Came up with a great current leakage idea!!!

[Tundra4x4]

Ok i was trying to think of a way to stop the current leakage...and i was going to try that plasicdip like discuss on here but i came up with a pretty good idea. Has any one thought about using rubber grommets? You can get them as thin as 1/32 of an inch. and if you off set your holes you can get those to work...i think! I am thinking about giving them a try once i get some money but if anyone has thought about it or tried it let me know how it worked. Does anyone have any input if that would work or not?
Here is the website i might order from.....
http://www.westernrubber.com/PURCHASE/Grommet-search.html

Thanks
Seth

[bigjim56]

Excellent grommet link, thanks! I'm sitting on the edge myself. I know something needs to be done to try to eliminate, or at least reduce the effects of current leakage. But no sure fire way has been put forward yet. I want an efficient cell, and eliminating current leakage will add up to 10% increase in efficiency if done correctly.

Saw a video on youtube titled "Zero current leakage cell" that showed how to mold (soldering iron) pieces of teflon tubing to the surrounding plate for a good looking work. I may try that. Could even order some grommets from here and shave the sides for a more professional looking job. The tolerances are so small though. I'm using 0.04 Pan liner instead of the 0.06 Neoprene, so this would require really thin grommet walls. But it could work! I just don't know which way to go yet. The grommet does have promise.

bigjim56

[Tundra4x4]

yeah i was thinking about it yesterday on how to solve this problem and in truth i was looking at gasket material to just seal my cell when i saw the link for grommets and i was like that would work. I mean you can get them really thin. The only problem is they can withstand the heat being that thin, but if they can they this will for sure have to solve this problem of current leakage. It would be so much easier than using plasicdip tool grip. and when though they could be too wide all you have to do is shave some of the sides off to make them even thinner. I might order some and give it a try when i get some money. If anyone has anymore input on this idea PLEASE let me know!!!

[H2OPWR]

I have probably done as much building and testing things to stop current leakage as anyone on this forum. I have tried so many things that I can not remember them all. IMO as Shane said the grommet thin enough would not cover enough of the area around the hole and just may soften enough to come out under electrolosis. There have been only two things that I have tried that did not completely failed under electrolosis. First is the plastidip. It holds up very well but just will not stick to stainless. You will have to drill several holes around the main hole so it can adhere to itself through the smaller holes. That did work for me with many test runs. I have since moved on because it is hard to get thin enough and harder to make stick. If what I am trying does not work I will revisit it because it does work and does stay put when done right. The material I am using now is showing much promise but has it's downfall as well. Last night I removed one end plate after 25+ hours of run time at 40 to 50 amps. The material is still perfectly intact and adhering as well as when it was applied. The problem is that it is a little pricey and very hard to work with. It is the Polyurea sprayed in truck beds for bedliners. It will also require a larger gap than most will want for anything other than a very large device. I am holding out much hope for the stuff Shane is trying. If it holds up undre electrolosis it would be perfect for the home designer in a one off design. Good luck. I hope someone comes up with a good solution to this problem.

Larry

[Gary Diamond]

Liquid nail will stick to stainless, i have used it for a job i had once, were i needed to glue plastic to stainless years later i tried to pull it off and only heat will do it and a lot of pulling

[H2OPWR]

Liquid nail will stick to stainless, i have used it for a job i had once, were i needed to glue plastic to stainless years later i tried to pull it off and only heat will do it and a lot of pulling

Gary, It may work for the Foil experiment you are trying where it is not in contact with the electrolite. Not one type of glue has held up under electrolosis for me or anyone else that I have heard from. I have not tried liguid nails but have tried most other things out there. The best I have found is Marine Goop but even that has a fairly short life span when exposed to actual electrolosis. There are some two part water proof epoxys that have held up for a short time as well but eventually turn to mush and fail. Even the old stand by JB Weld is not affected by soaking in a strong KOH solution for days but the instant power is applied it turns to mush. The inside of a hydrogen generator is a very harsh invironment. The problem does not seem to be the KOH but infact the electrolosis process itself.

[Dave Nowlin]

Could the problem in part be caused by thermal expansion and contraction caused by the plates heating up and cooling down?

Dave Nowlin

[Tundra4x4]

Ok i see that it has to be 2.5x and the grommet is plenty thin enough and the grommet covers 3/4 of an inch which my holes are 3/8 of an inch. So you really think it wont work? I am getting 1.3 lpm and i need to get rid of current leakage. any ideas?

[H2OPWR]

Ok i see that it has to be 2.5x and the grommet is plenty thin enough and the grommet covers 3/4 of an inch which my holes are 3/8 of an inch. So you really think it wont work? I am getting 1.3 lpm and i need to get rid of current leakage. any ideas?

No I do think that if the grommet is wide enough that it could work. At the low cost of a grommet it is certainly worth a try. I really hope it does. It would be a very simple and easy solution. I do have a couple of things that I would watch for. First as close of a water tight seal between the grommet and the plate itself as possible. If there is water and electricity under the grommet edge itself electrolosis will occur. If there are bubbles under the grommet it could possibly push the grommet away from the plate surface and block your hole. Just make sure there is plenty of space between the grommet and the next plate for easy gas excape. If pressure builds up in your device it will push water out lowering the amount of usable plate surface causing heat build up and low production. These are just guesses on what might happen. I am not sure what will happen and I would love to find out. If my holes were not already blocked I would have already ordered some to try. The worst that can happen is that you have to remove them.

Larry

[Tundra4x4]

Yeah once i get some money together to build a project cell i am going to try the grommets out. Because i have 1/16 inch plates with i can get grommets that are that wide and i can get the sides of it 1/32 inch which should be small enough. The diameter is a 3/4 inch. I think all i have to do is off set the holes to let the water through so that the grommets dont touch each other and seal it off completely. But once i get plates and build it i will let yall know how it works. thanks guys

[nstruktr]

Have you tried marine goop, sticks very well to stainless. Has held up under 30amps and koh for 3 months now.

[H2OPWR]

Have you tried marine goop, sticks very well to stainless. Has held up under 30amps and koh for 3 months now.

I have tried it many times. Although it gas held up for me better than most it has always eventually came off.

Larry