[ausev] Hydrocaps
Erik Bigelow
electricbasset at gmail.com
Wed Nov 15 03:44:37 GMT 2006
Well, I haven't used them either, and what Chris says about them being
destroyed by an equalizing charge is true. The cap contains a
"platinum wool", like steel wool, but more expensive. This serves as
the catalyst to recombine the H2 and O2 into water. The reaction
produces heat, and if the catalyst gets too hot your caps are toast.
Even if treated right they do have a limited lifespan of 3-8 years as
I understand it.
BUT the good thing about them is that they reduce not only the
watering, but also the acid mist and acid tracking across your
batteries.
Most places that sell the Hydrocaps also have the Water Misers. As I
understand it these have caps filled with small plastic pellets which
provide a surface for the acid mist to condense on and drop back into
the battery. They won't recombine the H2 and O2, but are supposed help
keep batteries cleaner and reduce some of the water loss.
Erik
On 11/14/06, Chris Robison <eeyore at phototropia.org> wrote:
> I *haven't* used these, but I have an opinion to share ...
>
> My understanding about Hydrocaps is that they become very warm as they
> effectively bleed off the energy stored in splitting the water into
> hydrogen and oxygen, by putting the two gasses back together again. They
> get hot enough during use that they degrade and wear out over time. If you
> do an equalizing charge with them installed, they'll overheat and it may
> ruin them the first time this happens, so occasionally to equalize the
> pack you'll need to go over your entire pack and detach them.
>
> I would say, for a similar amount of money, the AquaPro watering caps from
> Rover and Rover may be the better idea:
>
> http://aquapro.net
>
> I corresponded with them extensively while I was still planning on using
> flooded nicad batteries for my truck, and found them to be extremely
> helpful and interested in my project. They went so far as to offer to try
> doing a custom run of caps in ABS plastic instead of their usual
> polycarbonate, as ABS is resistant to the nicad's KOH electrolyte and is
> compatible with their ultrasonic welding process. And though they'd never
> tried it before, they were still willing to cut me a quantity deal.
> Though ultimately I ended up deciding against using the nicads, I still
> can't say enough good things about this company.
>
> A guy in Australia built an EV outfitted with their caps:
>
> http://www.electric-echo.com/prices.htm
>
> Basically the idea is to make watering completely painless -- plug the
> connector into a single watering outlet on the exterior of the car, wait
> until the water stops flowing (the little plastic spheres in the connector
> stop moving) and then unplug. Since you can do this at fairly high
> pressure, even a large pack would take seconds to fill. You could
> literally do it after every recharge.
>
> --chris
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, November 14, 2006 8:09 am, Richard Slatin said:
> > Has anyone tried these and if so, : (a) what has been your experience,
> > and
> > (b) is the cost ($8-10 each) justified by the benefits?
> > --
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Richard Slatin, MC/MFCT
> > Family Mediator
> > Divorce, Custody, and
> > Child Support Services
> > 400 W. Camelback Rd. Ste. 112
> > Phoenix, AZ 85013
> > Ph: 602-248-0835
> > fax: 602-248-2898
> > www.divorceme.com
> >
> >
> > --------- Original Message --------
> > From: ausev at austinev.org
> > To: ausev at austinev.org <ausev at austinev.org>
> > Subject: AusEV Digest, Vol 10, Issue 12
> > Date: 14/11/06 05:00
> >
> >>
> >> Send AusEV mailing list submissions to
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> >> Today's Topics:
> >>
> >> 1. Re: electric a/c system (gary)
> >> 2. Re: electric a/c system (jefoy at mindspring.com)
> >>
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Message: 1
> >> Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 07:23:03 -0600
> >> From: "gary" <gkrysztopik at satx.rr.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [ausev] electric a/c system
> >> To: <jefoy at mindspring.com>, "'AustinEV News Announcements and
> > General
> >> Discussion'" <ausev at austinev.org>
> >> Message-ID: <000001c70726$d9b88a10$b47ab248 at ownerxt1prlgok>
> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >>
> >> Jack,
> >>
> >> I never understood what might be dangerous and what is probably not.
> >> I'm not too concerned, but I've always been curious and never found much
> >> solid data (facts) on this.
> >>
> >> Could you elaborate on the first paragraph as far as quantifying. Also,
> >> do you have any references for the research (and who conducted it) in
> >> the second paragraph? Have you done any calculations to compare the
> >> magnitude of the fields of transmission lines to EV's (I'm guessing this
> >> is not apples to apples)?
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >> gary
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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