We will be looking for a dwelling with a garage or barn which will support my new hobby of welding.
My machine requires 220V 60 Amp mains. Will this level of service be readily available?
Will I be able to sell my services to locals without business permits and licensing?
Thanks, Jim
For a domestic setting thatâll be unlikely. 36kVA is the highest offered by my provider but meant properties only have a supply rated to 9 or 12kVA.
No. Speak to your local Chambre de MĂ©tiers who will be able to set you on the right path.
Good luck!
If your machine can work on 3 phase not a problem, of course the house has to have 3 phase.
I think the highest KvA on single phase today in France is 12kvA = 60A, but there are still some exceptions in old houses before EDF changed their contracts,but these are being phased out. This will not be suitable as you have to run the household appliances too.
The highest for domestic use with 3 phase is 36kvA = 60A on each phase, I very much doubt youâll need 60A on each phase for a welder.
If you are going to be selling your wares then you will need a Visa/CDS that allows working, even if it is just a hobby.
Thank you all, _Brian, Wozza, and P4PSB, for your well informed and pertinent comments.
There are welders now built on newer technology that can do well with much lower power requirements. Perhaps I will be able to barter for vegetables and eggs with my agricultural neighbors. Farmers always need something welded.
Iâm just beginning this adventure and itâs great to know that I have you and many others to diminish my ignorance. Regards, Jim
Indeed. The black economy is alive and well in France! The problem for we immigrants is that if weâre discovered ânot playing by the rulesâ then the consequences can be very serious.
Go and talk to your local Chambre De MĂ©tiers. Iâve found them to be very helpful, and if they decide you meet their criteria (perhaps you can show them examples of work youâve done in the UK?) then they will help you every step of the way.
That seems ⊠a lot for a âhobbyâ welder.
But Iâm wondering if you have interpreted the rating correctly - a â240V 60A welderâ would normally be one which runs on 240V and outputs 60A, but at much lower voltage - so the input current is nothing like 60A, usually they use a standard mains connector.
Hi billy, youâre very astute to have spotted that. Part of my hobby is buying broken machines and restoring them. I bought this one âas-isâ for practically nothing, but now that itâs working itâs not only more valuable, but it gets me into a machine that is way over my normal budget. Itâs a combo MIG/TIG with over 200 Amps output. Alas, judging from what I have learned in this thread, itâs probably going to go on the market and spend the rest of itâs life here in the states. But I have other hobbies to occupy my time, amateur radio, computer repair and maintenance and networking to name a few. I just turned 83 so welding may be a bit much at this point in life anyway. Regards, Jim
You poor old soul, all of 6 months ahead of me.
Welcome anyway, Jimmy, sorry no help with the welding though. 
Thanks David. At least Iâm glad to know that the French donât bar you because of age 
Serious kit - always wish Iâd learned to weld properly, I suspect 83 is a perfect time of life to learn/hone your skills if you are in good health.
Do you know the model?
In France itâs 230V but to be fair +/- 10% & 3 phase is 400V
Here is a link to the spec sheet. Mineâs not this pretty, in fact itâs downright ugly but it works and I got it for $100. But I have decided that itâs not coming with me. Even if I found a place with 3Ă power, a 3Ă to 1Ă conversion transformer would cost an arm and a leg not to mention the shipping cost. (You can get VFDâs variable frequency drives , in a reasonable price range, that will convert single phase to three but I donât think you can do it the other way round)
I learnt to (gas) weld in my first year in art school over fifty years ago. Iâll always remember the first lesson because shortly after our American tutor told us never try to light a cigarette with a welding torchâ in walked a grubby little man in a tweed Norfolk jacket and matching plus twos. He pulled out of his pocket a half-smoked Park Drive and âŠyou can probably guess the rest - he was the other sculptor tutorâŠ
If such people still exit, I imagine theyâre hidden from view when government inspections occur.
Wow, thatâs one serious piece of kit 
However, even this beast does not need 60A from the wall socket - it needs a supply rated at 230V/30A
From the ownerâs manual:
although it looks as though there is a slightly higher peak draw needed for reliable arc start.
Thus, if you did bring it over, it should be OK on a dedicated 32A circuit which is well within the bounds of a 12kVA French domestic supply.
You can even fit a plug and socket for it.
Thanks billy, when I said 60Amps I was thinking of an old Lincoln stick welder I have. (which is definitely not coming along)
They were the beasts of old.
And probably caused many a hernia!
