OT: 230v welder wiring, using a dryer circuit Options

[bondo]

I just got a millermatic 175 welder. 230v, 19.5 amps. I'm going to make an extension cord for it and was wondering what guage wire I should use. Is 12ga enough? (going about 30 feet, just enough to get all the way around the garage, and into the driveway a bit)


Also, the dryer outlet is neutral grounded. Should I use it as is or add a second outlet with a real ground?

[Series9]

QUOTE (bondo @ Mar 23 2005, 04:34 PM)

Hmm, here is my understanding of neutral grounding... The dryer has 2 circuits.. elements run on 230, timing stuff runs on 115. To get both it needs 2 hots and a neutral. In order to avoid running a 4th wire, they just run the neutral to the case of the dryer and call it a ground. You can't use the ground as a neutral, but I guess you can use the neutral as a ground. (using the ground as a neutral where the ground is connected to plumbing would cause your pipes to rust to pieces) The welder only has 3 wires on it.. I would think that all of the welder would run on 230v, and the thrid would exclusively be a ground for safety. (unlike the dryer) So what I'm really asking is: Is the neutral ground close enough to a regular ground, or should I add a second plug by my dryer that uses a regular ground? (the second plug could cause problems because it would then be possible to run the dryer and the welder at the same time... I might have to add a DPDT switch.. then it starts getting expensive)

The three wires are hot 110v, hot 110v and neutral. 220 is the addition of the 2 110s.