Making a 220 extension cord

[cats_ass_racing]

i'm by no means an electrician, but a few people have suggested running an extension cord from wherei plug my house oven in out to the garage for a powder coating oven, just wondering how safe this was, and if there was a right and wrong way to do it, i dont have a clue even where tos art, i just dont want to burn the house down haha

[mikekozura]

First of all how far is it.

[autoshopowner]

There is no problem with voltage drop so long as you use the correct gauge wire. The correct gauge wire will be determined by the current (amps) and distance (length) you have to travel. Any good electrical supply house should be able to help you with the selection of the correct gauge wire you need. I use an extension cord to run a 220v welder. The cord is fifty feet long and I had to use 10 gauge stranded copper.

[cats_ass_racing]

i want to say a 40 foot extension cord would do the trick, may be a little too long, but better too long than too short

[autoshopowner]

You need to know the length and the current you want. You can get the current on the data plate on the oven (amps).

[itsallgood]

I know the thread is over a week old but does anyone know if there is an online calculation for what size wire for a specific feet run drawing a specified amount of amps?

I'm pulling 45amps, and want to know what size I need to run also, length will be determined by cost.

[autoshopowner]

I'll make a call in the morning and see if I can get that information for your (40 feet, 45 amps). The amps seems high, are your sure at 45 amps?

[JeffL]

It's not that costly to have someone come out & put a 220 line in.Gonna be a lot less hassle in the long run too.

[itsallgood]

I'm running 9900 watts...that converts to about 45 amps doesn't it, unless I calculated wrong. I guess I'm calling it an extension cord, but it would also be useful as what you need to hardwire if you were a ways from the breaker box.

Thanks for the help by the way...

[Banditperformance]

You will need #6AWG wire to do that correctly. 9900 watts is 41 amps@ 240V,(voltage varies between 220-240V in areas of the country) #8 is good for 45 amps, but you can only run breakers to 80% of rating, Fuses are 100%. EG, 50Amp breaker run at 40 amps. But, the wire size needs to be sized for the FULL breaker current. Therefore, According the the electrical code, #8 can not suffice the 50 amp rating of the breaker. You might be able to find a 45 amp breaker, I am not sure, but it should hold. Or run a 45A fuse. But, to be proper, a 50 amp breaker and #6AWG wire. You will also need a range plug, they are good for up to 50 amps. Dryer plugs are only rated for 30.