Dry cell problem

[TahirAhmadov]

Hi all,

I started out my HHO project by building a 4-plate wet cell in a container with tap water and soda. That worked however the water became brown and green and I didn't install that in my car.

This time around, I made a proper 7-cell dry cell in +NNNNNN- configuration. Plates were made out of titanium, and covers are made from 1/2" acrylic glass, cell gap - 3mm, surface area of the cells (excluding gaskets) - approx. 27 sq. in. (5" * 5.5", subtract one corner for electrical contacts). I've got a very small leak of about 1 drop of water per half an hour which i think will be fixed by tightening the bolts by 1 or 2 mm. Plates were cleaned with Clorox bleach household cleaner to remove grease/dust/marks/etc.

The problem is this: it doesn't produce any gas. I used distilled water and baking soda (I know it's not ideal but it should work) and get no production at all. However, wires touching the plates produce sparks so there is a current. I'm going to buy an amp meter to measure the current and place an order for KOH to get rid of the soda, but in the mean time, could anyone tell what else I can do to start production?

Also, when disassembling the unit after the first failed attempt, I noticed that couple of plates became brown. That could've happened due to me trying to connect one of the wires to a neutral cell (basically, making it a +NNN- setup) in a bid to increase the voltage - at one point I connected the wires to 2 adjacent plates - could that have made the plates brown? For the record - increasing the voltage didn't start production.

I tried putting 2 plates connected straight to car battery (12V) into a bucket of tap water with soda and the reaction started immediately - I saw bubbles forming on the plates (acting on a suggestion from a friend to test if titanium is a good conductor).


Thanks.

[hhoconnection]

I would check the voltage between plates. If you are running 6 neutrals you might not be getting enough voltage to split the water. If your voltage between plates is less than 1.8 volts you won't see any production. Try dropping it to 5 neutrals and see if that helps. Other than that you must have a bad connection somewhere. Good Luck!

[TahirAhmadov]

As I noted, I tried connecting the wires to plates that were closer to each other (effectively reducing the number of neutrals) - I even tried connecting to 2 adjacent plates making the voltage 12V and still no go.

I have a feeling there is something wrong with using titanium for this. Has anyone used it to make electrolyzers before?

[pbt308]

I read some where that Titanium is not a good anode/ cathode material. Something about the surface of the material not transfering electrons well. Not to mention its a little pricey isnt it?

[TahirAhmadov]

Interesting.. I tried to find some information about that but couldn't. Besides, my friend had a unit made using titanium (or so he was told) and it worked really well. Can you try finding where you read about titanium not being a good material?

Regarding the price - it's a little more expensive than the high-grade steel that's normally used but not by much. I had paid $50 for 2 11"x12" pieces (which I cut up to make my plates).

[TahirAhmadov]

Ok I think I found the issue. It looks like the voltage on cell 1 is 4.4V, 2 - 2.5V, cells 3 to 5 - 1.4V, and cell 6 - 2.3V (I took one plate out to test it in a 6-cell configuration). Then I discovered that electricity is leaking through the bolts. Is there a best practice to insulate the bolts from the plates?

[hhoconnection]

Ok I think I found the issue. It looks like the voltage on cell 1 is 4.4V, 2 - 2.5V, cells 3 to 5 - 1.4V, and cell 6 - 2.3V (I took one plate out to test it in a 6-cell configuration). Then I discovered that electricity is leaking through the bolts. Is there a best practice to insulate the bolts from the plates?

You can use nylon bolts and nuts or wrap the bolts in heat shrink or pvc tubing.

[Farmercal]

I wouldn't use nylon. Try insulating the bolts with plastic tubing. If you cut the hard plastic tubing to just go past the plates and into your non-conductive material, when you tighten the bolts you will have some room for the whole thing to constrict when you bolt it together.

[PeteVamped]

If you are refering to baking soda as soda I would suggest using a different agent over soda it is effective but can be problemmatic for both your cell and your car. I also noticed someone had all ready stated to check your voltage.

[TahirAhmadov]

Tried insulating the bolts with a layer of insulation tape, plastic tubing and another level of insulation tape - didn't work. Going to get some nylon bolts right now, maybe that'll work...