ATX-Iroc

Heres the situation i just bought a 220v mig and the only 220v outlet i have is for the dryer thats in the washroom. The plug for the dryer is different than the one for the welder so I cant just buy an extension cord. My idea is to take one of those dryer pigtails then buy a length of 10 gauge wire and a female end and put it all together. Is this a recipe for disaster or is there nothing wrong and it should work. I consider this thirdgen related because Im going to fab some stuff for my ROC and this is necessary to do so.

camaronewbie

There's alot of difference between an oven and a welder, but ....

OK ... I know ... wtf is he talking about?

I did the same kinda thing to cost my own headers - I got a $20 oven from craigslist and put it on the back deck, and extended the 220v from the oven plug in my kitchen out the window to the old oven on the deck. And I just basically did what you said, except I used much bigger than 10gauge wire - I used real oven/dryer wiring. You can buy it by the foot at Home Depot/Lowes/whatever. That stuff was more like amp wire than 10ga. But yeah, as long as you get large enough wiring (the farther you run the larger the wire has to be), then you can 'make an extension cord'. Just check the wire every minute at first to make sure it's not getting hot - hot wire means too much amperage draw for that size wire.

Make sure you know where the main power cutoff is ... just in case.
Have a good fire extinguisher for electrical fires around ... just in case.
Put cell phone in the mailbox so you can call 911 ... just in case.
Have the wife pay that life insurance policy premium ... just in case.
Send the kids to the park with the dog ... just in case.

Good Luck!

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

I bet your dryer is a 110, not a 220. My dryer is 110.

And the 110/220 plugs are different for a reason....So that no one plugs a 110 device into a 220 plug.

camaronewbie

Ahhh - good point - didn't think about it but yes alot of dryers are 100 with big nasty 220-looking plugs on them.

But your stove/oven - now that's 220! So, in addition to my other warnings ...

Get a bucket of KFC ... just in case!

unknownghost

MMM KFC

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

I will start of by saying I have never seen a 110 dryer with a plug looking like a 220 but I would not be suprised. Check the breaker for the dryer if it is a double it is definitly 220V. If the cord is with heavy enough wire then it can be done safely. My workshop has a cord like this to run 220V from an outlet near the breaker box to the carport at the far end. Has been there for years with never a problem. It is quite heavy wire though. At least 8 ga solid. Just make sure that the ends are wired correctly or it could short out when the welder is plugged in.

ATX-Iroc

After doing more research on this i have found that the dryer plug is 20 amp and the welder is 19.5 and some say it will kick it off. the new plan is to switch the breaker to a 30 amp and run the wire through the walls to a new outlet in the garage. As far as dryers go all electric dryers are 220v and most of the gas ones are 110 and some houses like mine will have both outlets within reach.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Incorrect. Not all are 220v. I have a 110v dryer. Brought it from my apartment to my new house.

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iTrader: (14)

true, all full sized electric driers are 220, but eh smaller appt sized ones (that take a year to dry anything) are 110.

OP, if you dryer is in fact 220v and 20 amp, its rather uncommon. Every electric 220v dryer i have ever installed, or even seen, require a 30 amp circuit, using 10awg wire (4 conductor).

if you dryer is 20 amp, and only has 12awg wire feeding it, you CANNOT use a 30 amp breaker on it, its a code violation, and has the possibility, over time, to cause degradation of the device due to extra heat buildup in the line.

If there is 10 wire going to the dryer, and just happens to be on a 20 amp breaker, then you can swap it. There should be a NEMA number on the face if its 30 amp, and it will be larger, maybe 2.25 in diameter. If its just a regular outlet, single or duplex, it will be much smaller, about the size of every other outlet in the house, just with a different configuration.

as for a cord, you can make one to plug into the dryer outlet if you so desire, just make sure its at least 10 awg cord. Put the approtiate 220v female cap on for the welder, and just use a matching dryer cap on the other, hook up the ground, and 2 hots, and leave the 4th (neutral/white) connection empty. all will be well.

If you are going to tap off the existing outlet to add another in the garage, thats fine, but again, make sure the wire is the right size. If this is all 12ga, you again CANNOT just swap the breaker to a 30amp one.

I will be totally honest, you may never (probably wont ever) have a problem doing this, but there is a possibility you will (aside from code/legality issues). Honestly, i wouldnt want to add a fire risk to my home.

Any possibility of just running a new line from your panel to the garage? or is there an accessibility issue?

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Do I need to post a pic of my FULL SIZED dryer, that is 110v & its plug? Just because it was in an apartment, does not make it a smaller size.

It is a full sized dryer with a standard 110v plug on it. Nobody in their right mind would put run 220v to a standard 110v outlet. I have a 220v plug on the wall with the standard 220v plug pattern.

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iTrader: (14)

calm down.... I have never seen (or heard of) a fullsize dryer thats 110, and to be honest, it must take a really long time to dry anything, defiantly not he best thing going.

its not gas with a 110 cord is it?

Gisys

You need a 6 gauge wire at minimum. If your breaker is not a 2 Pole 50A breaker at a minimum I would not try it at all. I think your going to find you need to do some upgrading.

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iTrader: (14)

umm what? he said the welders rated load is 19.5 amps? 30 is all you need. this is a not a typical 220 stick welder.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Sorry. Just that I said I had one & then somebody says I don't...

It is full sized, 110v & I can easily do 3 loads in half a day. And it isn't gas at all. Only 1 plug (2 outlets) in that room. Washer & dryer plugged into each one. Both the standard 110v indoor plug that your TV/VCR/DVD player/clock radio has.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (14)

well, you do learn something new every day.

can you run the washer and dryer at the same time without tripping the breaker? i find this difficult to believe considering what i think the dryer would be drawing while its running? or not, who knows

Gisys

Missed that part^ But if your going to redo it! Re-do it better. Its eazyer to over kill one time then under kill a few.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

Yep. I've run the 1st load of wash, tossed it into the dryer, then tossed the next load in the washer. The washer does wash faster than the dryer dries, so I don't start the next wash load right away. Don't want the wet load sitting & waiting on the dryer. And I've never tripped the breaker.

ATX-Iroc

I like this, thats why I sprung for a 220v that causes me a little trouble getting set up rather than going for a 110 and one day finding out its not enough. On a side note whoever wired my house spells family FAMILI gotta love texas.

ASE doc

Ive run both a Lincoln 230AC/DC stick welder and a Miller 220v MIG using an extension cord that I made using 6 guage 3wire cable. As far as the differences in plug styles, there are a few different styles used on 220v appliances too. Doesn't mean the AC supply is any different. I would be sure that the supply is rated at 40 amps minimum to prevent heat failure of the breaker from extended use of the welder. Also, be aware that the longer the extension cord, the more stress is placed on the welder due to voltage drop over the cord. This will shorten your welder's duty cycle slightly. For most of us, this isn't a big issue since we don't weld continuously for more than several seconds at a time anyway.