Welder supply

[Soulsurfer]

I need to run in a new feed for some welding machines, a mig, tig inverter, some pretty meaty grinders etc.. for a friend who owns an engineering company and wants some kit in his garage at home to play late with !

I'm trying to find reference to whether rcd protection will be a nuisance tripping affair with the welding kit or high inrush currents. Anybody got any experience on welders ? Is a C or K type MCB and hardwired set up more logical ?

Thanks.

 

[davesparks]

What makes you think that these pieces of equipment would need RCD protection?

Have you got some sort of obsession with fitting RCDs on everything???


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[Soulsurfer]

Safety is my only concern, but clearly you really like having a dig at me don't you !

 

[davesparks]

Fitting an RCD doesn't automatically make something safe, it will only have a benefit if used in the correct situations.

I have no particular interest in having a dig at you, but the questions you have asked to date have led to me forming an opinion about your knowledge and ability.


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[davesparks]

How will the items be connected? What are their power requirements? What make and model are they? Are they 1, 2 or 3 phase?


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[Soulsurfer]

We are not all infinitely knowledgeable but I am very thorough as I want to get it right first time and do not pretend to know everything on what is a very diverse field such as electrical works. I am trying to learn by asking sometimes from more experienced electricians so that I can better myself and gain valuable knowledge. I understand that in some peoples book that makes me to them not an electrician to their standards but nobody has to help / offer advice or input, they are free to not reply.

 

[Soulsurfer]

I have not seen or gleaned any info as yet on the load, as house has just been bought and is undergoing stripping out of decor and some services therefore I have offered to do an EICR on the services and then will newly re-wire as appropriate to the garage for the welder and other items which are just plug top apparently, only the welder he tells me has a blue commando plug attached. They are all single phase items is all I know so far.

 

[davesparks]

I have not seen or gleaned any info as yet on the load, as house has just been bought and is undergoing stripping out of decor and some services therefore I have offered to do an EICR on the services and then will newly re-wire as appropriate to the garage for the welder and other items which are just plug top apparently, only the welder he tells me has a blue commando plug attached. They are all single phase items is all I know so far.

I thought from your OP that they were going to be big machines in a commercial garage rather than little home stuff.

If it's all on 13A plugs then you don't have any choice out installing RCD protection and it's fair to assume that the machine will have been designed to comply with product standards to limit earth leakage.

What size commando plug?

 

[Richard Burns]

Single phase motors that are heavy duty can have a significant inrush current as they start so probably planning for a C type MCB might be a good idea, though it is very much always best to know what you are providing power for in advance so that it is not too over engineered and money is not wasted on the install.
Depending on the welders wiring set up and the building construction it is possible that DC current may be introduced into the installation so possibly a "B" or "A" type RCD may be more appropriate to be able to detect these currents. I do not think there should be a significant leakage problem with this equipment on the a.c. side of things.
However in general for a domestic type setup the majority of kit will be OK with a basic circuit design, but it does depend a lot on the type of equipment being installed.

 

[snowhead]

Ive got Stick, Mig, Tig, Plasma cutter air compressor and more all on single phase Rcbos, at home and have no issues with tripping.

Bear in mind when you look at the supply size required that although the total max demand might be large, the owner will only ever use 1 piece of equipment at any one time.

 

[ruston]

That is exactly right. My mate has every conceivable piece of equipment in his large workshop/shed. thicknessers, bandsaws, mig, tig, linishers,compressor, grinders, the lot really, and four years down the line none have tripped yet.
He is the only one that uses the though.

 

[fall-apart-dave]

At the risk of sounding helpful...

My mig welder, tig welder, compressors, grinders, recip saw and power sanders dont trip anything on my home domestic single phase so I wouldn't worry. If he gets nuisance tripping then look at what to change. Do you happen to have a comprehensive list of kit he wants in there? I'm with you on asking to get things right first time, but then some folk don't subscribe to that and prefer to patronise. All that achieves is putting folk off asking abd potentially causes them to make a mistake that could have been avoided. Best to ask IMO but you won't have worries from the RCD if the kit is working properly and is designed with domestic use in mind.

 

[ruston]

Just one thing I would suggest, as there will likely be rotating machinery I would fit Em lighting incase the power does go off.

 

[stevethesparks]

Just one thing I would suggest, as there will likely be rotating machinery I would fit Em lighting incase the power does go off.

And if necessary high frequency light fittings.

 

[telectrix]

and emergency stop/s.