Jul 23 2008
HHO Scam, Part V: The Real Dangers
Table of Contents for HHO Scam
We’ve looked at a lot of information about the specific “alternative energy” technology known as HHO. By now, I hope you’re convinced it doesn’t work. There are several responses you might have to HHO as a rip-off.
First, what’s the big deal? People get scammed all the time: Lottery scams, auction frauds, phishing for identity theft; even classical get rich quick schemes are alive and well.
Of course there will be people out there trying to separate you from your money. And they use the two biggest hot buttons everybody has: Fear and Greed. Fear that you’re going broke, or that somebody else has something really cool you don’t, as examples. Greed, in the form of saving tons of cash while others are pouring theirs down the gas filler pipe on their cars.
I don’t have a problem with gullible people being taken for a bit of cash; it’s often a great lesson. The HHO technology can cost between $60 and $3,000, based on what I’ve seen on the web. Potentially an expensive lesson in “Caveat Emptor,” but often not. I do think the HHO mountebanks should be placed in stocks or pilloried, but that’s me. And I find their Ponzi schemes particularly repugnant.
No, the danger isn’t there. But there are overlooked risks.
First, some short-term or acute possibilities: Explosions and damage to people or cars.
Older car batteries had a small tendency to explode when someone jump-started another vehicle. Reason? Hydrogen gas. Actually, much less gas than is generated by a small HHO generator every few seconds. Yes, the gas has to accumulate in an unexpected place, and there has to be a spark.
Remember the fire triangle from elementary school? Well, you’ve got the fuel (hydrogen) and the oxygen; and as any firefighter will tell you, it’s very easy to get the spark for free. Hydrolyzed hydrogen and oxygen can exist for years as a mixture, in a proper container.
However, the explosive power of hydrogen is about the highest on the planet, pound for pound (or volume for volume). It’s not something to mess around with. By the way, hydrogen is explosive in air at as little as 4% concentration in air, and as high as 75%. Gasoline, by contrast, is 1.4% to 7.6% in air.
So say you don’t get an explosion; not everybody will. There’s still the potential for hidden damage or extra wear on your car. Given that there’s no real energy benefit, is it reasonable to increase your risk of being stranded by a broken car? One well-known example is hydrogen embrittlement, common in steels when exposed to hydrogen. The metal fails spectacularly at some point. HHO contains 67% hydrogen…
I think there’s a very real likelihood that we’ll begin to see lawsuits over these units and the outrageous claims of their promoters. A social cost I’m not in favor of paying or dealing with. Watch for it soon, though.
The longer-term issue, to my mind, is: The more we look for a “quick fix” the longer we put off developing a sound energy policy. I don’t know all the elements of such a policy, but it surely doesn’t include the technical equivalent of snake oil…
For now, that’s all I have on HHO and imitators. Until next time, I’ll
Seeya ‘Round the Ol’ Scambusters
Bluegrass Jam and Quilting Bee…
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