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220 wiring question.

68EFIvert

68EFIvert

Well-Known Member
I just got my new plasma cutter today and was excited to try it out until I came across a problem with the wiring with my new house. I had the wire it for 220 at two points in the garage in anticipation of a lift, welder and plasma cutter.

The plug on the wall is very different. It has 4 wires and the pc only has 3. I know i will need to switch out the plug on one side but I have no idea what type of plug a lift needs. Can you guys give me some guidance?
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The plug on your PC is a two pole/grounding straight blade 220v/50a plug. Your receptacle is a three pole/grounding straight blade 220v/50a plug. You should find the earth ground in you wall receptacle is hooked to one of the blades, hence the fourth hole. On the two pole receptacle the earth ground goes to the body of the assembly.

Here's a decent little (illustrated) article on how to wire up the proper plug you need:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4830953_wire-outlet-v-welder.html
 
Thanks for the help and link. Just what I was looking for. The other question is what type of plug is normally on a lift? I think I will rewire both plugs to the 3 prong style so I can use the welder or plasma cutter at either spot. On second thought I think I will call the builder and see if he can send the electrician back over to swap out the plugs. :confu
 
"RyanG85" said:
I hard wired my lifts straight to the fuse panel in conduit.
Click to expand...

That's not good and not to code in many States. You need a separate breaker or plug that can be pulled so that the motor can be worked upon independent of the fuse panel.
 
Each one does have its own breaker. Just saying I've never seen one with a plug unless its a portable unit.
 
I just got off the phone with Bendpak and they said that they can be hard wired (most common way) or with a plug. It did not matter what kind of 220 plug. I guess I will rewire my outlets so that they will work with my welder/plasma and then attach the same plug on my lift when I get one. Thanks for the help guys!
 
"68EFIvert" said:
I just got off the phone with Bendpak and they said that they can be hard wired (most common way) or with a plug. It did not matter what kind of 220 plug. I guess I will rewire my outlets so that they will work with my welder/plasma and then attach the same plug on my lift when I get one. Thanks for the help guys!
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good plan.
 
"Midlife" said:
That's not good and not to code in many States. You need a separate breaker or plug that can be pulled so that the motor can be worked upon independent of the fuse panel.
Click to expand...

If the breaker panel is in the same room as the lift, then it qualifies under NEC as the disconnect.
 
In the long run if you will be swapping the plugs enough, twist-lock plugs would be my preferred choice. I have a drop coming out of my ceiling w/a strain relief (aka chinese fingers) and a twist-lock setup on my lift.

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Re: Re: 220 wiring question.

"apollard" said:
If the breaker panel is in the same room as the lift, then it qualifies under NEC as the disconnect.
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While I'm not disagreeing with you, being that is by far a safer way especially if the breaker panel is in another location. But does this NEC code apply to both residential and commercial establishments?

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Re: Re: 220 wiring question.

"Grabber70Mach" said:
While I'm not disagreeing with you, being that is by far a safer way especially if the breaker panel is in another location. But does this NEC code apply to both residential and commercial establishments?

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Click to expand...

Yes, although there are sections that only apply to one or another. FWIW, not every motor requires a local disconect in commerical service. For example, it is common (and allowed) in manufacturing to have lockable disconnects in a common Motor Control Center. No disconnect at the device. This is allowed under commercial / industrial code, but not residential. However residential code does not require lockable devices, as does commerical (for new installs).

However, I'm not aware of an exemption for residential service - it either has to have a disconnect in the same room, or be a cord and plug connection (which is it's own disconnect). Hence the disconnect out by the A/C unit at your house.

While I'm a licensed general contractor and also work in Safety for industry, I'm not a National Electrical Code expert, so there may be exclusions. Also, states often have thier own electrical requirements you should check.
 
Re: Re: Re: 220 wiring question.

"apollard" said:
Yes, although there are sections that only apply to one or another. FWIW, not every motor requires a local disconect in commerical service. For example, it is common (and allowed) in manufacturing to have lockable disconnects in a common Motor Control Center. No disconnect at the device. This is allowed under commercial / industrial code, but not residential. However residential code does not require lockable devices, as does commerical (for new installs).

However, I'm not aware of an exemption for residential service - it either has to have a disconnect in the same room, or be a cord and plug connection (which is it's own disconnect). Hence the disconnect out by the A/C unit at your house.

While I'm a licensed general contractor and also work in Safety for industry, I'm not a National Electrical Code expert, so there may be exclusions. Also, states often have thier own electrical requirements you should check.
Click to expand...

Thanks I know my shop is within the regulations of our local NEC codes, when I built it, I also wired it and had to get it inspected to get my U&O. I work for the USPS in machine maintenance and understand the disconnect at the motor, just wasn't sure if it applied in a residential application. The NEC book has alot of information to commit to memory. OSHA came in about 4 years ago and made us retrofit lockout capable disconnects at the head end
of the conveyors.
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