Keeping your Hydroxy Cell running CLEAN.

[Bob]

I haven't had much luck in this department except while running "Lemonade"
but the Amp draw is usually maxed at about 25 amps (saturation point for my cells I guess)
...
I have switched back and forth between KOH and Lemonade sense I started this and keep going back to KOH sense it draws more amperage... but it gets dirty very fast and demands cleaning quite often...
at least in my cells it did...
Upon tear down I did find a normal steel nut or two in the works that could account for the discoloration of the KOH , other than that I have just about determined that it is the heat my cells put out that COOKS the KOH... because it turns into a deep dark espresso colored brew that coats the plates and production will eventually quit...
...I didn't have any of this trouble using Lemonade but I wasn't running as many amps ether...
have any of you had the KOH turn into a coffee colored solution ?
...
I used KOH and Distilled. Demineralized water and was drawing about 30 amps cold 35 amps hot
output started out great , over 2.5~possibly 3LPM... but by the end of the day the KOH was getting discolored already.... and by the end of the week it was ESPRESSO once again....
that is when I decided to pull it all apart and check the cells and they were all rusty and nasty looking....
...
so my question is ...HOW do you guys keep your cells running CLEAN ?
...
Bob........

[Lee Hazleton]

Bob,
   What kind of stainless are you running? The lower the grade, the more iron will be drawn out during hydrolyzation.

[Bob]

304 stainless steel washers from the hardware store (it could be 315 or something like that but I doubt it.) and then any stainless they had for the bolts and nuts.washers etc,etc. the shim stock was definitely 304 stainless and it showed the most rust.
and its magnetic to a small degree I noticed the other day.
which probably means its not suitable for the job... <GRIN>
isn't it always like that ...you find out after the fact not before ? LOL !
... the washers/plates showed no sign of corrosion at all just the nuts bolts and small washers and shim stock.
 but I have truble believeing that a little amount of rust would cause such fast discoloration of the electrolyte... Its like it changed in a few hours time and the heat was very high in the cell.
... I don't know if I was boiling the electrolyte or not but I expect I was.... because I melted 3 Pop off tops in a row...even after I lowered the amps a bit to calm it down a bit LOL
...
...so the question is does boiling electrolyte cause it to discolor ?
...if so then thats the problem !

Bob......

[Lee Hazleton]

Bob,
    E/lyte boiling point is 230 deg.F at 25.65% KOH (optimum mixture), and 248 deg.F at 36.51% (pushing it).

[Bob]

what I melted a few times is the Red Temporary end cap for ABS/PVC Piping they are self expanding air tight caps that tighten down with a wing nut... I've been using them as safety pop off caps sense I started with Hydroxy generators...they work great ...as long as you don't get them too hot... because they will melt and pull the bolt all the way through the plastic ! they probably have a melting point below 400degrees but how far below is anyone's guess...<GRIN> ...I don't remember if they were approved for hot water lines or not... (that might be a good indicator if they wern't !)
...
thanks for your response Lee, I didn't know the E/lite got that HOT before it boiled !
...
Bob......

[Lee Hazleton]

Bob,
   I use the same cap on my reservoir. Makes cleanup a snap. Sounds like a commercial, huh?

[Bob]

Lee:
I take it you've never melted one, right ?
....
when I was making a HHO torch I popped the safety cap a few times but I never have popped the cap while using a HHO generator in the truck...
the Little torch back flashed allot, and I never did get a cigret filter to put in the 1/4" line
which is supposed to stop that completely... 
that torch setup I had would send the cap way up there.... it'ed take 6 to 8 seconds to hit the ground... that's probably about 250ft high !
makes me want to make a "patato cannon" and use Hydroxy gas in it ! LOL !
...
Bob...

 

[Lee Hazleton]

Can't say that I did. I'm building 18 more plates right now to add to my reactor.
It'll then be 37 plates/36 cells/6 stacks.
-NNNNN+NNNNN-NNNNN+NNNNN-NNNNN+NNNNN-

[Bob]

Wow thats going to be a big cell !
Now if you give it ENOUGH POWER it will produce like gang-busters ! if you only feed it with 20 amps I amagon your LPM will go down instead!
.... You'll have the plate area whipped when you get it all built go power your truck straight off hydroxy gas I bet !...but you'll need many amps to pull it off !
...
Many times I have seen people trying to double their production by doubling the plates but it doesn't work that way, if you double the plates and double the amperage then you can pull it off... but it usually takes a bit more than double the amps...
 I recall a fella that made a 7 plate dry cell that put out 2LPM at 25 amps...which isn't bad really.
he then added 7 more plates but kept the amperage the same and lost production down to about 1/2 LPM
he was reluctant to change the amperage due to the limitations on his vehicles electrical system
and subsequently went back to the original 7 plate design...the big V8 he was powering needed more than 2LPM to make much of a difference , and he was fairly disillusioned about the whole affair!
I hate to see things like that sense I know that it does work so well, but there are tricks that you gott'a watch out for ! LOL
...
Bob.......