read the name plate on the welder. What is the manufacturer name and model number? What is the input voltage and input amperage?

I suspect it is a very small welder that draws 15 amps on 240 volts. (Based on the plug - 277 volts) Sure, you can run it on a 30 amp circuit. You can run it on a 100 amp circuit also. I wouldn't as I would not want to receive the Darwin Award for 2004..!! Circuit breakers are there for a purpose.

Not if the seller's "It uses 230 volts @ 110 amps." statement is correct. Which it can't be... That little guy ain't "industrial gear" by any stretch of the imagination, and a full-blown industrial setting is about the only place I'd expect to be able to find 110 amps on a 220 cable.

Much more likely, it's looking for a 15-50 amp service. A 240 @ 15 amp circuit would make perfect sense according to how transformers (Which is basically all little cheapo "buzz-box" welders like this one are) work, easily allowing the amperage to be stepped up to the 110 amps this unit claims to put out by stepping the voltage down to around 20-30 volts, give or take a bit.

If you're not using the dryer outlet for a dryer anymore and the outlet has enough amperage to run your welder, simply replace the recepticle with one that mates to your welder. If you're still using the dryer and plan on unplugging the dryer and plugging in the welder, I would probably change the welder plug. My welder uses a nema 6-50 plug so I replaced the recepticle with nema 6-50R and it worked fine. I dont have confidence in extension cords, drop it once or twice, it arcs and burns the house down. Chances are it wont happen, but i wouldn't chance it, easier to replace the plug. Good luck, walt ps. check the wiring at the box, mine was aluminum wire that was all shitty so i replaced it with copper. Match gauge of wire to amperage of breaker.

I'm trying to find the right socket to put on the extension cord I have but the recepticle on my dryer is different. Why is the dryer one different from the welder one?

Because either they are two different amperage ratings, and are not supposed to mate, or they are widely different age NEMA devices and at least one is very obsolete.

If you cannot decide what connectors to use, hire an electrician to install an outlet for your welder. This would eliminate some of the confusion.

Jim

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Based on the picture of your welder, I'm assuming it's a

240V stick welder. You should be able to get fair use out of a 30 A dryer receptacle without popping the breaker.

Just make an adaptor cord with a box on one end that has the appropriate receptacle for your welder plug and put a plug on the other end that will fit into your existing dryer receptacle. It's not rocket science and your local big box store or electric supply house will have all the parts you need.

For cord, use SJ 10/3 (10 gauge wire for 30 A).

Here is a cord I made:

Your welder has a different style plug than the receptacle shown.

Dryer plug ~ $8, box and receptacle ~ $ 10, 30' of 10/3 cord ~ $30. The wire strain relief is a good idea, but harder to find and expensive. I found mine at a supply house, but it was $30. You could use a less fancy one and just try not to abuse the cord.

Cobbling together a less safe method is... well less safe.

Have fun!

Jeff Dantzler