# Hydrogen boost systems **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [June 16, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404 "2008-06-16T13:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rhs1959](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rhs1959](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rhs1959)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/1 "2008-06-16T13:51:10Z")
I work in the plumbing department of a large home center and a recent customer was picking out all kinds of little fittings and I asked what he was working on. Turns out he was installing one of these systems which is supposed to split water by electrolysis and feed the resulting hydrogen and oxygen into the intake manifold and thereby improve fuel economy. I know a little chemistry, and the notion of creating H and O2 from water is simple enough but would feeding those into the manifold actually improve performance efficiency or economy? I also know, as Heinlein says, “TANSTAAFL” (There aint no such thing as a free lunch). Is the energy used in generating the gases equal to that potentially recovered by burning them? All of the sources I found on the web are poorly disgused “reviews” from people trying to sell the instructions or kits. I told the customer to come back and let me know how it worked out, but I’m not holding my breath. Does anybody know any unbiased info about this? Signed, Skeptical in Skokie ---
**Author:** ![NYBo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nybo/32/17281_2.png) [@NYBo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/NYBo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/2 "2008-06-16T13:57:19Z")
It was a dark and stormy night… If you’re for real, just do a search for the umpteen threads on this scam. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/3 "2008-06-16T14:10:27Z")
A literary plumbing salesman! How droll. Now you know the true worth of a B.A. degree in English Literature. Robert Heinlein’s warning certainly applies to these hydrogen scams, but Damon Runyon said it first and more colorfully. “‘Son,’ my father told me, ‘there will come a time when you are out in the world and you will meet a man who says he can make a jack of hearts spit cider into your ear. Son, even if this man has a brand-new deck of cards wrapped in cellophane, do not bet that man, because if you do, you will have a mighty wet ear.’” ---
**Author:** ![NYBo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nybo/32/17281_2.png) [@NYBo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/NYBo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/4 "2008-06-16T14:16:54Z")
Thank you Sky Masterson! ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/5 "2008-06-16T14:28:44Z")
Is the energy used in generating the gases equal to that potentially recovered by burning them? Only if both are 100% efficient, and I have never seen that. Look up “Conservation of Energy” It is a law of physics and is exactly what you are talking about and why it can’t work. You are right about what is on the web. It is all part of the SCAM. ---
**Author:** ![rhs1959](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rhs1959](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rhs1959)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/6 "2008-06-16T15:28:11Z")
My BA is in speech communications, I’ll have you know! ---
**Author:** ![rhs1959](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rhs1959](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rhs1959)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/7 "2008-06-16T15:33:28Z")
I looked for them, but didn’t see any. Not rushing out to spend my money on it, but I was curious if there was any actual performance improvement potential. I’m pretty sure the only people benefiting are those selling the kits. ---
**Author:** ![rhs1959](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@rhs1959](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rhs1959)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/hydrogen-boost-systems/15404/8 "2008-06-16T15:42:08Z")
another search took me to an earlier thread and a link posted by TwinTurbo which has the actual technical information I was looking for. Thanks