Hello, could be I'm asking a stupid question here, but I will try it anyway. Are 115 Volt TIG welder powerful enough? I only would use it for welding steel (Frames, body). Not planning on welding Aluminum or SS. Or should I invest the money and let some Electrician install 220V in my garage? I never used 115 Volt welders before, as I am from the other side of the Atlantic (I know, you can read it). Thank you guys for all your help and input!
get the 220v installed. in my home shop, the 220 gets more use than the 110, only lites, and hand tools, radio on 110.
If you have a clothes drier you have 220. Get a 220 cord from home depot or lowes at the length you need to run that **** to the garage or back yard. Get the 220. You will regret not getting it when you have to make 3 p***es to weld a frame or something besides sheetmetal. That is all a 115 is good for is sheetmetal, and it's not great at that!!
Go 220. Anything less and it will be as regretful as paying for a cheap ******, yeah you got something for your money, but that something is not good.
Thank you guys for the info. I was thinking of running a extension cord from my dryer to the garage. Hope I'm not frying the fuses. By the way, never tried a cheap ****** either
Just a FWIW on the dryer cord extension idea: My TIG takes a 50 amp circuit. Most dryers are 30 amp. Buy a fire extinguisher. Have the local fire dept. on speed dial. Or do it right. Cosmo
Thank you cosmo. As I wrote before, I'm afraid of blowing a fuse, or as you write, burning the house down. The electrical installations are a bit "strange" in my house, but I'm not a Electrician, so what do I know? The Electrical connection between the house and the garage looks "homemade" too. Looks like, I will need to invest my TIG welder fund into an certified Electrician first.
go 220 you wont regret it and any run of an extension cord off your drier plug results in an amp drop anyways, so why bother. love my 220
You don't need a certified electrician. If you can work on cars, you can probably wire in 220 to your garage. Remember, 220 will handle twice the wattage as 110 so the wire sizes are usually minimal for welder. Pull a permit, and wire it yourself. the local inspector won't let you screw up, and will probably be helpfull. Allthough, it may be like going to the DMV. It depends on who you get. Good luck!
Thank's again for all your input. Yes, could run the wires by myself. Did that before, but not in North America. Not sure how the laws here for that, Canada is a bit "over lawed" when it comes to Electrical, had a few run ins with CSA approval for the equipment I'm selling.
Go with the 115 unit. BUT you need to get a 220 volt welder as well. You don't try to do all your wrenching with a Crescent wrench do you? You need a specific tool for the right job. I have both and use the one that is best suited for the job at hand. 115 for the light stuf and the 220 for the heavy-duty jobs. Just makes sence.
110 TIG, I wouldn't think to use that on a frame. Most all I've seen are scratch start. Haven't used one ever. Never going to go wrong adding a 220 line. I have plenty of 220 extension cords here and never had a problem. Worked with some in different plants that were well over 100 feet long.
I am no expert welder by any means, I havent even had a formal cl***.... so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I have a 130 amp Mig Clarke welder 120v and it can weld 3/16th in one p*** on high, with flux core .035 for penetration on a slow wire speed. I have had really great results and not a single weld break yet (6 months or so of use) I did however buy a 220 stick welder with HF box and strike tig and love it. I use the 220 for suspension parts. So with that being said, if all your looking to do is weld non life safety items that 115v could do the job. But like Arieldouglas said, there is always a tool for the job.
some tig welders i believe mostly millers have both a 110 and a 220 you just change plugs so you could get it and use if on 110 and save some money before adding 220 outlets
Most of the new Millers are auto line sensing meaning they will work with 110 or 220. I think they even come with a pigtail now to switch between the two. I always tell people to buy more welder than you think you will ever need because you will always have that 1 project that needs more.
Hello "oldcarfart". You're right. First I call CP 24 news that everybody can see it and them Mike Holmes. He would be alright with the renovation, he is havin two 32 Ford Roadsters himself.
Go 220 and 60 amps ,You can buy a arc or a good mig or both,I have a 110 mig for sheetmetal and use the arc for frames,Always wanted to try tig,But probably never will.
Im just old fashioned .Can you stick weld.I dont know enough about tigs ,But for frame work I dont think The penetration would be there .
Oh come on,it depends on good penetration.....as it pertains to welding.I have used a 115 welder,and while not a 220,it has got the job done.If you have a choice,go 220.
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