Uploaded November 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
My Hydrogen Generator has been very safe to operate; mostly because I respect the power of the gas it was making from water. I learned very quickly that hydrogen - when mixed with oxygen - becomes an explosive. Pure hydrogen is not an explosive; but when mixed with oxygen, its volatility increases. If you fill a balloon with pure hydrogen it will float upwards in the air; if you set it on fire, it will pop with a loud BANG. The gases my generator makes are two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It turns out that that is the most volatile mixture we can produce. The oxygen is the oxidizer. It does not burn by itself, but it causes everything around it to burn (pure oxygen - under pressure - will burn). If we fill a balloon with our HHO mixture, it will not rise in the air, instead it will fall. The oxygen gas is much heavier than the hydrogen; even though it is out numbered. If we set it on fire, it explodes with an ear piercing BOOM. The BOOM is many times greater than the BANG. I can tell you first hand, you do not want your fingers within 3 feet of a small exploding HHO balloon. You will get burned. You can not react fast enough to pull your hands to safety.
How do we stop a flashback? Safety is no accident. Think about that. It means we have to plan for the unexpected; plan for the inevitable. In our case, we have to take some precautions.
Make sure all hose connections are not leaking. Hydrogen will take the least path of resistance. It is a very tiny molecule. It can escape through some metals.
Make sure all of your hose connections can be pulled loose by hand. That sounds strange, but it is a very good safety tip. If there is a buildup of HHO gas inside the tube and it gets ignited, the force will exit via the path of least resistance. With a little luck, you will blow a hose off.
Minimize the air space inside your HHO Generator. The more room you have for gases to collect in, the greater an explosion will be. We call that area - head space. In most cells, it changes while the cell is operating. As my Tube cell uses water, the head space increases as the water level drops. In Dry Cells, the head space increases while the cell is operating, and decreases when the cell is turned off.
Minimize the air space inside a Bubbler - if you have one. Do not rely on a Bubbler to stop a flashback. That is not its purpose. It is designed to eliminate foam from entering your engine. Foam that consists of gasses entrapped by anything dissolved in your water; including your electrolyte. You don't believe me? What is a bubble? How do you make one. If you still insist that the electrolyte in the water never gets depleted - think again. It gets carried out of the cell via the water skin/membrane around the bubbles.
Do not light/ignite HHO bubbles in your cell or in your bubbler. You are taking a big risk. I have witnessed flashbacks traveling from bubble to bubble through a Bubbler, and continuing on to the Generator. I have seen glass containers disintegrate - even though they were protected by bronze wool flashback arrestors, one way check valves, and bubblers; combined.
What is the best Flashback Arrestor? If you know, please tell me! Cigarette Filters have worked better than anything I have tried. But they are filters. They eventually get clogged up with your electrolyte. If you are using Baking Soda, Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), or any other dissolved solid you put in the water, you can expect them to turn back to solids when they dry out. If you use Cigarette Filters, replace them if they show burn marks; replace them if they are restricting gas flow. Please do not use bronze wool arrestors. They are not reliable. Bronze wool gets corroded really quick - by the electrolyte. Corrosion will stop up the hoses; stop up your arrestor; stop up your one way check valves. That will cause you to blow a hose - or a bubbler - or even blow your cell.
Make sure the Hydrogen Generator can only produce HHO gases while the engine is running. I installed my generator so that it would only operate when the ignition switch was turned on. Believe me when I tell you - "That was not enough". One day I left the ignition on while I was testing the cell. I walked away for 20 minutes and came back. Realizing what I had done, I activated the starter to see if my battery held a charge. KA-BOOM. It took an hour to get the motor to start again. I was very lucky it did not do engine damage. I know of a trucker that stalled his diesel motor - and left the ignition on for 5 minutes. When he started the motor back up - KA-BOOM; bent the motors valves. It had to be towed; it would not start again. I know of a lady that buckled the hood on her car. She turned the radio on while waiting for a friend to come out of a store. The ignition switch was on accessories; the HHO Generator kept producing gas. It goes to show you that no matter how smart you are, you still have stupid moments.
My Hydrogen Generator has been very safe to operate; mostly because I respect the power of the gas it was making from water. I learned very quickly that hydrogen - when mixed with oxygen - becomes an explosive. Pure hydrogen is not an explosive; but when mixed with oxygen, its volatility increases. If you fill a balloon with pure hydrogen it will float upwards in the air; if you set it on fire, it will pop with a loud BANG. The gases my generator makes are two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. It turns out that that is the most volatile mixture we can produce. The oxygen is the oxidizer. It does not burn by itself, but it causes everything around it to burn (pure oxygen - under pressure - will burn). If we fill a balloon with our HHO mixture, it will not rise in the air, instead it will fall. The oxygen gas is much heavier than the hydrogen; even though it is out numbered. If we set it on fire, it explodes with an ear piercing BOOM. The BOOM is many times greater than the BANG. I can tell you first hand, you do not want your fingers within 3 feet of a small exploding HHO balloon. You will get burned. You can not react fast enough to pull your hands to safety.
How do we stop a flashback? Safety is no accident. Think about that. It means we have to plan for the unexpected; plan for the inevitable. In our case, we have to take some precautions.
Make sure all hose connections are not leaking. Hydrogen will take the least path of resistance. It is a very tiny molecule. It can escape through some metals.
Make sure all of your hose connections can be pulled loose by hand. That sounds strange, but it is a very good safety tip. If there is a buildup of HHO gas inside the tube and it gets ignited, the force will exit via the path of least resistance. With a little luck, you will blow a hose off.
Minimize the air space inside your HHO Generator. The more room you have for gases to collect in, the greater an explosion will be. We call that area - head space. In most cells, it changes while the cell is operating. As my Tube cell uses water, the head space increases as the water level drops. In Dry Cells, the head space increases while the cell is operating, and decreases when the cell is turned off.
Minimize the air space inside a Bubbler - if you have one. Do not rely on a Bubbler to stop a flashback. That is not its purpose. It is designed to eliminate foam from entering your engine. Foam that consists of gasses entrapped by anything dissolved in your water; including your electrolyte. You don't believe me? What is a bubble? How do you make one. If you still insist that the electrolyte in the water never gets depleted - think again. It gets carried out of the cell via the water skin/membrane around the bubbles.
Do not light/ignite HHO bubbles in your cell or in your bubbler. You are taking a big risk. I have witnessed flashbacks traveling from bubble to bubble through a Bubbler, and continuing on to the Generator. I have seen glass containers disintegrate - even though they were protected by bronze wool flashback arrestors, one way check valves, and bubblers; combined.
What is the best Flashback Arrestor? If you know, please tell me! Cigarette Filters have worked better than anything I have tried. But they are filters. They eventually get clogged up with your electrolyte. If you are using Baking Soda, Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), or any other dissolved solid you put in the water, you can expect them to turn back to solids when they dry out. If you use Cigarette Filters, replace them if they show burn marks; replace them if they are restricting gas flow. Please do not use bronze wool arrestors. They are not reliable. Bronze wool gets corroded really quick - by the electrolyte. Corrosion will stop up the hoses; stop up your arrestor; stop up your one way check valves. That will cause you to blow a hose - or a bubbler - or even blow your cell.
Make sure the Hydrogen Generator can only produce HHO gases while the engine is running. I installed my generator so that it would only operate when the ignition switch was turned on. Believe me when I tell you - "That was not enough". One day I left the ignition on while I was testing the cell. I walked away for 20 minutes and came back. Realizing what I had done, I activated the starter to see if my battery held a charge. KA-BOOM. It took an hour to get the motor to start again. I was very lucky it did not do engine damage. I know of a trucker that stalled his diesel motor - and left the ignition on for 5 minutes. When he started the motor back up - KA-BOOM; bent the motors valves. It had to be towed; it would not start again. I know of a lady that buckled the hood on her car. She turned the radio on while waiting for a friend to come out of a store. The ignition switch was on accessories; the HHO Generator kept producing gas. It goes to show you that no matter how smart you are, you still have stupid moments.
