1/16th" spacer gaskets

[hg2]

  I've been using 3/16" spacer gaskets in my Tero cell for quite some time now and they have given me fairly good production with average amperage.
  I ordered and shipped 2 members here recently gaskets that were 1/16th"thickness for their new cell builds.I thought it time to try the same with my large plate(9"x9")Tero cell.
  I ordered the gaskets last Mon. and picked them up yesterday,I spent the better part of yesterday re-sanding plates(ugggh) and cleaning all other parts for reassembly.
  Today I assembled the cell with one change and that was including an 8th plate witch I haven't used since last year,because I found that 6 cells produced better then 7 and had acceptable amp draw.
  I bench tested the cell but my wimpy battery charger wouldn't keep up and so I decided to go ahead and reinstall it on my truck.
  I mixed the new KOH e-lyte to 28 % by weight as before and wired it using 6 cells which is the way I've been running for some time now and after starting the truck I went to the front and the amp gauge was buried(it's maxed at 60 amps).
  So I reduced the KOH with distilled water switched over to 8 plates and fired it up again,this time the amps were high(55-58) but not off the scale as before.I took a test drive to do a service call for about an hour and a half and when I got back the amps were still around 58.I felt the terminals at the cell and they were hotter than ever before,so I decided to upgrade the wires from awg10 to awg 6.
  After changing out the wiring I again started the truck and after only 10 minutes run time the amps again pegged the amp gauge and the output was so rigorous it was shaking the tubing violently.
  Then it started raining(sounds like a novel huh?)so I'm still waiting to go back out and again thin out the E-lyte to try and get the amps under control.

  So bottom line the 1/16" gasket upgrade made a helluva difference in both production and amps.I'm ecstatic with this new found improvement and can't wait for it to stop raining so I can finish dialing it in.
  Btw yes I did take a flow test today and before the wire upgrade I went from 3.5LPM to well I'm not sure but it did fill a 1 gallon jug in 41 seconds,you do the math I'm too tired.

 I'll post further results after getting the amps under control by reducing the e-lyte concentration.

  Bottom line is thinner gaskets on a Tero equals more output.

[Painless]

That's really encouraging, hg.  Just to make sure I understand, your Tero has 9"x9" plates and you're only using 8 of them to reach that much production? 

[hg2]

Correct I had to add an 8 th plate and adjust the e-lyte lower to keep the amps at a low roar.

Yeah shocked me too!!

[Painless]

So, assuming 13.8 volts we get:

13.8 (volts) x 58 (amps) = 800.4 watts

8 9x9 plates = 1,134 sq inches surface area

1,134 / 800.4 = 1.417 sq inches per watt

How is the cell temp?

[numberonekiwi]

I work out 5.12 LPM

[hydrotinkerer]

So far I thought something was wrong with mine because it violently produced gas after I changed to 1/16" gaskets. I'll put 4 more neutrals in mine and see how it does. That will put my lttle cell at 29 plates total.

[hg2]

  5.12 LPM well as they say down here in Fla.  "THAT AIN'T BAD"

  After being up most of last night with pain from the yanked wisdom tooth(which came out in pieces thank you very much)and working on the cell all day,while waiting for it to stop raining to finish the install my lack of sleep caught with me.

  Russ, my overall voltage never got over 12.8 even with the rpms around 1500.Dodging the rainstorms I did manage to thin the KOH(for the third time) but went too far and the amps dropped to 30 but the cell was still producing well(started raining again so I wasn't able to do a flow test).I fell out for a 6 hour nap after that and will try adjusting the e-lyte ratio again tomorrow.

  After driving the truck today for an hour and a half @ 55-58 amps the temp wasn't bad at all,and that was before I changed the power leads from 10 awg to 6 awg.Then that's when the plates were cooler at the connection tabs but then the amps ramped up(in less than 10 minutes run time) and again pegged my 60 amp gauge.Once I get the amps where the cell will run stable for long periods I'll know if I have any heat issues.

  HT I would definitely try adding neutrals for a 6N4 before adding isolation plates.I think plate gaps this thin are too much to run a 5n configuration,I think the heat will always be an issue.

  Well tomorrows another day and hopefully the rain will stop so I can do further testing and adjustments to get things stabilized for extended run times.My work sometimes takes a 4 to 5 hour drive to get there,so I want to make sure I don't have any runaway heat issues first.

[hg2]

    Finally got the amps under control today,the final concentration of KOH ratio was around 16 % by weight.The amps are riding about 52-55 and the temp. after 3 hours run time was 128*F(the best I could tell with the wife's Pampered Chef cooking thermometer).I did sacrifice some production lowering the amps but that's expected.The last flow test floated a 1 gallon jug in 49 seconds,also got the voltage back up to 13.8V(it was low yesterday due to the high amp draw at idle).

  Well I guess the next things to buy(why is that with HHO improvements hahaha)is a 200 amp relay,100 amp circuit breaker and the big bill a 240-280 amp alternator $550-$850 http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/bosch.html   At least I know that I can run up amps and production by just increasing the KOH concentration,that is after I can afford the charging system upgrade.

[Painless]

My Ram has the same issue, as do most vehicles I suppose, it will support 60+ amps fine as long as the rpms are over 1,000.  As soon as they drop under that though, the battery voltage plummets as the alternator can't keep up.

Instead of buying a new alternator, how about modifying the feed speed of your current one?

[stl_hemi]

13.8 volts? Man you 1500 guys are getting screwed. Buy a Red top battery and a OEM 160 amp alt. Running down the road today at 15.2volts stready.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hg2. Man I wish I would have got the 1/16 not istead of the 3/32nds.

[Painless]

13.8 volts? Man you 1500 guys are getting screwed. Buy a Red top battery and a OEM 160 amp alt. Running down the road today at 15.2volts stready.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hg2. Man I wish I would have got the 1/16 not istead of the 3/32nds.

my 4.7 usually runs at between 14.1 and 14.5 volts

How much can you get a 160 amp for?

[hg2]

  Advance auto parts has 160 amp alternators from $159 to $205

     
 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductList.aspx?PartType=11&PTSet=A&SearchFor=Alternator


  Paul who sells the Red Top batteries and what do they cost?

[stl_hemi]

Optima's. I bought mine off ebay 2 years for the rig. The 160 alt came oem from Dodge with mine. I have a snowplow prep package on my rig. Like I can get a plow on the ground with my lift though.

Model on the Optima is 34/78. Paid $150 for it.
That 1/2 volt more make all the diff in the world guys for production.

[Manta]

What about the other 12 volt (nominal) equipment on the vehicle.  lights etc.  Don't you run a risk of blowing things if you are running at around 20 % over voltage all the time ?

Manta

[hg2]

What about the other 12 volt (nominal) equipment on the vehicle.  lights etc.  Don't you run a risk of blowing things if you are running at around 20 % over voltage all the time ?

Manta

  Interesting point Manta,I wonder if info regarding system voltage limitations is available.But here again StlHemi has been using over 15V for 2 years now with no electrical problems(none that he's posted).I've never checked my voltage without any load on it to see what the max is with just the motor running,I've only checked voltages since installing HHO on my truck.