Welder extension cord question
Welder extension cord question I have a used hobart 180 mig welder. I am making an 8gauge 25ft. extension cord with a dryer adapter and would like to know if it makes a difference which way the hots are wired in the dryer plug I am adding to the cord. The orginal owner changed the welder cord and I cannot tell which hot is which.
dryer plug
L L
red\ black/ or black\ red/
does it matter?
Also, in my panel the grounds and neutrals share two sides of the panel. If the welder uses a ground, then when I attach the extension cord ground to the outlet, will it be grounded or energized with the neutral? I suspect it will be okay.
dryer plug
L L
red\ black/ or black\ red/
does it matter?
Also, in my panel the grounds and neutrals share two sides of the panel. If the welder uses a ground, then when I attach the extension cord ground to the outlet, will it be grounded or energized with the neutral? I suspect it will be okay.
Last edited by shep28; Aug 13, 2009 at 12:27 AM. Reason: info
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,148
Likes: 12
From: Downers Grove, IL
Well I`m a bit confused with the drawing so hopefully this is the answer you are looking for.
The 2 hot wires don`t matter as far as order. they each carry 120v between them and ground/neutral, or if you measure between them its 240v because they are on opposite phases.
In theory ground and neutral are different, in common household practice they are essentially the same. In the panel there should be a ground bar and a seperate neutral bar. The ground bar ties all the grounds together and then to a ground rod/water pipe. The neutral ties all of the neutrals together and to the neutral line coming in, and also through the pipe/panel it is tied to the ground bar. If your welder has 3 wires coming out of it it is the standard 2 hot wires and a neutral. If it is a newer welder it may have 4 wires, which would be 2 hots, a neutral and a ground, which would mean you should be using a 4 wire cord/plug.
The 2 hot wires don`t matter as far as order. they each carry 120v between them and ground/neutral, or if you measure between them its 240v because they are on opposite phases.
In theory ground and neutral are different, in common household practice they are essentially the same. In the panel there should be a ground bar and a seperate neutral bar. The ground bar ties all the grounds together and then to a ground rod/water pipe. The neutral ties all of the neutrals together and to the neutral line coming in, and also through the pipe/panel it is tied to the ground bar. If your welder has 3 wires coming out of it it is the standard 2 hot wires and a neutral. If it is a newer welder it may have 4 wires, which would be 2 hots, a neutral and a ground, which would mean you should be using a 4 wire cord/plug.
My house is older and the panel has two neutral sides that are connected to one another and no ground bus. On each neutral bus/side, grounds and neutrals share the bus. I do see a 4guage solid wire attached to one of the neutral sides and it enters the house outside the panel. There is no obvious ground rod outside, so I need to see if it is attached to the main water line. I had an electrician install a new grounded circuit a while back and when I uses a circuit tester on the new 110 outlets, it indicated that they were grounded. I just do not understand how a something can be grounded and neutral at the same time.
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Kinda hard to explain. On a 110 circuit the neutral is a current carrying conductor. Hence it's insulated. On a 220 v circuit the hots are out of phase with each other so you need 2 hots and a ground.The current gets returned on the other hot. The ground technically carries no electricity " unless something goes wrong." Connecting a neutral and a ground to the same place will work, it's just not up to code anymore. "At least on a main panel in PA, the grounds and neutrals are tied together. If you have a sub panel they have to be seperate." Remember, you only have 3 wires coming into your house. Hope this helps. Kinda confusing??
