Newbe Questions

[Irishtexan]

Im not to sure i have this in the right place but for a newbe i have lots of things i dont understand about all this, is there someone here who can give me a link to a place that explanes this in a matter i can understand better, like is a dry cell better than a wet cell, is bigger better, can you use 12X12 plates to make more or does this require a lot more current, is there a way to make one that your vehicle can run on straight hydrogen, why does the SS plates have to be a certain kind of SS, sorry for all the questions but i want to build on for my old ford pickup, it is a 81 model and drinks gas like it has a hole in the tank, thanks for any and all help.

[Chris]

Hi Irish, Lots of questions and you're in the right place. I would say search the forum for terms around what you're trying to decipher. In other words search on SS material or plate size.

Much of what you're asking can certainly be found here and there is always more than one way to skin a cat.

If you have some burning questions, ask those individually instead of a smattering like you've done. Too many issues here to address properly. Sound like you simply need to start reading and then ask questions as you go. -Small digestible chunks.

I'll start with one question: 316SS is the most corrosive resistant SS within our budgets we're usually working under. It's available and common so we build with it because it will last the longest of the common SS we can get our hands on. Other SS will work but it degrades faster.

[Irishtexan]

Chris

Thanks for the info and sorry if i came off a little to bosy in my first post.
I have been reading this forum for almost a year now along with other info i can get from the web, but the more i read the more i get confused, let me explane, John Doe builds his generator from SS plates, 4X4 plates, 7 of them in a dry cell, then says it is under powered and wont hardly turn out enough gas to help his engine, so what im wondering is why he doesnt make one with 8X8 plates or maybe 12X12 plates, does a bigger plate require so much more current that you need a power plant in the back of your pickup to run it, i guess what im looking for is some guidelines on what will work the best, that way i dont make a mistake right off the bat and have to scratch and start all over again, thanks again for your help.

[Chris]

The problem isn't so much with production, it's with efficiency. So in essence you're right. Larger units without high efficiency will require a "power plant" in the back just to run them. The key is getting to a state where it takes the least amount of power per arbitrary production unit. Then whatever amount of Hydroxy you're producing should create a positive result. The larger you build the more efficient your whole system becomes (to a degree).

[Irishtexan]

Thanks Chris

So what should i start out with in size, is 12X12 to big for a dry cell, and the SS ill get from my buddy who has a son who works in a sheet metal shop, fall off pieces i hope.
I was thinking of useing cutting boards to make the outside of the generator, there cheep and should work fine.
Is it better to let it flow in with the air going into the carb or let the carb draw it in from a vacume line?
Again thanks for the help i hope others will gain as much help as i am, Irish.

[Chris]

12x12 in my opinion is very large to start with. Difficult to get a good seal all the way around unless you're quite good at what you're doing. I would also think 12x12 pieces are going to be hard to come by. Try 6x6 for starters. That's what I used in my series cell box. You can see pics of it in my first electrolysis project.

You're referring to a dry cell. I assume you're talking a non-submerged series cell?

I played with vacuum a bit but it was problematic. I would start with normally aspirated atmospheric pressure. Let it be slightly positive pressure. Once you are good at messing with that you can switch to vacuum testing. It's another beast entirely. It will flash "boil" your bubbler and cells in an instant and draw a ton of water through your lines if you're not careful. Doing it with vacuum would be best for efficiency but it's much more challenging to do properly vs just letting the cell push positive pressure.

[Irishtexan]

Chris

I assume you're talking a non-submerged series cell?

Yes i was, is a submerged cell better, again im just learning so tell me what you think is better.
Ill get the SS plates in a couple of weeks, im going to go see my friend who's son is a sheet metal worker, im going to run off some pictures of dry cells to show them so they will better understand, thanks again for the help, Irish.

[Chris]

I'm not sure why people rename crap in odd ways. LOL Whoever gave the non-submerged series cells the nickname "dry cells" was crazy. That term is so off it barely makes sense. It's entirely misleading as well.

Oh well, I have covered this topic many times before and still maintain that non-submerged series cells are most applicable in stationary projects. You can't have these things in a car sloshing around and get good performance. I have always worked with my parallel plate designs in fully submerged cells for vehicles. Look at my v6 Electrolyzer project for a better understanding: http://oupower.com/index.php?dir=_My_Pr ... lyzer%20v6

Read the whole project carefully then ask whatever you need to ask.

[Irishtexan]

Chris
I have been a custom cabinet maker for over 30 years and i love to see good work of any kind, and your work is outstanding, even my gran daughter said COOL
I was wondering why so many cells, are you trying to run straight Hyd. it looks like the way you have your plates fixed there working very well for you, and thanks for giving me the info on the dry cells and running them in a vehicle, im going to go with a wet cell but i wont have as many plates as you do, also where is a good place to get the SS plates just in case i cant get them from a friend, im going to have to put this on the back burner for awhile and get back to looking for a job, ill buy parts a little at a time as money permits, thanks for your help, ill keep reading here and get as much info as i can, Irish.

[Chris]

Hi Irish,

More plates basically allows me to push more amperage. More amperage = more production. That's all. You can start with as few or as many plates as you like. I just went with this configuration because that number of plates fit well into the PVC tubing. I am a practical kind of guy and I'm not going to buy stuff oversized just to prove a point. I built for practicality and that's why it worked well for me. Let me know if you have trouble finding the SS plates because I still know where you can get them. Any good machine shop should be able to sheer them for you in standard 3x6 or 1.5 x 6 size etc...

I was not running straight hydroxy. I was merely boosting my car with my hydroxy. I need to get back into testing that in my new vehicle now. I never had a working odometer in the old dodge shadow so it kind of sucked for all the work it was. I never got to see if it made a difference in my mileage or not.