More on the 3 Plate, Plain Water Electrolyzer

See update: Results at the bottom of this article.

Having had some enquiries on how to build one of these units, thought I would show how to do one from scratch, gathered all the parts first then drilled the plates and assembled it. Took less than 3 hours to do it. Full instructions are on Eddie's site ( http://eddie-batista.dyndns.org/ ) and E-Book...... You have to read it first to understand the concept behind it all.

Caution!

If you decide to construct this electrolyzer, it is entirely at your own risk and peril. This device is not a play thing or toy. It is your responsibility to make sure that all safety precautions are followed . Neither the designer of this electrolyzer or author of this document will be liable should you suffer any loss or damage by your own actions.

Play Safe Always!

Items needed are shown above...

3 - 404 SS 16 gauge plates, 18 gauge would be OK as well ($8.48 Metal Supermarkets)
13 - 1/4-20 SS hex nuts ($6.22)
2 - 1/4-20 X 3 inch SS screws ($ 3.00)
2 - 1/4-20 X 2 inch Nylon screws with Nylon nuts to match ( $2.75)
1 - Straight barbed coupling or elbow to fit 3/8 inch plastic tubing ($0.79)
4 - 1/4 inch ID Rubber Grommets ($2.99 for pkg of assorted)
1 - 3/8 inch ID Rubber Grommet
8 - 1/4-20 1/16 thick Nylon Washers ( $ 0.56 for pkg of 25)
1 - 7/8 inch Rubber Stopper ($0.77)

Total above parts cost $25.82

Pictured above are the 3 404 SS plates which are 3.5 inches wide and 7.5 inches tall. First the 3 plates were drilled on one upper corner with a 1/4 inch drill, all 3 plates being drilled at the same time held together with a pair of visegrips. Next, the positive plates were aligned with a 1/4-20 screw inserted through the drilled hole, the negative plate was placed between the positive plates and offset by 3/4 inch. Again vicegrips were used to clamp all three together. A vise would have been better to hold all in place, but I do not have a vise, since moving into an apartment.

This is a side view of the plates assembled.


Another view showing the 3/4 inch offset.

View of plate assembly.



This is the 10 liter (2.64 US gallon) container that I got for 99 cents from a Bulk Food Store
complete with rubber O-Ring that makes it air tight.


This shows the plate assembly mounted in the container. The rubber grommets are placed
on the inside and outside of the container with GE Silicone Seal applied to the screws and the
grommets on both sides. The outside nut is tightened until the grommets are compressed to the sides of the container. .. another nut is then jammed against the first one by using 2 7/16 wrenches. The last 2 nuts are screwed on the terminal created thus to hook up the 12 volt power from the battery or whatever. The positive terminal (2 plates) is on the right and the negative terminal is on the left. Mark them as + (for positive) and - (for negative) on the outside of the container.
The container is filled with plain tap water so that the water reaches to a point 1 1/2 inches below the top of the plates.



This is the installation in the back of my van, container with lid on showing the 3/8 vinyl tubing
leaving the nylon elbow and the 7/8 rubber stopper in the inspection hole.
The negative battery lead is visible, going to the - terminal.

Results ! September 1, 2009

My average for city driving is 17.97 MPG without running a cell. Since my last fillup, I had put on 188 city miles and it took 7.55 gallons to fill the tank to nearly overflowing, so that gave me 24.90 MPG for city driving , a 38.56% gain.

The main thing that I am happy with is that I am getting a consistent 36.6 plus MPG now instead of the unpredictable ups and downs in the past 3 years with the different cells I have tried. Also this is without tinkering with any sensor enhancements.
I have removed all with the exception of the EFIE which is turned off for the time being. I have attained 30 MPG plus a bit more on long higway trips without a booster, but for the driving I do it is a 27.27 MPG average normall so the 36.6 MPG is a 34.21% increase.

3 Plate, Plain Tap water Electrolyzer

See Updates May 25th, 2009, June 11th and June 26th at the end of this article

The warm weather has arrived and I have been doing experiments with a plain tap water electroyzer for several weeks on my balcony. I went to a web site
( http://eddie-batista.dyndns.org/ ) that shows a different solution to making HHO and now HHOO for even better mileage without tinkering with the vehicles various sensors. The FREE E-Book which describes everything Eddie Batista has experimented with and uses on his own vehicle for 65 to 75 % increase in mileage. By adding an EFIE he has attained over 100% increase in mileage. There are all kinds of videos, etc all free at the site.

On May 1st, I installed the system in my van to see how it really works. On May 4th I did my first test run to check out the system for amperage, temperature during a 100 mile run. The amperage starting out was 6 amps and it rose to 11 amps after 2 hours. The temperature did not go over 120 degrees F. Eddie suggests running the system for a month at least before doing any other changes or mileage checks, he claims it takes that long for the computer to "learn" what has been added to the fuel system and will adjust accordingly. So far I am happy to report an increase in mpg from the previous 4 fillups.



The above photo shows a view from the top showing how the three plates are arranged inside a container that holds just over 1 gallon of water. The negative plate is in the middle and connects to the SS bolt on the left. The positive plates are connected to the SS bolt on the right. The only negative aspect to this system is that the water becomes a dirty brown colour, not nice to look at, but does not cause any problems as far as generating hydrogen on demand.

This photo shows the 0 to 15 amp ammeter drawing 7 amps of current before starting on the test run. The switch to the right of the meter is an emergency shutoff to stop the electrolyzer if needed.


The above photo shows my temporary installation inside the van at the back. It is not recommended to have an electrolyzer inside the passenger compartment , but since I do not have room anywhere else or under the hood, this is where it will stay for now. I have checked to see that there are absolutely no leaks in the system and I drive with the back vent window open to clear any gases from the passenger compartment.

This photo shows how I bring the wiring into the Ammeter and Switch, also note the tubing coming from under the hood up the rain gutter.

This shows my 30 amp relay on the right.


Shows how I ran the vinyl tubing from the engine compartment to the rear of the van.


My inline fuse holder, takes various fuse sizes



My 30 amp Relay coil wire inserted under NO contact of one of the vehicles control relays which operates only when engine is running

My baseline for MPG was 17.97 which was an average of last 4 fillups for city driving.

May 25th UPDATE .... First fillup shows 13.69% gain in MPG and second fillup today shows a 26.82% gain in MPG in mostly City plus some Highway driving. Will have to see if this trend continues.

June 11th Update ...Third fill up today shows a 30.61% gain from baseline ...all city driving. Anxious to see what I get on the highway. Water is down only about 3/4 of an inch in 450 kms or 279 miles city driving.

June 26th Update... Today on a 79 mile run and fill up shows a 103.9 % gain in MPG. This is more like it and am anxious to see what happens on a 300 mile run up north.

Electrolyzer for Beginner's, Parts List and Construction Details

Here is a electrolyzer for beginners and those that like to experiment and learn what electrolysis is all about for a very reasonable cost.

Many are against using glass containers and I don't really know why it is so, because I have yet to find a case where the canning jar has broken or exploded in a properly set up system. I have had one break because of freezing.....

There are cases of course where people have brought a flame from a match or lighter to the output hose to see what happens. Usually the plastic cap or lid is shattered but the jar remains intact.

If you are curious to see and hear hydrogen gas explode, it can be done very safely by first putting the output hose in a jar of water and then bringing a flame to the hydrogen bubbles as they rise to the surface of the water. Igniting a small bubble, 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter sounds like a 22 caliber rifle shot, a bubble that is 3/4 inch and larger in diameter makes an extremely loud bang like a 45 caliber shot and will leave your ears ringing for a long time.

Hydrogen is very explosive and not to be taken lightly!

This Beginners Electrolyzer or Cell outputs 300 milli-liters of HHO

per minute with 1/4 teaspoon of lye drawing 3 amps.
This is 4.75 times more than a Water4Gas cell
Temperature after 2 hours of running was 115 degrees F
Temperature after 41/2 hours was 150 degrees F

The above photo shows the completed Electrolyzer for Beginners ready to power up!
As you can see by using a glass container everything in the jar is visible, water level and whether there is any crud at the bottom of the jar. This photo was taken after it had been running for 8 hours on my balcony.

Parts List for Beginner's Electrolyzer

6 - 304 18 gauge Stainless Steel Plates 2.5" by 4.5"
2 - 304 18 gauge Stainless Steel Plates 2.5" by 5"
2 - Nylon screws 1/4" by 2.5"
2 - Nylon Nuts 1/4 - 20
8 - Nylon Washers 1.6 mm thick
4 - Stainless Steel Washers 1/4"
2 - Stainless Steel Hex head Screws 1/4" by 3"
10 - Stainless Steel Nuts 1/4"
6 - Stainless Steel Nuts 5/16" (for spacers)
1 - 1/4" Nylon or Plastic elbow ( I used a 3/8" which I had on hand)
1 - Nylon Nut to fit above Elbow
1 - Wide Mouth Mason Jar
1 - Plastic Storage Lid for Mason Jar
1 - Rubber Gasket for the Lid
2 - Rubber Grommets with 1/4" holes
1 - Rubber Grommet to fit the 1/4" Elebow
1 - 7/8" Rubber Stopper

Here we see the plate assembly fastened to the lid with the 3" ss screws

A different angle showing the assembly, etc

A view from the bottom of the plate assembly

A view showing the end plate

View showing the top electrical connections, 3/8" elbow and the 7/8" Rubber stopper in a 7/8" hole which is used for adding water or lye to the electrolyzer.

Caution!

If you decide to construct this electrolyzer, it is entirely at your own risk and peril. This device is not a play thing or toy. It is your responsibility to make sure that all safety precautions are followed . Neither the designer of this electrolyzer or author of this document will be liable should you suffer any loss or damage by your own actions.

Play Safe Always!

Construction Details

First drill two 1/4 inch holes approximately 2 1/2 inches apart down the center line of the plates. If you have a drill press you can put all the plates together and drill them at one time. I used a 3/8 electric drill using a titanium drill bit, and drilled each one separately.

The outside plates are drilled as well with the holes matching, when all are stood up on end. There is an extra hole to be drilled on each side plate (5 inch ones) centered on the plate and about 1/4 to 3/8 inch down from the top. Using a hacksaw make 2 cuts, one on each side of the hole, about 1/2 inch apart, then using pliers or a vicegrip bend the created tab so it is 90 degrees to the plate. See photos

Before assembling the plates, get some coarse sandpaper and sand the plates from end to end, then sand them from side to side, do this to both sides. If you have a sander, you can use that. The sanding leaves minute grooves on the surface of the plates which helps to increase the production of HHO. Rinse off the plates prior to assembly.

Assembling the plates

Take one side plate and insert the nylon screws from the tab side, then put one nylon washer over the screws, then put one of the 4 1/2" plates over the screws, now place a 5/16" nut as a spacer, next add another 4 1/2" plate, now a nylon washer, another 4 1/2 inch plate and continue that sequence until you finally add the other side plate with the tab on the outside. Now put on the nylon 1/4 inch nuts to hold the assembly together...tighten the nuts, but not so much that you strip the threads.

See below for the plate arrangement, our design does not have the minus and plus as shown below. The "A" spaces have the nylon washers and the "B" spaces have the 5/16 nuts as spacers.

Above diagram from Smack Booster article

Next insert the two 3 inch SS screws through the holes in the tab and fasten to the tab with a 1/4 inch nut. Make sure this connection is really tight using two 7/16 inch wrenches to tighten it down. If this connection gets loose when the electrolyte level is low and causes a spark, it will ignite the hydrogen gas.

Cap or Lid Preparation

First make sure that the two 3 inch screws of the plate assembly are parallel to one another and line up properly, then invert the assembly over the inside of the lid and mark the spot where the screws touch the lid. You could also measure the distance between the top of the screws and use that to mark the lid for the 1/4" holes to be drilled. Now mark the spot for the nylon elbow and the 7/8" hole for the rubber stopper. Drill them now. I used a step drill for the 7/8" hole.

Final Assembly

Place a rubber grommet over the thread of the nylon elbow, insert the elbow through the hole in the lid and screw the nylon nut to the elbow and tighten it down so that the grommet is compressed.

Next place the plate assembly in the jar, put two 1/4" nuts, one on each 3" screw, add one washer to each one and then the rubber grommet as well. Screw the nuts, etc down far enough so the rubber grommet is slightly below the rim of the jar.

Place the lid so that the screws are protuding through the holes in the lid and screw the lid down. Now place a washer and a nut on each screw, Turn the nuts so that the plate assembly is just resting on the bottom of the jar. Remove the assembly by unscrewing the lid. Now holding a wrench on the nut on the top side of the lid, turn the nut on the underside until the grommet is compressed against the underside of the lid, do this to the other screw as well.

Finally put on another nut on the top and holding the first nut on the screw with a wrench, tighten the nuts together so they are jammed. Add the other nut that will hold the wire, do not tighten it until the wire is connected. Mark one terminal Plus or + and the other Minus or - Does not matter which one is plus or minus at this point. Place the gasket in the lid and and insert the assembly into the jar.

Note!
Regarding the grommets, I have generally had good luck with them sealing the area around the terminals, but several times I have had to take things apart and squeeze some Silicon Seal around the thread of the screw and the grommet. You may want to put the Silicon Seal right from the start to avoid problems later.

The Big Test!

To make sure that your creation is air tight, screw down the lid, stick on a length of tubing to the elbow and immerse the entire jar in a bucket of water or the kitchen sink will do as well. Now blow into the tube and if you see any bubbles rising, you have a leak and will have to fix it before proceeding any further. The lids are notorius for leaking if you do not have a gasket in the lid to seal it properly. Once you have no leaks you are set for the final test.

First fill the jar with distilled water to just cover the top of the plates, (99 cents for a 4 liter jug at the grocery store) then add about 1/4 teaspoon of lye (Gillettes from Home Hardware, get the small container)

Be very carefull with the lye as it is very corrosive, don't get it on your skin or eyes and make sure you do not breathe any of the fumes, etc. Never add water to lye, only lye to water....I have a bucket of water closeby in case I happen to get some on me, so can wash it off immediately.

To test the electrolyzer, make sure you are outside or in a well ventilated space or area as hydrogen will rise and accumulate on the ceiling and the slightest spark will set it off. Under no circumstances test it inside your home.

Have your output hose from the electrolyzer go into the bottom of a jar or other container of water closeby. Now connect your 12 volts DC to the terminals and switch on the power, immediately you should see action in the form of small bubbles from the plates and sort of a cloud form near the top of the cell. Very shortly you will see bubbles rising to the top in the jar of water as HHO is being produced.

You Have Arrived!

Anyone interested in how to install it in your vehicle?

Venture Testing -- Frustration Setting In

I have done 53 test runs, all documented as to what mods were running.... HOD, Water Vaporizer, EFIE, CTS, IAT, MAF, MAP mostly 40 miles each, filled tank to overflowing from same pump each time. During these tests I have accumulated 6,057 kms or 3,763 miles. Just about bankrupt now......

I have had 9 hwy test runs over 30 mpg that averaged 32.75 MPG
I have had 15 hwy test runs 25 to 29 mpg that averaged 27.36 MPG
I have had 9 hwy test runs 20 to 25 mpg that averaged 21.87 MPG
The rest were all poor ones under 20 mpg.
Below I have listed the test runs that showed what I consider good gains.

EFIE .367 Nothing Else, No HOD or other mods 34.45 MPG Hwy
EFIE .375 HOD 20 amps 34.21 MPG Hwy
EFIE .370 Nothing Else 31.46 MPG Hwy and City
EFIE .368 Nothing Else 32.37 MPG Hwy
EFIE .370 Water Vaporizer Running 34.4 MPG Hwy
EFIE .280 HOD 10 amps, Water Vaporizer, IAT at 287F 32.5 MPG Hwy

The IAT temp reading above happened when I disabled all the mods, as I accidently shorted out the IAT sensor. Noticed it on my ScanGaugeII while driving. The next day I removed the short and my test run was a dismal 20.18 mpg! Talk about inconsistent results..... should short it out again and see what happens.

The vehicle is a 2003 Chevy Venture 3.4 L 6 cylinder and have used W4Gas, ThermoSyphon (own design) and a modified Smack . Bubbler and condensator prior to air intake. Modifications were to decrease plate separation because it would not fit into a 4 inch tube because of SS plates wider and thicker than the switch plate covers, putting out 1.3 to 7 LPM depending on strength of lye solution.

The EFIE by itself produces the best gains consistently.... using a water vaporizer gets good results as well and will help cool the engine. Someone is bound to comment that running the EFIE by itself will ruin your engine due to the lean mixture, however, I have never seen a temperature rise during my experiments using the EFIE alone. According to Eagle Research, quote "engine life should not be affected because the vehicle's computer will not allow excessively lean mixtures" unquote

I agree with others that trying to get gains with HOD is frustrating. There are times when I just switch all the various enhansers off as they are all adjustable and can be switched off from the the driver's seat while driving. I'll drive like that for a few days with all off and do more reading. Suddenly I think I have got it, and start trying again.

What is needed to simplify this whole process is a device or monitor that will show instantly the results of one's tweaking of sensor enhansers, or varying the amperage of your booster... everything we are doing is only guesswork....

In this day and age, it should not be a problem. Exhaust analysers would help but are not available at reasonable cost to experimenters such as we are. Hopefully someone will come up with such a device and offer a tuneup service for a set affordable fee. I would drive many miles to get my vehicle set up once and for all.......I have nearly had it with this vehicle.

Easy Method to Measure HHO Output in LPM

Many are asking how to measure the output of their HHO generators, so here is a cheap and easy way to do it and as accurate as one can be. Materials needed are 1 Glass Jar ( 1 liter or 1 quart, whatever) , Plastic Cap ( or could be the regular metal cap), about 30" of 3/8 Plastic Hose and a 500 milliliter or larger measuring cup borrowed from the kitchen cupboard.

Drill two 3/8" holes in the lid, insert one end of the 3/8" hose to the bottom of the jar through one of the holes, then measure about 12 inches or so from the other end of the hose and cut it off so you end up with the hose used as the output from the generator to the jar. Insert that hose about 1 inch through the other hole in the lid and the other end to the generator or cell output.

I had to "goop" around the hoses in the lid, both underneath and on top of the lid as it would leak otherwise. Also with the pressure required to displace the water from the jar, the lid was leaking until I made a gasket for the lid. ( It may be simpler to use the regular lid with rubber gasket than the Plastic cap)

To do a measurement, fill the jar with water, screw down the lid, insert the hose that does not go to the bottom of the jar into the output of the cell and the other hose into the meauring cup. Turn on the power to the generator and start timing when water starts entering the measuring cup.

After one minute remove the hose from the measuring cup and read off the milli-liters of water in measuring cup.... divide the number of milli-liters by 1000 to get LPM. There you have the LPM output of your device.... for example, say it filled the measuring cup to the 450 ml mark ...... 450 ml divided by 1000 = .45 LPM Simple.

Click on the video clip below to see how it works. You will note the water being displaced by the hydrogen entering the jar and the water level increasing in the measuring cup as the level in the jar decreases.

If your device happens to fill the 500 ml meauring cup in less than 1 minute, for example.. fills it in 40 seconds then divide the number of seconds into 60 and multiply by .500....... 60/40 x .500 = .750 LPM .......... if it fills in 30 seconds,then .....60/30 x .500 = 1.00 LPM, etc

Have fun and cheers, Rebel

Cheap & Easy Bubbler and Condensator

Realizing that many experimenters are not using a bubbler with their HOD systems to scrub out contaminents before they reach the engine itself, I decided to experiment a bit and came up with a workable cheap solution.....

Due to having engine problems about one year ago using baking soda and then later lye as the electrolyte, I figured many may want to prevent such an occurence with their setup.

My vehicle stalled about 35 miles from home because of my HOD system spewing other stuff than hydrogen into the air intake. The mechanic had to clean the MAF sensor and the throttle body of yellowish brown residue. The throttle body had distinct signs of corrosion that had been taking place as well. Fortunately the vehicle suffered no harm as far as I know.

The above photo shows my modified smack booster idling at about 2 amps (see video clip below) with the output hose going through the cap to the bottom of the bubbler made from a water bottle, from there to a condensator made from another water bottle on the right and from that into a jar of water to illustrate that the hydrogen gas is indeed passing through the bubbler and condensator.

The bubbler is made by drilling two 1/4 inch holes in the cap. The output hose from the cell is pushed down through the hole to the bottom of the bottle, the output hose from the bubbler is pushed in about 1 inch. I did not have to use anything to seal around the holes as the hose sealed itself in the hole. Fill the bottle with tap water to about 3/4 full and you are ready to go with the bubbler.

The condensator is made the same way except both hoses are inserted only about an inch through the cap. The bottle is left empty and if there is any condensate coming through, it will settle as a liquid in the bottom of the bottle...... and can be dumped out as required.

Caution: Do not use these water bottles if you are connected to the Intake Manifold as they will collapse under the vacuum..... use a sturdier material in such cases. No problem when connected to the air intake....

I don't know how long these bottles will last in the environment under the hood, but kept away from any hot spots they should go for quite a while. You can always use some other material to make a bubbler and condensator that will last indefinitely now that you have an idea what is required.

Mis-information on Hydrogen needing suction, pumps, etc

I have been reading on various forums the discussions relating to hydrogen needing suction to get into the engine and suggestions to use pumps to help it along. I don't know where all this has originated, but it is all mis-leading information.

First of all if you have built a Water4Gas cell ( wire in the jar ) properly (or any other cell) and have tested it to make sure there are no leaks, I guarantee you that the hydrogen and oxygen gas it produces will build up sufficient pressure to force its way to wherever you desire.

The photo above shows a W4G cell with output connected to a 12" bubbler, tie wrapped to the 4th panel support on my balcony, then a return line coming back to the first support and looped around it, with the end in the jar of water.

Most people do not realize that any cell built without leaks has the capacity to blow up balloons that are connected to the output hose. Just having read that the W4G cell can not push the hydrogen from the trunk of a car to the engine compartment, got me a bit upset, so I set up a W4G cell, connected its output to a 12 inch bubbler located 9 feet 7 inches away, took the output from the top of the bubbler back 13 feet 5 inches and inserted the end into a jar of water. Bubbles are coming up in the bubbler as they are from the bottom of the jar. Note: no pumps needed..... Play the video clip below to see a W4G cell running at 4 amps pushing the hydrogen more than 23 feet through the plastic tubing and the bubbler half way in between.




You will note that I have no bubbler valve on the W4G cell, only the output hose and electrical connections. When you have installed your cell in a vehicle, always check by putting the output hose into a jar or plastic water bottle full of water to see if it bubbles..... if it doesn't.... you have a leak and you have to find it, repair it then and there, otherwise you don't have a operating hydrogen cell.

NOTE: As the cell heats up the plastic lid starts to leak, unless you have an O ring or gasket in place and the cell will not produce bubbles at the output any more. Therefor, a bubbler is essential to keep track of what is happening with your system.



The video clip above show the bubbling in the 12 inch bubbler over nine feet away. The bubbler has been in use for several months in my vehicle and is not as clear as it used to be, but looking closely, you can see the action in it.

OK, got that off my chest.... on to other things.