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Wiring welder to Panel (Tigwave 250)? Neutral or ground?

upthebikes

Cast Iron
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Location
Great Lakes USA
Recently got a great deal on a Hobart Tigwave 250 and Bernard Chiller set-up. I’m moving some stuff around and it is time to wire up a dedicated circuit for this.

200 amp single phase service at my main panel. Going to swap the 50 amp breaker (two red 6 awg wires in lower left) to 100 amp and run 4 awg and run new conduit to a different location 25 ft away to a 100 amp disconnect and then hard wire welder to disconnect.

In the panel box appears i have 2 hots and a neutral coming into the main lugs, and then a grounded lug in the lower left portion of the box.

Do I run a ground from the neutral bars to the ground lug in the disconnect? Or since the panel appears grounded separately (none of the 220 breakers are grounded to the neutral bars), do I add a new ground lug directly to the panel for the welder? Thanks.
 

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Only place neutral and SAFETY GROUND touch are at meter service entry.

Generally you pull hots plus neutral and ground to the equipment with neutral optional depending on need but you mentioned you are running to a disconnect so cost of wire cheap and labor now free as you are pulling anyway.

You can pull to a subpanel to allow fan out from there for additional things later.

The safety ground can be pulled and may be downsized in certian conditions and if conduit used or steel structure then possibly not needed but that is purely dependent on your building and local rules.

Best bet there is to visit your local building department and seek the advise of the local inspector.

Have with you the data sheet for the machine as well as a drawing showing what you are trying to do.

They should give you good guidance and get you correct information.

If notes are needed have them make them on your drawing and keep it.



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Steel building. I can see the grounding wire mated to a beam at the other end of the shop. Essentially what i’m asking is do I ground somewhere between the disconnect and main panel at all? I’m used to subpanels that have their own grounding busbar. This panel has the service neutral connected to the neutral busbar. Are you saying there is a chance that no grounding will run between the panel and my disconnect, just the two hots? There was an existing 50amp receptacle plug in place wired to the breaker, and there was no separate grounding wire in that box from the panel. The ground in the outlet was simply tied to the metal casing of the outlet box itself.
 
standard 50 amp welder plug has the 2 hots and a ground.
now to the sub panel well you run 4 wires 2 hots ground and a neural.
in your book that should have come with the welder there will be
wiring directions
 
Steel building. I can see the grounding wire mated to a beam at the other end of the shop. Essentially what i’m asking is do I ground somewhere between the disconnect and main panel at all? I’m used to subpanels that have their own grounding busbar. This panel has the service neutral connected to the neutral busbar. Are you saying there is a chance that no grounding will run between the panel and my disconnect, just the two hots? There was an existing 50amp receptacle plug in place wired to the breaker, and there was no separate grounding wire in that box from the panel. The ground in the outlet was simply tied to the metal casing of the outlet box itself.
Yes no and maybe...

When we wired our home shop we did lots of homework and "conduit ground" is a valid path but it needs to be done correctly and be tested.

Being a steel building with galvanized or plated steel that likely will not have any issues we used that for our building still a couple have a ground wire.

All outlets have a ground wire from interface to frame as needed.

But this is my personal space.

For any commercial space always get confirmation from local enforcement folks so you are sure you are good.

What you find may have been good and things could have changed or never legal.

Check to be sure as it costs nothing to ask and they may save you some as they may have a better idea.

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