My First Electrolysis Tank

fleetlines · #1 02-10-2012, 10:36 PM

I made an electrolysis tank today. Right or wrong, it's not like other's I've seen in my research. I can't recommend or warn against doing it this way as I'm still doing the first item and my previous experience was playing around with a bucket yesterday. Time will tell how well it works. I understand an electrolysis tank can be dangerous with very toxic fumes if you use the wrong stuff and if you use the right stuff it puts off Hydrogen which is very explosive.

I started with a 55 gal plastic barrel. I cut the top off and left the rim for the strength. I needed the sacrificial anode so I went to the local scrap yard to find about 12 pieces about 3"x30". Strangely they did not have anything that fit the bill but I found a steel drum that would fit inside my plastic barrel. In reading up on how they are made and how they work I thought about a barrel inside a barrel to keep line of sight and prevent shadowing. Anyway, he just wanted a couple bucks for it so I thought I'd try it. I explained what it was for but he didn't really seem to follow. When I said I'd cut the top off he offered to do it for me with his torches. Since I'd be using a sawsall I was happy to take him up on that. It was lined of course and I thought it would be easier to grind to bare metal if it was cut along the sides and folded open and that it would allow for more room inside. He was kind enough to do that for me as well.
I bolted a plate to the side of the metal drum to get the hole higher through the plastic barrel. I scuffed where they'd make contact. I'd want it tacked on but this is still an experiment. I had thought to ask him to leave a tab from the lid that I could bend up for this but he was nearly done when I thought of it and I was just happy I wasn't going to have to cut it. If this works alright I will do that and tack the bolt on.
I had a round grate I want to use as the top so I can hang things from different points and still have ventilation. It's rusted badly but if this works I will get it cleaned up! Since it's bigger than the opening I bent it to get it in and I'll flatten it when it's clean. I bent it so there was about an inch from the metal barrel.
I hung it off the 2x4, filled it with water, and added "Arm & Hammer Super Wash Soda" that I stirred into water in another bucket. I put the rest of the box in the 50 (+/-) gallons. That was about 5 cups that was left from yesterday. I then hooked it up with a 12 volt battery charger. It didn't work. Not sure if my chain won't make decent contact or what was up. I pulled it out a little and connected the neg to it and it worked too well. It seemed it was touching the side but by then it was getting dark and I couldn't really tell with my flashlight but it sure didn't look like it was touching. So I fiddled with it but it was drawing to much or nothing. I figured tomorrow is another day and by now I was ready to end my day out there. I thought I'd try one more thing. Something smaller. I got an old cast ladle and hooked it in. It's been working on that for a couple hours now and all seems well. Maybe tomorrow I will fold that grate up a little more and it will work.
Here are the pics:

_DX3_ · #2 02-10-2012, 10:52 PM

That looks like it might be a great idea. I hope it works as I am wanting to fix a barrel up also. Keep us posted

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ACecil · #3 02-10-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _DX3_

That looks like it might be a great idea. I hope it works as I am wanting to fix a barrel up also. Keep us posted

.

Well said, I'm with, DWayne. Looking forward to your updates.

Matt G. · #4 02-11-2012, 08:48 AM

Chain doesn't work, especially not rusty chain like is showing in one of your pictures. I used a piece of angle iron with a bunch of holes in it so I could bolt stuff to the angle iron. The part of the angle iron where the lead from the battery charger goes needs to be shiny, as does the part that touches the item you want to clean. There also should be a shiny spot on the part you are cleaning that is touching the angle iron so you have continuity between the battery charger and the part.

The using the barrel as a sacrificial anode will probably work really good until you have to clean it, and that's going to be a pain to clean. The system works the fastest when bare metal is exposed on the sacrificial anode.

As long as you aren't running this thing in a closed room, I don't think you need to worry about explosions from hydrogen gas buildup. One time we were cutting something with a torch 10' away from my tank while it was being used, and several flaming pieces of slag flew all the way over to the tank and went in...nothing happened.

krhoover · #5 02-11-2012, 08:58 AM

I'm with Matt about cleaning the barrell inside. I used rebar in mine. They would gunk up and need to be cleaned off to work best. It should work great until it needs cleaned. I use a pressure washer to clean the rebar in mine. If you have one, I think it would easy to clean yours. I would like to know how it all works out, as I think its a good setup.

Sugarmaker · #6 02-11-2012, 09:29 AM

Curtis,
Nice set up! How does the ladle look? I think you have a good set up.
The inside of the metal barrel will need to be cleaned at some point. I would just use a big long handled brush that would reach down in the tank. Like a dairy bulk tank brush. As far as the chain: it will work, I have cleaned all of the snowthrower, all of the tiller and all of the plow parts using a chain. I would say that it needs to be clean chain and sometimes it would not get contact. I used a piece of new dog chain. When I saw it was not bubbling I would just splash some water up on the chain and contact would be made and I could see the bubbles.
I also noticed my charger cycling from charge to off depending on the size of the part. I was using a 12 V battery in line with the charger. Seemed to work ok. My thought was if it was bubbling it was working!
Regards,
Chris

fleetlines · #7 02-11-2012, 12:33 PM

I found that as I lifted the grate, it would draw less so it was just to much surface area I take it. My goal with the grate was to just hook up the grate and be able to hang multiple pieces where I wanted using hooks and/or tie wire. I had also considered putting a metal basket inside so I could just drop pieces in (and watch that it bubbled) but if surface area is a factor, that's not a good option. I'll just do 1/2 the grate at a time.

Matt, as far as cleaning the tank, it comes out easily enough and grinding the inside wasn't to bad so that will be alright for occasional good cleanings but I had something like Chris said in mind for the most part. Also, I have it outside.

Chris, how and why did you tie in the battery into the system. I'd like to do that just to help keep my spare battery charged but I'm curious if there is another reason.

I pulled the ladle after 5 or 6 hours. A little more time is in order. I forgot to get the before picture. I just hit it with a wire brush, not even a wheel, then shot it with WD-40. I bought 4 of them at an auction and that was the worst one so it was worse than the top one in this pic:

Matt G. · #8 02-11-2012, 01:35 PM

I'm guessing Chris put the battery in there (in series) with the tank because newer battery chargers think the electrolysis tank is a defective battery, so they turn off for safety. The battery in the circuit tricks the charger into thinking all is normal. Older chargers don't have this problem.

fleetlines · #9 02-11-2012, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt G.

I'm guessing Chris put the battery in there (in series) with the tank because newer battery chargers think the electrolysis tank is a defective battery, so they turn off for safety. The battery in the circuit tricks the charger into thinking all is normal. Older chargers don't have this problem.

I see. That makes sense.
Curtis

fleetlines · #10 02-12-2012, 11:37 AM

I pulled out a few more things after an overnight bath. The two smaller ladles were the ones in the previous post. There is lead residue in the larger ones. I did an old clamp that revealed a very small piece of brass after the process. I read elsewhere that other metals weren't to go in. I don't suppose little pieces would hurt as long as it's outside and I'm not hanging out over it. Any comments about other metals?

The pipe wrench was what I did in a bucket a few days ago. I gave it a shot of WD-40 after taking it out and now it has a coating of red surface rust. You can see where I touched it. I think items will need dunked in old motor oil after brushing. I did wipe off the WD thinking a layer would remain.

Curtis