on demand hydrogen systems

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Version 1.08  (Updated 8/8/2008)

1. How can the WaterfuelForAll booster improve my mileage? Will I still get the same power I have come to expect from my vehicle?
Adding a hydrogen-oxygen mix (also called hydroxy) to the fuel system of an internal combustion engine, increases the combustion of the gasoline (or diesel). This can be compared to putting a super high grade of gasoline in your engine. You get better overall performance, increased horsepower and gas mileage.
The booster uses electrical power from the engine that is ultimately created by the fossil fuel, but the gain in efficiency of the engine exceeds the energy loss from generating the hydroxy mix. The increase in horsepower and gas mileage comes from better combustion of the gasoline. Usually, only about 15% of the available energy in gasoline is converted to mechanical energy in an internal combustion engine. The addition of hydroxy results in better combustion which means more of the available energy in the gasoline is converted to mechanical energy and that has nothing to do with creating energy or violating any laws of thermodynamics.

2. Is the WaterfuelForAll booster a "true series cell"?
The 6 series cell tubular design is a "true series cell", since the cells are completely separated/isolated from each other so that water cannot flow from one cell to an adjacent cell.
In this regard readers might be interested to know who is really the father of the "true series cell".
The credit must go to William Rhodes, see US Patent no.  3,310,483,  (1967)
who built the first series cell electrolyzer.

3. Which booster is the best?
There is no such thing as a booster that will always be the best under all circumstances.
However, the two most important factors when comparing boosters are their efficiency, in other words, how much gas generated for a certain amount of power consumed, and also whether they overheat or not.
 
Some boosters, claim impressive amounts of liters per minute gas production, but they do not tell us at how many amps were used and at what water temperature the measurement was taken.
Knowing how many amps is needed is important because it tells us both how efficient the cell is as well as whether the design is likely to have overheating problems.
The less efficient a cell is, the more there is current leakage and as a result the more generation of waste heat. (So for instance generating 3 lpm @ 35A is less energy efficient than generating 2 lpm @ 20A, and one should not just look at the lpm!). Knowing at what water temperature the reading was taken will tell us if the gas was a high quality gas or maybe contained a lot of water vapour.

As a rule of thumb, a series cell design is the most efficient design for straight forward brute force electrolysis.
An open bath design will never be able to be as efficient as a series cell design such as the 6 series cell
 WaterfuelForAll design. (In a true series cell design, the individual cells are isolated from each other and water cannot move freely to adjacent cells, whereas with an open bath design, the cells are open and water can move freely inbetween the electrodes and from one cell to another.)

The biggest problem with an open bath design is that because of excessive current leakage, it usually overheats rapidly and typically gets to 90+ degrees Celsius within +-2 hours.  If an open bath design booster is not constructed from material that can handle those temperatures, you have a problem (e.g. PVC plastic which is only good for 60 degrees C)

Excessive heat also means energy is lost unnecessary with resulting lower efficiency. So a simple but very effective way to have a honest comparison between two boosters, is to put them next to each other and let them run at the same amps. To make an accurate efficiency comparison there should be no external water cooling device or mechanism present (e.g. heat sinks, cooling fans, radiators, siphons etc.). The booster that has the highest water temperature after two hours will always be the least efficient while the booster with the lowest water temperature will always be the more efficient design! It is actually the energy that is wasted that heats up the water, and hotter water simply means more energy is wasted which could have been used to generate more hydroxy. In this regard one must note that if a design needs some kind of external water cooling device or mechanism, this might actually disguise the inherent inefficiency of the design.

If you measure the gas production of an open bath cell while it is running at >85 degrees Celsius, it might look as if you are getting impressive gas production, but at those temperatures the gas contains a lot of water vapour, thus it is a lower quality of gas. So, be very careful when comparing the "claimed" gas production from various boosters. Make sure that you know at what operating temperature the claimed amount of gas was measured and make sure the claim can be verified!

Another important measure of the quality of the booster, is to look at the stainless steel being used.
Some boosters are constructed from cheaper stainless steel and not the more corrosive resistant 316 as is the case with the WaterfuelforAll booster.
Also the WaterfuelfoAll booster only uses plastics (e.g. nylon, polyprop) which are capable of handling higher temperatures as PVC.

So the biggest advantage of the 6 series cell WaterfuelforAll booster is its efficiency, which is up to 2 liters per minute at 20A  (13.8V) for the Standard model, and up to 2.5liters per minute at 25A for the Deluxe model, measured with a water temperature not exceeding 75 degrees Celsius. Even more important is the fact that it can run 8+ hours continuously without overheating.

4a. What models are available and what is their pricing?
We manufacture two models:
WaterfuelForall Standard max 25A, 20A @ 13.8V continuous, 1.5-2.0 lpm @ 20A - USD 295
WaterfuelForall Deluxe max 30A, 25A @ 13.8V continuous, 1.9-2.5 lpm @ 25A - USD 395
WaterfuelForall Super Deluxe  max 35A, 25A @ 13.8V continuous,  height 14.5"
1.9-2.5 lpm @ 25A    USD 495

This price includes the electrolyzer with a 1 liter HDPE water trap/bubbler and the necessary hoses.
A "heavy duty" bubbler is available at an additional cost of USD30.
All units are fully assembled and individually bench tested for a period of at least 2 hours.
AWG 8 cables with soldered connectors, a 30A relay, amp meter, in-line fuse and switch is available at an additional USD 50.

4b. What is the main difference between the 3 models?
Whereas the Standard booster produces 1.5-2.0 lpm @ 20A,
both the Deluxe and Super Deluxe is capable of 2-2.5lpm @ 25A. The only visible difference between the Deluxe and Super Deluxe is that the Super Deluxe is about 5cm (2 inches) longer.
The Super Deluxe holds the most water, thus longer intervals before refilling is necessary.
Typically the 3 models needs to be refilled with water at the following intervals:
Standard - every 6-8 hours of driving time
Deluxe - every 8-10 hours of driving time
Super Deluxe - every 10-12 hours of driving time
Since the Super Deluxe's electrodes have got a larger surface area than the Deluxe, the Super Deluxe
 will have lower current density, thus running slightly cooler if used continuously and more suitable for continuous use of 24 hours a day as for trucks. (At lower water temperatures, the hydroxy gas contains less water vapour and is thus of a higher quality with better combustion enhancement capabilities, likely to give best mileage improvement)
Also, because of the lower current density, the Super Deluxe will need less electrolyte (lye) to pass the same amount of current, which in effect means that the Super Deluxe has the benefit that you have to top up the electrolyte less frequently than with the smaller Deluxe unit.
So the Deluxe and Super Deluxe is equally potent but the bigger Super Deluxe is recommended if you want to run the booster 24hours a day.
However, for commuters who typically do not travel more than 2 hours at a time, the Standard model is sufficient.
With regard to engine capacity, we recommend one unit for roughly every 4000cc.

5. Which shipping options are available?
Two shipping options are available:

UPS

USPS

6. How do you manage such competitive prices?
We had several e-mails from individuals telling us that they cannot
beat our price if they want to build it themselves, and the reason is simple:
we buy our materials in bulk and have designed a manufacturing process that is very cost efficient.
Our goal is to provide the public with a reliable booster but at an affordable price so that it make more sense for someone to rather buy a professionally built unit from us, instead of trying to build a unit themselves, with all the related problems.

7. Which unit do you recommended for my car?
If your car's engine size is larger than 2500cc, we recommend the Deluxe model otherwise the Standard model should be fine. Also refer FAQ 4b.

8. How difficult is it to install?
Detailed installation instructions goes with every unit sold, but the procedure is pretty straight forward and should not take longer than 1.5 hour to install, if so much.

9. Where must the booster be placed?
Anywhere in the engine compartment but preferably in a place where it will have a constant airflow (just like the radiator) so that it can benefit from the cooling effect of airflow.

10. How is the hydroxy injected into the engine?
The hose coming from the water trap is connected to the air intake before the air breather, so that the gases introduced into the intake are first filtered by the air filter.
We are not interested in a vacuum because the manifold has greatest vacuum at the wrong time, and no vacuum at the worse time.
Also, we want the hydroxy gas filtered of any mist, which may carry traces of electrolyte.
As an additional benefit, the air filter serves as a first line of defence, protecting against a backflash coming from the engine.

11a. Where do you buy your tubes? What is the grade and wall thickness?
The manufacture is situated in South Africa, and is buying tubes locally. All tubes are grade 316 ISO certified.

When comparing the quality and prices of various boosters, one must always compare apples with apples.
The 316 grade tubes that we use, are more expensive and more corrosive resistant than the cheaper 302/304 grades. Also note that our tubes have a 1.5mm wall thickness (0.06"),  which is almost double the thickness than the electrodes of many other boosters. This also contributes to the fact that our boosters do not overheat, while others do.
In short, the WaterfuelForAll electrodes are designed to last a lifetime.....

11b. How do I know if I have got 316 grade stainless steel electrodes?
A very easy but effective way to test the quality of your stainless steel is to use a strong Neodymium magnet.
If the magnet sticks to the stainless, then it is definitely NOT grade 316 and most probably a cheaper 304/302 grade which is less corrosive resistant.

12. Do I need an EFIE?
If the vehicle has fuel injection, it is possible that you will have to use an EFIE together with your booster, before you will notice optimal mileage improvement.
Examples of EFIE circuits available on the internet is:
http://www.fuelsaver-mpg.com/
http://www.madcosm.com/
 
In cooperation with Panacea, a reputable alternative energy research organization in Australia we will within the next few months be conducting in depth tests in this regard, using the WaterfuelForAll booster. Panacea will be testing various models of EFIE's as well to assist us in finding the best solution, and to determine whether EFIE's are needed at all.

It has been suggested that EFIE devices, MAP or MAF enhancers, etc should NOT be needed for most vehicles for mild hydroxy gas boosting applications, where one is trying to increase burn efficiency of the primary fuel, (as is the case with the WaterfuelForAll booster). If one or more of these devices are required, then that means there is way too much hydroxy gas being injected for the engine displacement. Those devices likely WILL be needed for large scale hydroxy boosting, where one is trying to replace a portion of the primary fuel with a larger portion of hydroxy gas.

13a. What is the maximum amount of amps that my engine can handle for optimum mileage?

Every engine has a sweet spot where the net energy gain because of the addition of hydroxy is the biggest.
If your booster is pulling too much amps, your engine may need more petrol just to supplement the drag from the alternator (just like an air conditioner causes higher fuel consumption).
To answer this question, the following procedure is suggested:

Remove the hydroxy gas outlet from the intake and start your engine without the booster. Listen to the engine or watch the rpm's. Next turn on the booster, but do NOT feed the hydroxy gas into the intake.
If you notice a change in engine pitch, then that is a sign that you are pulling too much amps.

Next, turn off the booster, put the gas hose back into the air intake and turn on the booster again. Listen to the engine pitch. If the rpm went down, then your booster is not offsetting the amps you are pulling, in other words, it is pulling too much amps and no/little mileage improvement is to be expected. 

13b. How much Hydroxy is needed for optimum mileage improvement?
I do not have the answer yet, but Panacea, a reputable alternative energy research organization in Australia will during the coming months be conducting in depth tests in this regard, using the WaterfuelForAll booster.
Hopefully these tests with advanced computer equipment will be able to answer all our questions in this regard.

14. How do I refill with water and how much?
The booster has a removable cap for easy refill.
Just add the water until it wants to overflow the edges of the inner tubes.
If you by accident fill up a little bit too much, then its not such a big problem.
Yes, there will be much more current leakage initially, but this will only last until that first bit of excess water has been used up, which should be rather quickly.
If the water/electrolyte overflows, it will simply be caught by the bubbler/water trap.

15. What electrolyte should I use?
We recommend lye (also known as caustic soda, chemical symbol NaOH).
You can also use KOH but it is usually more expensive than lye and not so easily obtainable.
Do NOT use baking soda since it might damage the electrodes (tubes) which may lead to reduced gas production.

16. What kind of water should I use?
Distilled is recommended because tap water may cause sludge to build up and short the electrodes.
Should you decide to use tap water, you do so at your own risk and in such case we advise that you should regularly open up and clean out the electrolyzer,
 at least once every 3 months. If your water contains too much impurities, it may contaminate the electrodes which may lead to reduced gas production.

When using tap water, as a minimum requirement you should run it through a Brita water filter before pouring into the booster.

17. How do I control the current draw (amps)?
Amps are controlled by how strong the electrolyte solution is, and to stabilize at between 15-18A you need to add +-30ml (6-8 teaspoons) of lye to 1 liter of water initially.
If you are driving less than 2 hours at a time, then you do not have to be too much concerned about the amps, and then you may add up to 50% more lye, and the current draw should not go above 30A within 2 hours. Thus, for usage less than 2 hours, you can start with 9-12 teaspoons of lye to 1 liter of water. Note that once you have reached the minimum required lye concentration (+-6 teaspoons), the current draw increases very fast with every additional teaspoon of lye added. So rather start with too little lye, than too much. You can always add another teaspoon of lye if you see that your booster does not get close to 25A within 2-3 hours, but if you have added too much lye initially, you may end up with the current draw increasing too quickly and after an hour you may be forced to switch off your booster.
 
18. Should I add lye every time I fill up with water?
No, the lye is slowly being consumed by the electrolysis reaction.
Thus you do not have to add lye every time you fill up with water.
Most of the time you will simply be filling up with distilled water alone.
When you see the amps does not want to go high enough, then you can add a little bit of lye.

19. What happens if my booster runs dry?
Nothing! If all the water is used, the booster will simply stop producing any hydroxy gas. Thus you do not have to be afraid or worry about the booster runnning dry. No harm will be done to the electrodes. In this regard a booster is different from a kettle.

20. How do I prevent freezing in sub zero temperatures?
Electrolyte concentration needs to be high to prevent freezing.
Alternatively you can put a heating/cooling coil around the unit (engine coolant driven)
or wrap the booster with fiberglass foil backed insulation.

The following link provides a document that shows on page 22 how the freezing point of the electrolyte can be delayed by increasing the concentration of KOH.
http://www.oxy.com/oxychem/Products/caustic_potash/literature/kohhandb.pdf
The same principle applies to NaOH (lye)

21. How do I / Should I condition my booster before using it?
Some successful commercial boosters do not recommend any specific conditioning procedure.
On the other hand, Bob Boyce strictly prescribes the following procedure for
electrode cleansing and conditioning:

Plate Cleansing

"During this stage, we are operating in submerged plate condition, where the
liquid level is maintained just over the plates.  Run this cell stack at
full power for several hours at a time, which can be 4 amps or more. As the
cell stack runs, the boiling action will loosen particulate from the pores
and surfaces of the metal. Be sure to do this in a well vented area. Shut
down and pour this solution into a container. Rinse the cells well with
distilled water. Filter the dilute solution through paper towels or coffee
filters to remove particulate. Pour the dilute solution back in and repeat
this cleansing process. You may have to rinse and repeat many times until
the cells stop putting out particulate matter into the solution. Optionally,
you can use new solution each time you cleanse, but be forwarned, you can go
through a lot of solution just in this cleansing stage. When cleansing is
finished (typically 3 days of cleansing), do a final rinse with clean
distilled water."
(Not that Bob's system use a 101 plate cell, thus full power is only 4 amps.
For the WaterfuelForAll booster, full power would imply 20-25A)

 Plate Conditioning

"Using the same concentration of solution as in cleansing, now fill the cell
stack with dilute solution.  Monitor current draw. If current draw is fairly
stable, continue with this conditioning phase straight for 2 to 3 days,
adding distilled water to just replace what is consumed. If the solution
turns color or skims over with crud, the cell stack needs more cleansing
stages.  After 2 to 3 days of run time, pour out the diluted solution and
rinse well with distilled water."

My recommendation would be to try and stick as close as possible to the
procedure prescribed by Bob, for best results.
Best would be to connect your booster to a regulated power supply during the
break in period. (Use a PSU rated at least 20A, 13.8VDC)

But at the same time I have to confess that I have experienced little
difference between different conditioning methods tested by myself.
While we are not trying to achieve resonance (we are merely performing brute force electrolysis), and while we are using a good quality grade 316 stainless steel, I suspect that the exact method used for conditioning does not matter so much,
as long as the plates are never touched by bare hands or any other chemicals
than NaOH or KOH.
I believe the most important point is to stick to using distilled water and
just know that your booster will not start out at maximum gas production,
 but gas production will gradually increase during the first +-30 hours of
operation.

During assembly we only handle the tubes with rubber gloves, so you do not
have to be worried about contamination for a start.

For simple brute force electrolysis for purposes of boosting I will simplify
Bob's procedure to:
Connect your booster to a PSU and run at between 10-20 amps for 24 hours before fitting to your vehicle.
Interrupt the procedure every time when the cell gets to +- half full of
water and replace with new water & electrolyte.
If you do not have a PSU, just borrow your friends'! (I'm sure one of your
friends will have one!)

If you cannot get hold of a PSU at all, then install the booster into your car but make sure you do not exceed 20A during the first 24 hours of operation and try to refill with new water and a clean electrolyte mix at least twice during this period.

22. Which is most efficient, tubes or plates?
A similar sized 7 plate series cell and 7 tube series cell should have similar efficiencies if built to the same precision. However, the biggest advantage of the tubular design compared to the sandwiched series design is the fact that the tubular design is less prone to leaking of hydroxy than the sandwiched series cell. This is because every seal between a sandwiched plate is a potential leaking spot at a later stage when the cell gets older (hydroxy has got the tendency to leak at places where nothing else will leak!)

23. Can I add a PWM to my booster and what would be the benefit?
Yes, you can add a Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) to your booster. Adding a PWM will allow you to manually control the amp flow as you like, but note that you will not have any improvement in efficiency.
The gas production will merely increase/decrease as amp flow increase/decrease, for example, if your unit is drawing 25A and producing 2.5lpm hydroxy and you now add a PWM and adjust the PWM so that it limits the current to 15A, you will only get 1.5lpm
A PWM is a necessity for boosters that quickly overheats. While the WaterfuelForAll booster does not overheat (as long as you do not add too much lye!), a PWM is only is "nice to have" especially if you are only going to drive up to 3 hours at a time. However, if you are frequently going to drive for more than 3 hours continuously, then  adding a PWM will make your unit more user friendly since you would not have to worry about the lye concentration and can manually control the current flow.

24. Can we achieve resonance with a 6 series cell?

You need higher voltages to achieve the high resonance efficiences that Bob Boyce is achieving.
That's why Bob's cell is typically running at 170VDC or higher.
Bob said that at 13.8VDC he only achieved very little energy gain, typically in the 1.1 : 1 to 1.2 : 1 range.
He specifically do not recommend low voltage systems, as the environmental energy gain is very low compared to the drive energy, and the cost is still high as far as the toroidal power system components is concerned.

www.hydrogenjunkie.com

Dear Waterfuel Enthusiast

Congratulations on the purchase of your WaterfuelForAll booster!

Not only will you be experiencing some mileage gains in future, but you will also be promoting cleaner environment with less harmful emissions.

Here are a few things to take note of when you receive your unit:

The last thing we did before sending your unit, was run it for 2 hours while filled with distilled water and lye (NaOH).  Should you notice any white spots on the unit, it is most likely some of the remains of NaOH that has dried.
 

     If you closely study your unit, you will notice that it is very robust and unlikely to "break" for many years to come! The 316 grade stainless steel should last a lifetime and the plastics used are also of the highest quality.  For maximum gas production, we recommend that you condition your booster as follow, before starting its use: Connect your booster to a regulated power supply rated at a minumemum of 20A @ 13.8VDC . Fill the booster with a solution of 5 teaspoons (25ml) of lye (also called “caustic soda”) in distilled water and run the booster at 10-20 amps for 24 hours before installing to your vehicle. Note that at start-up when the water is still cold, the amp flow will not reach 10A.  Within 15minutes as the water picks up in temperature, the current flow should increase. Interrupt the procedure every time the cell gets to +- half full of solution and refill with new (water & lye; for a standard size booster it is estimated to be about every 4 hours). If you do not have access to a PSU and cannot perform the above procedure, then make sure that you do not exceed a current draw of 20A during the first 24hours of operation.  Be sure to clean out with new water & electrolyte at least twice during this period. (During this conditioning procedure, you can also perform a hydrogen leakage test by simply holding the whole booster in a bucket/bin of water for a few minutes while watching for bubbles. If you observe any leakage, simply tighten the nuts on the 4 outside rods that is keeping the unit together.  We mentioning this before-hand simply because we want to save you time trouble shooting.

 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS 

The WaterfuelForAll booster should be installed in a manner that does not inhibit the normal operation of your vehicle. All mounting of components should be done in a secure fashion, insuring that no parts interfere with belts, hoses, or electrical components of your vehicle. Also make sure that all wires are insulated correctly to stay clear of any electrical shortage.

STEP1: FIND A SUITABLE LOCATION

 Find a place to mount your booster that is not subject to severe vibration, preferably inside the engine compartment away from moving parts. If possible, locate the cell in a possition that is against or near a sturdy surface and can be secured by a mounting bracket.  Make sure to choose a location that will gives you access to the water refill cap that is located on top of the unit. 
 

STEP 2:  CONNECTING THE HOSES

You will be connecting the clear hose provided between the white plastic elbow outlet at the top of the booster and the bottom of the water trap/bubbler.  (The hose on its own provide a tight seal but we recommend that you use a clamp to further tighten the hose. Be careful not to over-tighten the clamp, because the nipple is made from plastic.) This setup will allow the booster to suck any overflowed liquid from the water trap back into the electrolyzer once it cools down upon shut down.  Connect another hose from the top black connector in water trap to the air intake before the air breather, so that the gases introduced into the intake are first filtered by the air filter.  Usually the end of the hose must be placed in the air box that holds the air filter.  On some vehicles there are electronic devices inside the air box.  Thus, before you route your hose to the air box, open the air box and remove the air filter and see if there is anything else in the air box that might be damaged by a strong corrosive solution. If there are components in your air box, you may want to route your gas hose to a spot in the air box that would be safe for electrolyte solution to drip out and drain out the bottom without dripping on the other devices in there.  Be sure to secure the gas hose so it can’t move.  (We have provided two plastic fittings which could be used to connect the hose with the air filter box/pipe. If your car has an air filter box made from hard plastic, the fitting with the rubber seal might be more appropriate and you need to drill a 16mm hole for the rubber seal to fit. If your car has a soft rubber pipe leading to the air filter, then the plastic elbow might be more appropriate and you simply have to make a small hole in the pipe and stick the elbow through so that ideally it points to the air filter.  Make sure all the clear hose connections are secure and tight to prevent leakage of precious hydroxy gas! You may apply some silicon sealant around each connection) In some cases there might be no way to safely have any bubbles, or mist of electrolyte, enter the air box.  In this rare occasion you could route the gas hose to a spot in the air induction tube after the air filter, and put a large paper fuel filter in the gas hose before the end of the hose.  This fuel filter will act as an air filter for the gases, but might occasionally clog with electrolyte.  Check it periodically and rinse it out well with water to clear any clog.

More about the water trap / bubbler:

With your booster you would have received either a water trap or a heavy duty bubbler. The water trap is a white 1liter jar made from HDPE plastic and is a sealed unit, so do not try to unscrew the cap!

The heavy duty bubbler can be ordered as an optional extra and it is made from heavy duty PVC with color grey and blue. The heavy duty bubbler has a cap that can be unscrewed thus allowing you to pour some water into the bubbler.

The question comes to mind, if and when does one need a “heavy duty bubbler”.  In this regard,

it must be noted that the WaterfuelForAll booster, while being constructed from 1.5mm (0.06”) thick stainless steel, is much stronger than most other commercially available boosters.  Thus, for a start, the WFA booster can easily withstand a flashback on its own, even if there is no bubbler present. For that reason the WFA comes standard with a water trap where the purpose of the water trap is mainly to catch water carrying electrolyte that might spill over from the booster while driving. In this way we prevent electrolyte from being sucked into the engine. For this exact reason we do not connect the gas hose to any place that draws a vacuum, but rater connect the gas hose to the air filter box so that the hydroxy exits BEFORE the air filter. In this way, the air filter serves as additional protection against a possible engine backfire and the air filter also assist in filtering out any traces of electrolyte in the hydroxy gas. Note that the water trap has also been tested to act as an effective protection mechanism against a flashback. Should a flashback happen, the plastic cap of the water trap will simply shoot off or one of the rubber seal connectors will pop out. (Also note that the plastic cap is made of very light and soft HDPE plastic so there is no risk of shrapnel as with some other commercially available boosters!) So it is clear that on its own, this setup is both safe and easy to implement.

Replacing the water trap with a heavy duty bubbler adds even more safety to the installation and the idea is to keep the bubbler at least half full of water at all time. In this way, the water in the bubbler serves as an additional protection against a flashback and also serves as an additional filtering mechanism to filter out traces of electrolyte from the hydroxy gas. Unless a one-way valve is fitted in-between the booster and the bubbler, some of the water in the bubbler may siphon back into the booster when the booster cools down and for that reason you should only fill the bubbler with distilled water or water that has been filtered by a Brita filter. While fitting a one-way valve inbetween the booster and the bubbler prevents water from siphoning back into the booster, the bubbler will not be able to act as a water trap and thus more care has to be taken not to overfill the booster when refilling with water. Obviously nothing prevents you from having both a water trap and heavy duty bubbler which will give you the best of both worlds!

As a rule of thumb, for systems generating less than 2 liters per minute (that implies a current draw <=20A), the water trap on its own is sufficient, but we recommend the heavy duty bubbler for systems generating more than 2 liters per minute hydroxy (i.e. max current draw >20A).   

Above we described the preferred configuration with a connection before the air filter. However, if you do not get a good mileage improvement using this configuration you may want to try connecting the gas hose after the air filter. In this case, it is recommended that you have both a water trap and a bubbler filled with water inbetween the booster and the connection. The water bubbler will then catch remaining traces of electrolyte and serve as an additional protection mechanism against a flashback. The mounting of the booster's safety bubbler needs to be done as close to the carburetor or throttle body.
This will allow a short length of piping to be used to connect the booster's bubbler to the intake of the engine. This connection should be installed into the intake tube. The closer to the butterfly valve the better. You want to tap into the ductwork just before the throttle body, always as close to
the butterfly as you can get.

Another option is to insert a T-piece into the gas hose and have two connections, one before the air filter and one close to the throttle body/butterfly valve. In this way you will ensure that you always have
maximum vacuum available at all times.

STEP 3:  CONNECTING THE WIRES

Connect the booster exactly as shown in the figure below:

All wire should be heavy wire (AWG 8) except the wire between connection 86 on the relay and the ignition, which can be thin wire. You may connect the outer tube and/or connection 85 directly to the chassis of your car, if you want. (If you have ordered the wiring kit, you will have a 2m long black wire with a connector to fit the connection on the outer tube and connection 85 on the relay. You can cut this wire into two pieces at any place and then connect the loose ends to the chassis)

Very important: If you are making your own cables, please note that all connections should be soldered, not just crimped as to ensure a secure connection.

After hooking up all the wires as shown above, insert the fuse in the fuse holder and test for voltage between the center terminal of the hydrogen generator and the side of the container, with the engine running.  You should have around 14 volts.  Then check for voltage when the engine is not running.  You should now have 0 volts. In this way, we ensure that the booster is producing hydroxy ONLY when the engine is running. (That prevents putting an excess amount of hydroxy into the engine intake which could explode and blow the air filter housing off in case of a backfire, when starting the engine)

If your car has an On-Board Diagnostic computer (i.e. most cars after 1994 with OBD-I or ODB-II), then after installation and before the engine is started up, remove the negative side of the battery cable from the battery and touch it to the positive side of the battery, as this will clean the computer. Hold the connection for 1 full minute! (Alternatively, disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery for 1 hour.  20 minutes will do, but 1 hour to make sure)  Note that if you have a vehicle that are radio security code equipped, you will need to re-enter the code, so make sure you have this code before resetting the computer!

(WARNING: If you have a capacitor for the stereo or any other device, you must disconnect it first. Otherwise, you will likely damage your ECU or any other on-board computer)

Resetting the OBD computer in this way, will allow it to learn a new fuel curve based on the presence of the hydroxy mix.

STEP 4: FILLING THE BOOSTER

You will be filling your booster with a mixture of  lye (also called caustic soda) added to distilled water. (Caution: Lye can irritate your skin. The solution, if left in contact, can eat away your flesh, just like a strong acid)

While working with this solution, use latex or rubber gloves and eye protection. If you ever have a substance on your skin that feels slippery, wash it off with plenty of water and some vinegar or citrus juice. These are weak acids and will neutralize the base.

Caution, when mixing a greater amount of lye with water, the solution will generate lots of heat. Add the electrolyte to the water a little at a time, stirring and giving the solution time to cool so it doesn’t overheat. Do not breathe the fumes of this solution and work in a well ventilated area.

You will want to make a solution that will make your cell draw +-20 amps when hot. If you want to operate your booster for several hours continuous you must be careful not to mix a too strong lye solution. Thus, add only 6-8 teaspoons (30-40ml) of lye to one liter of distilled water in a glass container.  Stir it until it is clear.  The water will get hot.  Do not breathe the fumes.  Pour the electrolyte into the water fill hole of the booster, while the engine is running, until you see 5-8 amps on the ammeter.  It takes time for the amps to come up so don’t be in a hurry. 

If the solution cannot achieve 5A within a few minutes, you might have to add one more teaspoon of lye. Using such a relatively weak solution of NaOH will allow the current to stabilize at +-20A even after several hours of operation.

However, if you know you will never or seldom be driving for periods longer than 3 hours, you can mix a stronger NaOH solution. In this case, add up to 50%more lye, e.g. 9-12 teaspoons (45-60ml) of lye to one liter of distilled water. Pour the electrolyte into the booster, while the engine is running, until you see 10-12A on the ammeter (Note that you can always add more lye, but once you have added too much, you cannot remove the lye unless you refill completely, so be careful to add additional lye too quickly)

Once you have reached 10-12 amps, you can finish filling the cell with distilled water. This mix will allow the booster to warm up quicker with resulting higher amps and higher gas production, but before the amps get too high (i.e. >30A), you will be already at your destination! If the unit is properly installed as suggested in the schematic above, then should the amps at any time exceed 30A for whatever reason, the fuse will blow and no harm will be done. As suggested by the schematic, it is recommended that you also fit a switch that will allow you to switch the unit of entirely at any time. This switch also serves as an additional safety mechanism.

Whenever you refill the cell with water, only fill to the splash guard, on top of the inner tubes.  If you never have any bubbles exit your cell, you could fill a little higher.  If you see bubbles coming through the clear gas hose you know you have filled the cell too far.  Typically you want to see a 1 inch (+-2.5cm) space above the liquid level inside the cell to enable the gas bubbles to burst and allow only gas to exit the cell. 

What about a PWM to control current?

If you want to get yourself a PWM, we will offer one soon on www.hydrogenjunkie.com
This model is very nice because it can handle 30A and is factory assembled & tested.

If the amps go above 30A, shut off the switch, go home, and readjust your solution by pouring some out and adding water. If this happens to you, it is because when you first filled the cell you did not give the solution time to dissipate throughout the cell while you checked the amps. Take your time this time.

If the amps take a sudden jump during your drive, you probably have a short in your cell caused by the cell falling over because it was not securely fastened. Turn off the switch, go home and inspect your installation.  A sudden jump in amps also could be caused by a short in your wiring, due to poor insulating or because a wire rubbed against a fan belt and grounded out on something. Check this out.

Hopefully before installing the cell you had some idea of the gas mileage you were getting with your vehicle. If not, shut off the cell and test your mileage before using the cell.

When you go to test the mileage be sure that you drive at least enough distance to use up a half a tank of fuel.  The longer you use the WaterfuelForAll booster, the cleaner your combustion chamber will become and the better your gas mileage will be. Give it time to clean out the carbon and expose the metal catalysts inside the engine. Don’t expect a huge increase in mileage immediately.

Note for tractor trailer drivers:  Careful monitor the amp draw if you are idling for extended periods of time.  The production of hydrogen causes a demand on your alternator/battery and you do not want to end up with a flat battery!

While we have done our best to ensure that your unit left our premises in perfect working condition, it is possible that you might have some hickup at some stage during the lifetime of your booster.

Here is a list of the most common problems that could happen:

Solution:

1) If your booster is new (less than 30 hours of operation) then it is not yet run in properly and you cannot expect peak gas production yet

2) Some Hydroxy might be leaking somewhere. Thus check all nuts if they are properly tightened and tighten a bit more if necessary

3) Check if water cap is properly tightened

Solution:

You have a bad connection somewhere. Thus check if cable connections are tightened/connected properly.

A few water drops are dripping from the bottom of the booster?

Solution:

1) Check that the nut on the centre rod below the unit is properly tightened. If necessary, tighten a bit more, but do not overtighten as to damage the rubber seal above!

   Even though this rubber seal is made of Viton, (a very expensive and high quality rubber), you should be careful not to damage this seal.

   If you still have the occasional drop of water appearing at the bottom, loosen the nut on the centre rod and add some silicon sealer inbetween the rubber viton seal and the stainless steel washer and around the centre rod itself.

2) Check that all lock nuts at the top of the unit are properly tightened.

3) All wires connected to the booster should be heavy wire (AWG 8) and all connections should be soldered, not just crimped as to ensure a secure connection.

When you receive your unit, it is BRAND NEW. That means that all the seals are still settling.

We did not want to over-tighten the screws on our side, so it is likely that some of the screws might need to be tightened a little bit more (very gently!) now that the unit has had a chance to settle.

The reason why all screws should be properly tightened (but NOT overly tight!) is because we want to make sure that all seals are 100% tight.

Hydroxy has got the tendency to leak through places where nothing else will leak, and the mere fact that your booster does not leak water, is no guarantee that it does not leak hydroxy!

In fact, we recommend that before you install you unit in your car, you should first run it standalone at between 10-20A and then put the complete unit in a bucket/bin of water to make sure that you do not see any small hydrogen bubbles escaping from any seal including the cap. Also hold the clear tube connections with the water trap/bubbler under water to test them for leakages as well!

With regard to the cap, you should ALWAYS tighten it properly after a water refill, for the same reason mentioned above.

We specifically want to make you aware of the importance of these issues because so often it happens that people complain about a booster not working while the only problem is them not tightening the cap properly!

1) Make sure your booster, bubbler and gas hoses are not leaking gas (refer question above)

2) Consider a different or second connection point for the gas hose (refer Step 2: Connecting the hoses)

3) Your booster might be pulling too much amps for your specific engine and alternator size. If your booster is running with a current draw of more then 15A, dilute the electrolyte mix so that you do not ever go above 15A and see if it makes a difference. For smaller engines (e.g. less than 1500cc) we recommend not going above 10A. (Refer FAQ 13a)

4) If your car has an On-Board Diagnostic computer (i.e. most cars after 1994 with OBD-I or ODB-II), then remove the negative side of the battery cable from the battery and touch it to the positive side of the battery, as this will clean the computer. Hold the connection for 1 full minute to properly reset the computer!

5) If your car has oxygen sensors and/or fuel injection, then you may need an EFIE (refer FAQ 12). However, first make sure you have tried point 4) above before start fiddling around with an EFIE.

6) If your engine has a carburetor, you MUST fit smaller jets!! Without smaller jets you will not see any decent mileage improvement!

HOW TO BECOME AN AGENT

We have registered a provisional patent for the WaterfuelForAll booster design. Should you be interested to become an agent/distributor for our product, please contact info@hydrogenjunkie.com

30/6/2008