So I was really excited to buy my first welder last week. I bought the Lincoln electric 225 ac stick welder. I had wrongly assumed that it would just plug into my dryer outlet without any issues. Well that didnt happen. I did some research and found out that the male end on the welder power cord is nema 6-50. The female socket on the wall is nema 14-30. Yes, I realize the welder is for 50A and the dryer plug is rated at 30A. I read a good bit online and it seemed to me that the general consensus is that most people will never run their welder at much more than half power, and that it's not a problem to run it on a 30A circuit. My question is.... If this is safe (as I believe it would be) how can I adapt and match the two together? Any help would be appreciated.

The first pic is of the male welder plug. The second is of the male dryer plug showing the pattern in the wall socket. Can I buy a dryer pigtail adapter to make this work? Thanks a lot guys!

 

Just change the wall outlet plug out unless you use that outlet for your dryer too. And I would recommend changing the breaker to 50A if you over load the circuit you can melt something also the wires going from the box to the plug might not be able to handle that kinda load. Your going to want to have atleast 12 wire to feed that 50A welder outlet

 

Please consult an electrician in your area. DO NOT change the breaker to your dryer to 50a, the wire feeding your dryer is #10 and rated for 30a...that is how fires start. You will need #6 wire in order to run 50a, not #12 as stated above (#12 is rated for 20a) Also, that receptacle should cost less than $15. Trying to rig you electric to make it work is not worth loosing your home.

 

Yeah you swap the outlet and put a 50amp breaker in you will burn up the wire and possibly cause a fire. As was said you need 6awg for 50 amp.

 

I second this entire statement. If you need to see what I do for a living take a look at my profile. 12 gauge wire is only 20 amp rated. Your dryer will have 10 gauge wire for the 30 amps it requires. If there is room in the load center to add. 2p 50 breaker and the load center is in or close to your garage then it's not a big job. Add the breaker and the proper welder rec. you will thank us later.
This will cost you penny's. You might even get lucky and find a fellow Jeeper / Electrician that can help you out or swap you for some weld time

 

Consult a licensed and insured electrician.