Electrolysis

Step 6 Trouble Shooting

You may have encountered some of these probelms during the operation of the cell. The stream may have stopped flowing from the negative and positive end, this may be the result of an insuffiecient connection between the two probes so adjust the position of the battery and the flow will restart. The bubbles may have never been created and that would be the couse of either a dead battery which if your brave enough (unlike some people I know -*Cough*Gerid*cough*-) you can test on your tongue. This may also be the result of non-conductive probes. To fix the latter you will have to find new METAL screws.

Comments

[ubuntuPenguin]

is vinegar a good electrolyte to use? does it produce any dangerous gases?

[BBoyBravo]

how do you stop the electrodes and water from getting guey! I' tried more soda, less soda, distilled water, well water, bottled water it always seems to fry the electrodes and it still gets all guey

[dknutson]

Simple: use stainless steel plates, and KHO flakes as your electrolyte. Salt produces chlorene gas, bakeing soda produces carbon monoxide!

[14860]

Sodium bicarbonate + H2O = Carbon Dioxide I think (which is harmless) and sodium hydroxide. Is that correct?

[El Mano]

I tried steel rods in baking soda and they rusted; I can't find a good material to make into electrodes. Also, what are KHO flakes?

[buckminsterfullerene]

the best materials are carbon rods. they cant short out the ciruit and they wont oxidise.

[dknutson]

KHO: Potassium Hydroxide. BTW, Steel will rust, STAINLESS steal should resist corrosion much better.

[CameronC]

But its also quite expensive. If this is just for blowing stuff up pointlessly then salt/baking soda and carbon or galvanised electrodes work fine.

[El Mano]

Where can I find some good carbon electrodes that won't corrode?

[buckminsterfullerene]

find d batteries that say super heavy duty, or open a lantern battery that says it is a magnesium carbon battery or a zinc carbon battery.

[El Mano]

Forgive me for being cautious, but I prefer to know what I'm dealing with. I got ahold of 4 Panasonic Super Heavy Duty C cells. I tore the jacket off of one of them, and there's a metal canister inside. Now I'm going to be cynical and assume that the can is filled with some sort of chemical with an unknown level of toxitity. Can I just take a hacksaw to said canister, or will it explode, combust, and/or leak poisons all over my hands? (And once disassembled, what's a use for the contents?)

[brandon8775]

If you were to cut the battery it would not explode, the acid would leak out and burn a hole in the ground. The only way it would explode was if you cut it open, and then placed it in water. If you did this everyone within a 10 foot radius would be dead. This I have tried this and I have a hole in my dogs house now.

[buckminsterfullerene]

Wait until after this weekend or next, i will have an instructable up with all the precautions necessary for this, plus a better electrolysis method, trust me. just dont open it yet. coincidentally, i have the same batteries to take apart.

[El Mano]

I have to laugh. So many ironic things have happened today. I took apart the batteries this afternoon. I you have a better idea for an electrolysis unit, though, I may just wait around to see it before I build the model I have in mind.

[buckminsterfullerene]

just wait a week or less, itll be up, maybe by tomorrow or monday