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Hydro-4000 Fuel saving device

Discussion in 'General Automotive Discussion' started by GatorFL, May 11, 2008.

  1. GatorFL

    GatorFL Moderator
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    Nov 18, 2005
    13,100
    Wellington, FL
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    Duane
    #1 GatorFL, May 11, 2008
    Saw this on the news this morning. Anybody know anything about it? Can an engineer explain if the theory is sound?

    There is no more pinch at the pump, instead it's become a full fledge punch, but what if there was a device out there which could save you up to sixty percent on your gas bill?

    The Hydro-4000 installs to any vehicle, and runs on water, it costs about $1200. But the creators say given the amount of money you already spend on gas, it wouldn't take long before you made that money back.

    "We estimate the average person would see savings in one year. With fuel prices going the way they are, today's oil market is $112 a barrel, prices are going to continue to go up, we have to find solutions to our big problem in the U.S.," says David Havanich. But does it work?

    NewsChannel 5 put the Hydro-4000 to the test, by installing it on one of our own news vehicles that was checked out and given a complete tune-up by our company's mechanic.

    Before we show you the results though, let's explain how the Hydro-4000 is supposed to work.

    In any engine, when you push down on the accelerator, a mixture of air and gasoline is sent into your cylinder. When the gas and air hit your spark plugs, it triggers a mini explosion pushing your car forward. But in any engine, roughly 15% of the gas isn't burned; instead its pushed out through your exhaust pipe.

    The Hydro-4000 creators say their device sends hydrogen into your engine, creating a cleaner burning environment.

    They claim their product allows you to burn all of the gas that you're putting into your tank, instead of wasting it through your exhaust pipe, "what we've done is brought oxygen, similar to what race car drivers do, to hydrogen, which is a higher burning has to also make sure you're burning every bit of fuel you're paying for at the pump," says Havanich.

    So back to our test.

    First, we needed to know how many miles to the gallon we were getting in our vehicle. So we put it on something called a dynamometer, think of it as a giant treadmill where we ran the truck for twenty minutes at 55-miles an hour on a full tank of gas.

    Once done, we found that even with an oil change, clean air filter and proper tire pressure, we were averaging roughly 9.4 miles to the gallon.

    We then ran our truck on the street for close to a month with the Hydro-4000 running. The owners said this would give the device time to clean out the engine. We then put our vehicle back on the dynamometer, and did the same test all over again.

    And guess what? With the device on, we were now averaging 23.2 miles to the gallon. That's 61% better than the gas mileage we were previously getting.

    We also road tested the device. There we averaged 16-point-one miles to the gallon, which is 58% better than before.

    Another device, the Hydro-5000, is also available for 18-wheelers.

    http://www.hydro4000.com/
     

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  2. Fred2

    Fred2 F1 World Champ
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    Jan 2, 2005
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    nj
    #2 Fred2, May 11, 2008
    Sounds like a perpetual motion machine.

    In theory, you are using electricity to split H20 into H and 02.
    You then burn the hydrogen and Oxygen in the engine.

    The energy created by the burning H and O2, is magically greater than the energy required to split the molecule.
    this violates the first Law of Thermodynamics
    (for a thermodynamic cycle the sum of net heat supplied to the system and the net work done by the system is equal to zero)

    If this machine really worked, you would be able to power a generator with water, and it would run forever.
     
  3. speedy4500

    speedy4500 Formula Junior

    Sep 19, 2004
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    #3 speedy4500, May 11, 2008
    I don't think they've made the claim that they can get more energy out of their device than is required to run it. Most electrical charging systems in cars produce excess current (which is why the alternator needs a regulator), so it seems as though this device would take that extra energy to produce a byproduct that the engine can use to improve it's combustion efficiency.

    It's like propane injection for diesel engines, except with water and electrolysis. At least, that's my take on it. I don't have the product so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness (or perhaps the lack thereof) or long-term safety and reliability impact. Although $5/gal gas could convince me to try it out.
     
  4. 2NA

    2NA F1 World Champ
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    Tim Keseluk
    #4 2NA, May 11, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Listened to a couple of guys on Coast to Coast AM on Friday night that were essentially selling the same thing, a miniature hydrogen/oxygen electrolysis device for your car. Theirs was somewhat less expensive (Mason jar based).

    http://www.hhowater4gas.com/

    http://www.water4gas.com/booksample/index.htm

    At first glance, in theory, the hydrogen/oxygen extracted from water would seem the perfect cheap, clean fuel for your vehicle. If you could use a little "free power" from your car's electrical system to extract some WHOPPEE!

    On closer examination it doesn't make sense. The Mason jar (or fancy expensive metal thingie) holds maybe 1 or 2 quarts of water. This is supposed to supplement your car's fuel for hundreds of miles. Electrical current passing between electrodes inside the container splits the water into it's base elements hydrogen and oxygen which are then sucked in with the intake air (through a newly fitted vacuum line) and supplement the fuel and WOWEE increased power and mileage. How much energy could even 2 quarts of water contribute when metered out over hundreds of miles? It seems likely that the increased load on the alternator (yes, torque required to turn it is related to demand) would have to at least equal (in a perfect world) the energy released from the water.

    There is some experience adding small amounts of water directly into the air-stream (water injection) to increase power and efficiency under some circumstances but this is something else.

    If the Laws of Physics have suddenly changed and by some miracle this isn't a scam, these things would be easy to make and sell so you will see them available everywhere.

    I'm ready to be convinced but not holding out any real hope for this one.

    This reminds me of the people selling boat bilge blowers as "electric superchargers", yeah give me a break!
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