| indago 2005-06-26, 12:25 pm |
| 050626 0945 - SomeBody posted:
quote:
> Hey guys,
>
> Got a question about circuit breakers, I have a HarbourFreight stick
> welder, that is marked 120/240v draws 41 Amps, Does this mean it draws 41
> Amps at 120 or 20.5 Amps at 240V? I'm talking about through each leg, if
> hooked up as 220V.
>
> I have it wired the welder hooked up for 220V operating, and have a dbl
> pole 40 Amp breakers in my panel, it's been working fine for the
> past year. Is the dbl pole 40 breaker the correct size for this
> application? Does this mean that each leg of the break is capable of
> drawing 40 amps each?
>
> Should I reduce the size of this break to a dbl pole 25 Amp breaker? By
> the way, I installed this dbl pole 40 Amp breaker myself last year.
>
> Thanks.
> Jeff
If it is rated 41 Amps at 120 volts, it would be half that at 240 volts, and
it only loads this high when you are welding the heavy stuff at full
current. When you have the welder set at lower settings, it doesn't draw
that much. Of course, you could check this out yourself with a clamp on
ammeter around one of the circuit leads to the welder. Have someone check
the meter while you are welding and write down the different readings at
different settings.
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