Have you got a gas guzzling car?
Are you worried about rising fuel prices?
If so, then running your car on water is NOT the solution you are looking for.
Rising Oil Prices
One side effect of the global warming scam is the fact that taxation and prices are on the rise.
Both of these factors have had a huge impact upon the price of gas.
This, in turn, has led to manufacturers and amateurs alike trying to find alternative power sources as well as ways of increasing mileages for existing vehicles.
Not to be outdone, the less than honest, aka scam artists, have also got in on the act.
If you search the internet for ways of saving on your gas bill, or for alternatives to gas, then you will be met with all sorts of crazy schemes and devices.
Most of these are simply designed to part you from your cash.
One of the more ‘popular’ improve your mileage per gallon scams centres around the premise that water can be converted into gas.
Apparently, or so the claims suggest, you can connect one of these ‘fuel cells’ to your car’s electrical system, fill it with free water and then run a pipe to your car’s air intake.
In theory, mixing equal amounts of water and gas would then cut your motoring costs by 50%.
Running Your Car On Water Sounds Amazing
Yes, it sounds amazing.
So good in fact that I would predict that one of these schemes will win the Nobel Peace Prize (stranger things have happened).
The reality, however, is that if something sounds too good to be true then… you know.
How Does The Water / Gas Scam Allegedly Work?
Here’s how the water and gas combo purportedly works -
The ‘fuel cell’ that you are supposed to add to your car is a simple electrolysis device that is designed to split water into two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.
This in itself is hardly innovative as such devices have been in existence for a great many years.
The theory continues along the lines of recombining the gasses generated through electrolysis, via combustion, in order to release energy.
Such a process does, undoubtedly work – energy would indeed be released via this process.
However, the laws of physics must always be obeyed.
These laws make it quite clear that the resulting amount of energy after recombining the atoms through combustion cannot exceed the level of energy that was required to separate them in the first place.
Physics Scuppers The Water For Gas Claims Even Further
Humans, and the things we make, are not perfect.
Therefore, during the process of electrolysis and combustion, there will be ‘leakages’ in the system, meaning that the energy produced by this hydrogen will actually be significantly less than the amount of energy required to create it.
Inconveniently for those behind such water to gas scams, this means that fuel consumption may actually increase if you buy their kits or follow their instructions.
Side Effects
Naturally, the car you drive was designed to burn gasoline and not hydrogen.
Therefore, it should be no surprise to learn that your car was not designed for burning hydrogen which gets much hotter than gas.
Your car’s engine has not been designed to cope with that heat level for sustained periods of time and so the likelihood of damage occurring is greatly increased.
The parts most susceptible to such heat damage are likely to be those that are extremely hard or costly to service or replace, such as valves and pistons.
Unless you are a skilled mechanic then the increase in maintenance costs on your vehicle would most likely negate more than the savings you would gain through converting water to gas.
The Water To Gas Scams Continue Regardless
Even though the laws of physics debunk the possibility of water for gas scams being anything other than a con, those behind the ruses continue unabated.
Scientific evidence is replaced by anonymous customer testimonials, affiliate links and enviro-friendly sales pitches as they continue to peddle their $2,000 conversion kits, or do it yourself $97 ebooks.
If the most brilliant scientific minds in history cannot break the laws of thermodynamics then why would anyone believe that some random website owner or garage mechanic can?
Obviously the answer to that is greed.
Too many people get suckered into scams because their greed and desire to get something cheap or for nothing blinds them to reality.
Buy Gas Not Water
If you are concerned by the rising cost of gas, or feeling the pinch of increasing fuel costs then the best suggestion is to use what you have sensibly.
If you have $2000 set aside for a water to gas conversion, or just the $97 required for an ebook, then you will likely get more miles to the gallon if you simply spent that money on gas instead!
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To JC below, there is a very good reason that you have never heard of a damaged water/gas hybrid. Because even the people who are trying to sell the conversion kits do not have an actual working model to show anyone.
The Laws of Physics cannot be denied. For those who know physics, and chemistry, they SHOULD know that using water for fuel is very real. There are cars out there that are running off of water right now. Even more there are water/gas hybrids that are running and getting amazing results. There are Univeristy’s and individuals with government grants that are making amazing prototypes. Yes Hydrogen burns hotter than gas. The gas produced by electrolysis of water is HHO gas or “Brown’s Gas”. Do your research and you will find that this is a very efficient gas that, when added to fuel, will make the fuel burn a little hotter (which means more horsepower) more efficient (better gas mileage) and cleaner. I will say use at your own risk though. The one good point I actually saw on this post stated that your car was made exclusively to burn gasoline. Any modifications to your vehicle could cause adverse affect. However, I have yet to see one case of a damaged water/gas hybrid.
There is a simple way to explain why running your car on water does not work well. The internal combustion engine is only about 33% efficient. So for every 100 units of energy that goes into converting the water to HHO gas, you can’t expect to get more than 33 units back by burning it in your engine. And that is under absolutly perfect conditions.
I would suggest this actually “works” by raising the burn temperature of the fuel mix – thus improving the combusion of the carbon in the fuel (as you know in efficient combusion is a failed release of energy). This is why lpg burns more efficiently – this is the principle lpg is actually added to diesel fuel. Sounds like it could work with hydrogen and petrol. I expect its success rate very much depends on the engine. Less efficient larger steel engines may be OK small high tech aluminium ones are probable going to suffer alot.
Couldn’t find any “real” information regarding adding hydrogen anywhere but would be interested to know. This speculation is based on basic chemistry and what I know about lpg which is well documented.
I have read a few articles on this now, amazed that it manages to keep going. Of course, email spam keeps going even though there are so many people out there exposing the truth, so I guess I should be surprised. It will be good when this actually does work for real!
Email spam will never stop just so long as people actually buy what is being peddled.
What amazes me is the number of people who are prepared to hand money to strangers who invade their inboxes!
The physics explanation in this article doesn’t make sense. The hydrogen is being ADDED to the combustion. Who cares how much energy it took to create it? The results aren’t based on the energy given back from the hydrogen alone. Again, it’s being ADDED to the process. It’s like holding a bullet and saying the only amount of energy that can be released from this is equal or less than the amount of energy it took to “create” it. When you ADD the components together, you get the result.
If it didn’t work, at least a little bit, then why do they explain the added heat stress on the engine? The theory is sound, and the results are there. Some people have “tried” this on beat up POS cars that barely ran to begin with, and the wonder why it didn’t work.
Take little bit of electricity from the battery, about the same as a couple of charging cell phones or cd players, create some hydrogen, (which you could do with a 9 volt battery and a glass of water….”wow, I wonder what those bubbles are?”)
Mix that hydrogen in with THE OTHER gases in the combustion, and make that combustion cleaner.
Cleaner equals more efficient….
Results vary, but some done on late 90’s Ford V6s show 45-55% increases in MPG. Results from work done on vehicles with pre-computer engine systems are better. That’s why there is so much BS about this, because the car companies don’t know what to do with this tech yet….”Who killed the electric car?” anybody?
Wake up and kill your TV, cause were just cattle waiting to be fed. Do a little bit of 4th grade science for yourself. I’m not saying that you’ll get the “AMAZING RESULTS” that they promise, but you might add 20-30%. Wouldn’t you want to add 5 or 6 MPG to your vehicle with some crap from the hardware store?
Or maybe I’m full of crap…think for yourself…..
Hi DMD
I would never tell anyone that they are full of crap.
I think I’m right, based upon my understanding of physics. However, I’m not perfect so I’ll re-read your comment and then put in a bit more research to see if I have made a mistake or not.
that guy was right about the bullet idea. You don’t have to shoot a bullet to make a bullet. There are different kinds of energy out there. Potential energy, for instance. There is a great deal of potential energy in H2, and if released when burned, it could easily entirely replace fossil fuels. Two type of engines that already exist that I suspect are ready to run on h2 gas are the natural gas powered engine, and pressurized gas model airplane engines. I am going to try to fill a tank with brown’s gas by using electrolysis which will be powered by a solar cell as well as a generator in the engine. First I need to prove that a 4 stroke glow plug engine can run on brown’s gas, and then I need to prove that I can create more brown’s gas in a day than I use. (The system would create hho even when the engine is not running.)
Great post. I was just changing my Kinoki Foot Pads
when I stumbled this site. Damn you, Physics for ruining a perfectly good scam!
The unbreakable laws of nature are a real bummer some times!
You guys are all wet. And wrong to boot.
Seems the Japanese have proved you wrong with a car that runs exclusively on water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrxfMz2eDME
The Water for Fuel crowd are not advocating running your car on water only however, just supplementing your gasoline usage with HHO gas from a simple water electrolysis device.
I have one on my 1988 Toyota. Went from 22 mpg. to 35 mpg. and I have $40.00 in the construction of the device.
The physics lesson is null and void by ignorance of some simple facts of physics. I suppose the author has never heard of the mechanical advantage that can be gained by use of gears and pulleys or a fulcrum or lever that will allow a 10 lb. force to lift a 1,000 lb. weight?
In the same way when you convert from one energy to another, ie. chemical to mechanical a similar advantage can be gained. Overunity is so far out of reach but many experiments have come very close.
Get your facts straight before you tell people that something can’t be done.
If I’m wrong then regular visitors know that I’m big enough to admit it.
Do you know where that video clip originated from, i.e. which news company reported it?
i think that if i was a company making billions of dollars and some one came out with something that would cut my profits in half. i would spread the word around about a z\scam about that product.
I quite agree – I’m sure the oil companies would have a big issue if someone came out with an alternative to their product.
Interestingly, though, I am one of a very small number of people who don’t think these water for gas schemes work.
And I don’t work for any oil company!!
Didn’t they use to run cars off water?
I’m not sure where you’re going with this Darren – care to explain?
I ran my car on water once but it sank
Ha ha ha, nice one Pete
scam, scam, scam,
my good friend. I am so glad that you have exposed this scam for what it is.
I have actually been meaning to talk to you about this.
There is obviously a need for us to do something about the fuel shortage crisis. I have often thought about the possibility of using some of our more plentiful resources.
I have the PERFECT thing. But I don’t want to tell you about it here… I will have to let you “in” later.
I’ll be in touch.
Your idea wouldn’t have anything to do with cows would it?
If so, then I’m just waiting for the hot air jokes…
Don’t laugh… not cows, but thinking about the “hot air” that you are alluding to is what got me thinking…
what time is it??? because I am about to go to bed
yes, yes, yes… exactly. But really, I would have already told you (not trying to build suspense), but we need to do some business development strategy before we unleash this gem on the general public. That is all for now, but please remind me, I will send you an e-mail.
This idea is genius… it is HUGE!!!!
I can’t wait to tell you
really got to go to bed now… yes it is only 11, but I am being summoned…
Bed???
I’ve just woken up myself, though I think it’s about 11 pm where you are now isn’t it?
Anyway, you’ve got me intrigued now, which you knew you would, before disappearing for several hours
Ok then Jon, I await your further instruction.. just make sure you get up and reply before 7 pm your time as I have to go back to work from today
If it’s not cow gas then I really don’t know what to expect from you!!
Well I wouldn’t want to keep a ‘well stocked’ man from his wife – have a good one Jon
I just so happened to notice that the only, ONLY thing i could find when searching for any type of info on water for fuel was a stupid book with a gay cover for 50+ bucks. Yeah right if you could do what they claim why hasnt the people who have already done it been “preaching” so to speak about it yet. Why hasn’t their cars been all over the news? I’m sure that the govmt can do it but they sure as heck won’t let just anyone do it at home even if they could!
When people think they are getting a good deal, or something for nothing, they tend to throw their common sense out of the window.
These scams appeal to peoples’ greed and, from what I can tell, there are a lot of greedy people out there!
oops, I mean sites*
I trawled through 50+ sites using the search “car on water scam” looking for conformation that it was a scam. I found that EVERY site appeared to be owned by the same source, both the ones appearing to be for OR against; and a couple of forums. It really is a huge scam.
Hi Ain,
Would I be right in thinking that even the sights who say it is a scam were trying to get you to sign up in some underhanded kind of way?
Free gas from water sure does sound too good to be true. Guess we know why now.
I guess we do!
Are you sure it doesnt work? There is a lot of stuff on the net that says otherwise.
It’s not for me to tell you what to think but the laws of physics are pretty clear.
Every other website Ive see that asks if this is a scam concluded that it is not. Then tries to sell a system. What a refreshing change to see someone highlight the truth of the matter.
I just think common sense dictates that water isn’t a viable alternative to gas.