JayPSC

Looking at buying a welder & a few other tools to go in my workshop & it works out that they're much cheaper if they're three phase models, my question is can I get a 240v single to 415 three phase convertor for use in my workshop, anyone got any experience with them?

Jay

Chip Sengravy

you will need a whopper for a welder. Expect to pay a fortune

JayPSC

Yup thats what I gotta find out, there is a £1k difference between a 240v Tig & a 415v one so I want to know if it's just worth going 3phase. Then I can get myself a nice cheap plasma cutter too

Chip Sengravy

http://www.drivesdirect.co.uk/index.htm

mail this guy with the model and rating of the welder, he should point you in the right direction

JayPSC

Cheers man, found this too http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...&rd=1&tc=photo which would do the job.
Looking at about £1k anyway by looks of it so although with the welder it would work out about the same price, the fact that all future equipment would cost me a hell of a lot less may make it worhwhile. Now to hunt down a 2nd hand one lol.

Jay

mart360

leccy coming up your street is three phase, its how they manage to supply many homes at once..

you can run three phase from mains, but its the startup bit that sucks the juice hence the gizmo needed.. once running its fine..


M

Chip Sengravy

you can run 3 phase from mains if its 3 phase mains...his is single phase. He has one phase of the three that the board distibute. You cant just get a three phase pice of kit and connect 1 phase across the three phases..doesnt quite work like that

3 phase converters work by taking 1 phase, and chopping it into 3 different waveforms all 120 degrees apart, the three phase kit takes power between phases, not between a phase and neutral

GC8

Three phase cost a fortune to have installed in my fathers garage, over £1,000 in 1980! That was using second hand kit too.

Chip Sengravy

The cost of the kit is negligable compared to the costs of the Utility company that connect to the main feeder cable, which they used to do live, not sure if that is still the case. A 3 phase OFGEN approved 100A direct fed meter will set you back about £200, 4 core 35mm SWA cable is about £4 a metre, a three phase 12 way distribution board will only be about £200 at a guess. Its when the board get involved that your trousers get ripped off

powerman1

Bite the bullet and get the 3 phase supply,you will always be trying to solve the lack of supply if you decide to expand your collection of equpment and it may be impossible on your single phase incoming supply to meet your requirements due to load restrictions

powerman

David_Wallis

Kempi do some single phase inverter tigs that run of single phase.

My cebora 230a tig runs of a single phase supply and was 1800quid.

SIP do a single phase tig, but it needs a 60A supply!!

You can also get single phase plasmas!

Is this a home garage or a workshop?

I would like three phase for my garage too..

David

darren...

Bear in mind that the reason the electricity board don't give three phase to domestic properties is the potential difference between the phases (all 240V but as Mr Sengravy said 120 degree's out of sync).

If you want the works then it's three phase, neutral and earth - but bear in mind they won't have installed a 5 core cable when they wired the house so they are probably going to have to dig up the drive...

HTH

JayPSC

Pretty much decided I'm gonna go the converter route. Although I'm gonna be buying more bits of kit in the future I'm not gonna be using more than one at a time so not too worried about lack of supply.
This is for my home garage btw
A new 160amp 240v TIG from local welding shop is gonna be £1500 (which is pretty much the lowest price I'll get one) whereas they have a refurb 200amp 3phase unit for £500, convertor pays for itself straight away & all future toys are cheaper.
Also if I ever move the convertor can come with me so getting 3phase installed looks less attractive.

4X4BOB

I got 3 phase in my workshop twas there when I moved in.

I dont use it though, just using a single phase.