I've built my first HH Generator! Results...

[slimk]

Your Anode & Cathode needs to be within 3/8" of each other to create the conductivity to seperate the two elements.

i've seen other hydrogen seperator devices that have the + and - farther apart then that, and the fact that i get bubbles [mind you not as many as i need] proves that, so is just under 3/8" the optimal spacing?

You cannot seperate HHO in one container & O2 in another containers such as what you have.

Both elements will travel side by side with one another for a certain length.

why cant i seperate the h from the o, the o comes off the + plate and hh off the - plate. as long as the bubbles float up seperately why wouldnt it work?

BE VERY CARFUL USING SO MUCH LYE!!!

very good point, in fact im going to switch to another electrolyte since i need to use a lot of it...any recommendations? what if i used PURE vinegar and no water, what would happen then?

[Smith03Jetta]

I think some of the guys answering this thread are confused. You are set up just fine for creating Oxygen in one side and Hydrogen on the other side. The problem is that you are not using enough electrolyte to allow the electricity to jump all the way through the water.

I did an experiment this weekend using electrodes really far apart (7-8 inches) so as to get gas separation. You must add a Butt-Load of Electrolyte to get any decent amount of gas. I would suggest adding more and more electrolyte until you get the bubbles. 20 to 25% mixture is not out of the question if it takes it. There's still enough water in the mixture to make hydrogen and oxygen.

One thing you can do to make sure you are getting hydrogen... Don't slam me on this one guys. It's safe... Take both lids off your canisters. Get your propane torch ready. Light your propane torch. Turn on the electricity and as soon as bubbles start to form put your torch to the gas on the negative side of the system. If you get small pops or a flame or a flash across the surface of the water you are making some Hydrogen. Another indicator is that the propane torch flame will change colors from blue to orange. You can do the same thing to the Oxygen side of the system and nothing much will happen.

It's not safe to let the hydrogen build up and light a bunch of gas in a closed container. Don't light the end of the hose or some nonsense like that.

Pure hydrogen will not BOOM!!! like Hydroxy does. I showed that on my youtube video this weekend.

If you are not getting many bubbles, then your SOLE problem is not enough electrolyte.

In order to get the results you want don't worry about plastic bolts, plastic washers, narrow plate gaps or any of the things us Hydroxy people are saying. Separation is key for getting gas separation. Another way to get pure hydrogen is to make your negative electrode from Heavy aluminum and the positive from Stainless. If you do this in the same container or separate containers you will got lots of hydrogen and very little oxygen. The aluminum will eventually be used up in the process but that's another story.

[slimk]

I did an experiment this weekend using electrodes really far apart (7-8 inches) so as to get gas separation. You must add a Butt-Load of Electrolyte to get any decent amount of gas. I would suggest adding more and more electrolyte until you get the bubbles. 20 to 25% mixture is not out of the question if it takes it. There's still enough water in the mixture to make hydrogen and oxygen.

as you can see my electrodes are not even as far apart as you tried, so distance is not my problem, its not having a high enough concentration of electrolyte...

the problem is the containers are getting steamy, and the vapour from the lye/water mix is pretty bad to inhale or even be near, my throat started to go funny from just being in the garage with it [yes the garage door was open] so what might be a safer electrolyte to use in high concentrations?

Another way to get pure hydrogen is to make your negative electrode from Heavy aluminum and the positive from Stainless.

what do you mean by heavy aluminum, and where could i get some that would work as you intend? as long as its fairly cheap and will last a few months it might be worth trying...

[Stratous]

The only problem I see is spacing. Your anode and cathode are far apart and current is restricted to the small tubes they have to travel through. You could add lye until the resistance in the water stabalizes. Meaning, measure the resistance in the water, add lye until that resistance wont decrease anymore. You would do better to put the anode and cathode into the same container and seperate them with a plastic plate. That way you could have the plates close together but still have them produce separately. Thats alot of water too, I was using about 4 teaspoons in about a gallon of water which is about 4 liters.

[slimk]

Meaning, measure the resistance in the water, add lye until that resistance wont decrease anymore. You would do better to put the anode and cathode into the same container and seperate them with a plastic plate. That way you could have the plates close together but still have them produce separately. Thats alot of water too, I was using about 4 teaspoons in about a gallon of water which is about 4 liters.

Thats alot of water too, I was using about 4 teaspoons in about a gallon of water which is about 4 liters.

so you have 4 teaspoons to 4 liters and i have 8 tablesppons to 7-8 liters, i dont think i can add much more safely...i think i need another electrolyte for this.

a few questions:

1. will adding more lye continue to reduce the resistance of the water until i have 99% lye and 1% water or is there a plateau effect where no matter how much lye i put in its going to maxed out as far as hydrogen production?

2. how would you suggest i put a plastic plate in a device like mine that somehow seals at the top [where the gases would naturally accumulate before being taken out the hose] to not allow the gases to intermingle? i cant seem to come up with in my mind a way that would create a 100% seperation as good as ive created. [granted i have less production then i need]

3. isnt adding a lot of lye a bad idea, it seems to not be so good for injesting or being around in general, specially in high concentrations which im going to be forced to use, is there a better electrolyte for these high concentration applications? something that works almost as good but wont be harmful at all, like vinegar?