Miller DialArc 250 AC/DC - Tripping 50 Amp Breaker on Start Up

Nope.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Thanks, Grant. A 60-amp breaker worked like a charm!

I can now power up the welder at any amperage setting with or without the fan on and it's great.

Now I just have to hook up the leads and we're off like a sweaty bra!

Thanks, man.

rvb

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Do I understand you that a DialArc 250 has a separate switch for the FAN?

Amazing!

I bought two Tweco angled female No. 2 terminals for my DialArc HF, for when I want to use it as a stick welder. However, they don't work on the HF because it has a bar across the bottom for latching the door. If you want them for your DialArc 250, see:

Yup. I think the previous owner added it.

Thanks for the l> Rick Barter (rvb) wrote:

To add power factor correction caps the way Miller did would be hard because they apparently used a transformer with a separate winding for the power factor caps. However, you could just add some oil-filled run capacitors rated for 240VAC between L1 and L2, measuring inrush current with no load, until you got that current to a minimum.

Adding high frequency would basically involve buying a separate HF unit. It would be easier to just get used to scratch-starting your electrodes. Unless you are thinking of using this for TIG welding, in which case you also have to think about a gas solenoid with postflow timer and pedal connections, none of which are there on your welder.

Grant

Ahhh I guess I misunderstood. I always scratch-start my stick electrodes. I thought the HF was just for the TIG function so as not to have to scratch start the tungsten. I haven't gotten into TIG too much. Mostly stick and MIG.

Or use a torch which has a gas valve on it and skip the pedal ..

Grant

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

How old is the 50 amp breaker? The Dialarc has a huge startup surge normally..and if the breaker is old..it may be tripping below the 50 amps.

Replace with a 60 amp.

Also, remove the cover of the welder and check for any of the big copper straps running hither and yon in the machine touching any of the frame. Ive seen that on two machines so far..both Dialarcs.

Facing the machine, check the left hand side for burned straps. Both were there

Gunner

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

I took it to the Miller fix-it place and they told me I was duped. That it was missing half the parts it was supposed to have and they weren't going to even touch it.

They said I'd be better off buying another one with the price it would cost to fix it. So, I guess it's to someone who needs one really bad or to the scrap heap with it.

:(

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Oh and I forgot to mention that I did replace it with a 60-amp it was still blowing the breaker albeit rarely. One other thing the guy mentioned is that it had some new fangled poteniometer. The original one was a clay model. For what it's worth.

Maybe it's time to just go buy a stinking thunderbolt or one of those Maxstar 150s models.

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

What exactly is missing? How did you buy it?

Do not scrap it, part it out, it will be an educational experience.

Or have a repair part source or a unit that you can scratch another machine out of it. Kinda sucks when the bucks were paid...

Mart> >

Get your money back from the seller.

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

I do not know exactly what is missing. The welder works, it just really burns hot (possibly due to the potentiometer being wrong) and it blows breakers if the fan power switch (installed by the previous owner?) is not turned off and the amperage switch not turned all the way down.

Are you saying I shouldn't scrap it or part it out? I would love to learn how to fix it, but am not sure where to start. I'm not exactly well-versed in electrical theory. But, I would love to be able to service it and be able to use the machine.

I bought it from a guy on CraigsList.

Any help is definitely appreciated!!!

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

sounds like a victim of a botched repair to me.

As Gunner said, call the guy and say that the welder is not as represented and that you want your money back.

You may get the money back.

Assuming that you do not get the money back, you can get a schematic from Miller and try to fix it. It will be an educational experience even if you did not succeed.

There is a few people here who screwed around with broken welders, who could provide some assistance.

This is an application of troubleshooting techniques whose point is to isolate problems and find defective or incorrectly installed components.

Ergo, you can test the potentiometer by referring to Miller schematic and measuring resistances, without the welder being on.

So, see if you can get your money back (how much did it cost?) and barring that, you can have a fun couple of weeks.

Its not that hard a welder to fix..its pretty simple inside. Parts on the other hand...can be pricey.

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost