Safety Tips

I posted this in the HHOInfo forums and feel it's good to repeat here. I may update the post from time to time so it might be good to review it occasionally.

1. I use vinegar in a 1 quart spray bottle to neutralize NaOH or KOH if I suspect I've come in contact with it, then rinse off with fresh water. Keep the vinegar spray bottle within arm's reach of the test location.

2. Eye Goggles and rubber gloves are necessary when working with NaOH or KOH at all times.

3. I wear a good quality rain coat obtained at the local thrift store when running closed tests with NaOH or KOH. For open container tests it isn't so important.

4. I built a test enclosure to perform closed tests in as I've already had the top blow off a Smack's Booster trying to run it on the start(75 Amp) setting of my battery charger. Made a nice dent in the 10 foot ceiling of my garage and might have reached 40-50 feet altitude if outside. I believe the ignition cause was heat in the lead wires, but have not eliminated spark as a possibility.

5. Do not use glass for enclosed tests. Just too unsafe.

6. SS Wire leads in the electrolyzer container should be bulky whenever possible to reduce heat in the leads. If a wire isn't thick enough then wrap multiples together by twisting with vice-grips to produce a larger wire. SS Plate steel straps should be considered in place of SS wire leads due to the greater total cross section of the strap over wire(and thus less heat). SS straps can be made from cooking utensil handles in a pinch like Smack suggests on his website. If you don't like the cost, then get the utensils at the local thrift store, Dollar Tree, or garage sale. If there is a local scrap yard, inquire about purchasing what you need from them - at scrap prices.

7. Any Ammeter reading above 25 Amps during testing is flat dangerous in my opinion as the one blow off I've experienced was measuring 30 Amps at the time. If this sort of experiment is conducted, then make absolutely certain you have properly calculated and provided the required lead size in your container. I still haven't eliminated the possibility of arcing between the leads as the electrolyzer container is essentially a capacitor and over-energizing a capacitor will cause an arc.

8. Do not inhale the gas as you just don't know what is in there besides the HHO and some of the possibilities can mean an immediate and very long dirt nap.

9. If testing inside make sure to vent the gases to the outside as the Hydrogen will build up on the ceiling and ANY electrical spark will ignite it.

10. When using NaOH be sure you have a good quality source, such as Roebic Heavy Duty Drain Cleaner or Technical Grade NaOH with stated purity over 99%.

11. NaOH concentration should be low, 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water is usually plenty. A high Ammeter reading(greater than 15) in low temps(less than 125F) indicates too much NaOH which should be replaced or diluted with fresh water. The exception to this rule may be when testing a large number of plates, which I haven't progressed to yet.

12. If using city tap water, place it in a container to sit uncapped for at least 24 hours before using to allow any Chlorine gas to vent out. Granted the potential amount is small, but the less Chlorine you are dealing with the better.