A friend of my fathers is getting rid of some of his workshop equipment and has offered my dad a tig welder but its 3 phase 400v input.
anyone know whats involved in get a 3 phase supply?

Two options:

1) Contact your supplier to get them to install a 3phase supply.
Expensive.

2) Buy a single to three phase converter( a box full of big coils and capacitors).
Also expensive.

Conclusion;

[Edited on 21/2/06 by Confused but excited.]

Instant Death if you mess with it.
I think its not available on a domestic supply as only one phase comes up your garden path.

Check the data plate, some 3 phase tigs, will run off a single phase supply, they need a fair few amps though, i.e a dedicated supply from the fuse board, possibly 60amps or so. if it's over 200amps (output) it will be unlikely to operate using single phase.
Three phase is usually prohibitively expensive to get installed in domestic premises.
My lathe and drill are both 3 phase, and run from a home made rotary converter, AFAIK these are not suitable for use with welders.

[Edited on 21/2/06 by Wadders]

I had 3 phase put in my (detached) garage. I was told at the time that they wouldn't put 3-phase into a residential address.

Before you look at single>3 phase converters, check the input current on the welder. You'll be drawing 3 times the 3-phase current on a single phase line. You may find your wiring/breakers/fuses aren't up to the job.

3phase convertorsa and welders are a definite no no
though most so called 3 phase welders are in fact 2 phase, and a lot of these have tappings inside to allow them to run off single... be warned though, a normal domestic supply will struggle

Thanks guys,
I think ill tell my dad to give it a miss.

many 3 phase 380/400systems also work on 3phase 220/230volts...

And as far as i am aware of 3phase 230volts is available in dominestic places..


Tks

I think some may be a little confused as to what 3 phase is and what power is provides so I will give a quick outline.

The normal 230v ish supply we have in our homes is single phase, the 230v is messured from the live or phase to the neutral which in many homes is also the earth. The live can be from any one of the three phases that are wired round in the local power grid. For example one side of a street could be on a differnt phase to the opposite side but they would both have a 230v supply.

A three phase supply means that a property has all three phases feed to it and then a voltage of 415v ish can be messured accros any 2 of the 3 phases.

The good thing about three phase is that the wave forms on the three phases overlat so you get a much smother supply which is good for motors and I guess welders and such like.

Move to Sweden, they all have 3 phase in the houses!!

John