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adding a circuit breaker

Someone please help. I want to install a 40 amp double pole breaker and run the line ( 8/3 ) to the receptacle for a 225 amp stick welder. The 8/3 line has a black and a red ( Hot, correct? ) and 2 groups of bare wires ( one has

3, the other has 4 wires...neutral and ground? If so, which one goes to the neutral and ground bus bar? ) Also, does it matter which pole gets the red or black? At the other end, the receptacle has 3 provisions...one is marked AL ( copper colored ), one is CU ( silver colored ) the other one green. Which wire goes where?? I'm still left with another group of bare wires...and I'm sure somebody will tell me just where to stick them! :) Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks..John
Reply to
John
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Looks like this setup is same as my 220v table saw. You only need 8/2, not

8/3.

Breaker box side

-black to breaker, pick a slot

-red to breaker, the other slot

-bare to ground bar

Outlet I am assuming that this is the correct outlet, rated for the draw (Amps) and is correct for your equipment. black to AL red to CU bare to green

You can leave your extra wire unused. There is no neutral in your setup, just 2 hots and a ground.

Anyone have anything else to add?

Reply to
No

Is it possible that this is 8/2 cable, and all the bare stuff is one bundle of 7 bare wires? In which case it's ground and there's no neutral. This would be normal for most welders, which are 240V only so they don't need a neutral.

It would be weird if one were really a bare neutral, since neutral should be insulated in white right up to its connections.

No.

My guess is that "Al" and "Cu" aren't markings for each screw, but that the outlet is marked Al/Cu indicating that Aluminum or Copper wires are acceptable, on all screws.

The green screw is ground, that's easy. If the outlet is for 240, usually the screws are marked X and Y, and it doesn't matter which gets red and which gets black. When screws are coloured, the copper or gold one is hot and the silver or grey one is neutral, but that's for 120V outlets. Try to find your receptacle pattern in the chart at

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and tell us which one it is. I think it *ought* to be 6-50R, or maybe 6-30R.

Chip C Toronto

Reply to
Chip C

i just wired up my new 240v compressor, and the 6-50 plug i got at home depot did have 2 different colored screw attachments for the 2 hots.

Reply to
Charles Spitzer

I think he's just reading the outlet wrong. The CU-Al means it's for copper or aluminum wire. The bare wire goes on the green and the other two don't matter. Like you said, he doesn't have a neutral, so he only needs three wires

Reply to
RBM

Reply to
John

John, I think your two bundles of bare wire may have been one bundle that came apart. Your description is a three wire cable. Twist all the bare wires together and connect them to the green terminal on the outlet. Connect the red and black wires to the other terminals in any order. In the panel, connect the bare wire to the ground or ground/neutral bar and the red and blacks to your 40 amp breaker

Reply to
RBM

According to RBM :

Right, "CU-AL" is a rating designation for the _whole_ receptacle.

The fact that the terminals are two different colours, however, suggest that perhaps he's using a 120V socket instead of 240V. The colours suggest that it matters which way around the wire goes, much like you get different colours on 120V outlets. With 240V, it don't matter.

Reply to
Chris Lewis

Reply to
Don Young

I would agree that 8/2 Romex would be a better choice, but there is no code violation in using it as a 240 volt with ground feeder. Only on a service entrance can you have a non insulated neutral, but in his case, he has no neutral only the two ungrounded conductors and a ground

Reply to
RBM

A piece of advice my friend, If an electrical supply counterman was an electrician, he wouldn't be standing behind a counter

Reply to
RBM

I'd place more confidence in the local electrical supply house. Go ask the counter man there. Internet people, well, you'll get some screwey answers. And then you'll get a bunch of flamers telling each other they are wrong.

Want to risk your life and house based on what some anonymous writer says? Not me!

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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