You've seen dozens of these headlines which are no doubt encouraged by the latest craze being hyped all over the internet. Because there seems to be a kind of desperation among the driving public, the internet is rife with all kinds of hucksters, hustlers and fast-buck operators all trying to cash in on this desperate seeking for answers to the soaring price of gasoline or petrol with no apparent end in sight.

Before I get into the actual details I want to clear up some half truths that can be potentially more dangerous than outright lies, whether intended or not.

For starters, there never has been an internal combustion engine made to run on water. Want proof? Try burning water. It makes no difference whether you use a match or a 6000°C torch, you cannot get water to burn.

Okay, by now you may think I'm being facetious, when I'm simply using the Reductio ad Absurdum approach as one way of sorting out all the puffery, fakery and hype from the real thing. Also if, in a court of law, you tried to introduce as fact, the claim to have an engine that runs on water, any first-year law student could demolish your argument merely by requesting a definition of terms. Again, I'm being somewhat facetious here, but I want to make the point that any claims for alternate energy must be viewed with a calm reasoned frame of mind. This may present quite a challenge to a lot of people judging by the tone of many comments I see on forums. Why? Simply because the soaring gasoline cost has become a very emotional subject. It's absolutely loaded with irrationality and strong emotion and it's perceived by some as an attack on our love affair with our precious independence by automobile. Just watch the daily TV interviews with a random selection of drivers, and you'll see what I mean.

Now back to our original headline

In order to make any sense at all we have to consider that water needs to be changed into another form before it can be used as a fuel. The two major processes are as follows:

1.Water becomes steam by the application of external heat (hence the name "Stanley Steamer" not "Stanley water car").

2. Water is changed into a gas by the well-known process called Electrolysis which uses an electric current passing through the water to break it down into its elements of oxygen and hydrogen. When this combination is ignited, Lo Presto! we have a great clean-burning explosion just made for the internal combustion engine. Also there is the added benefit of less pollution. This mixture burns more rapidly with a faster flame front than gasoline, with the result that more heat stays inside the engine, making it more efficient. There does not appear to be any long-term detrimental effects from this higher temperature, except maybe in the case of much older vehicles, possibly 1970's vintage when leaded gas was still the primary supply.

Another misconception is that cars can be made to run on 100% HHO. The possibility exists in theory but at our present level of understanding this is simply not true. There are complex formulae involved, way beyond the scope of this hub.

Now let's consider the objection most often put forth by some naysayers, that energy is lost when changing from one form to another. As a basic law in physics this is true, however we must avoid the often myopic view commonly adopted by the negative critics and instead look at the larger context. Because the engine is now running at greater efficiency on a hydrogen/oxygen/gasoline mix, it can easily supply more than enough power to make the electricity needed for electrolysis in addition to hitting 70 mph on the highway. The only caveat is the possible need for a larger alternator to supply extra current to the generator that makes the HHO (hydrogen/oxygen) mixture.

So now I can consider the idea of hydrogen-on-demand as an accepted engineering application along with much greater safety than big heavy cylinders of high-pressure hydrogen that are currently being used in some public transportation buses. The internet is almost overrun with plans, e-books, ready-made kits selling like hot cakes and all claiming MPG increases from 10-100%. So -- how do you choose from all this corn-swoggling and malarkey?

First and most obvious question, does it work reliably? Look for real testimonials by real people who publish their name, contact info or address. Better still, some even give photos of both themselves and the installation. By contrast some sites will only give initials or you see the tired litany of fancy cars in front of big houses along with glowing testimonies of fantastic results. It's a pretty safe bet this is an indicator of the new fakery where easily available software allows anyone to assemble what looks like a real scoop. Steer clear of these.

To those who hold the view that this whole watergas thing is a scam, I would tend to be in agreement with you IF we were back 10 -15 years ago when internet shopping had very few controls, and getting your money back might have been a little dicey. However, come up to present time and consider well- established payment processors such as Clickbank who require potential vendors to include a money-back guarantee before allowing said vendors to do business with them. Reason? Clickbank agrees to make good on the requested return. With this in mind, I suspect that the very vocal critics and scam quacks didn't take the time to actually build an HHO system in exact accordance with the plans. If you had actually installed the system in strict compliance with the plans then your only defensible position would be to just simply say that it didn't work for you, there really is no other ground for a rational evaluation.

Back in the 60's there was a saying, "If you haven't tried it, don't knock it." Although this was mainly used to defend pot smoking at that time, the basic idea has enough foundation in truth to be appplicable to the critics. I want you to show me where you actually made and installed it, and failed to have it perform as promised. Even then considering the number of variables affecting the outcome, it's still a pretty far stretch to call HHO gas a scam in an across-the-board, blanket indictment.

To those who say it's a rip-off, if you mean that you threw money away to be gone forever with no hope of recovery, I oppose such conclusion on the grounds that this is exactly why return guarantees within a specific time period are now required by reputable payment processors.

One more aspect to consider: Making a derogatory statement about anyone or anything could land you in court. To say that something is a scam or a ripoff is to make a pretty strong accusation against another party and unless you have hard evidence that will stand up in court you could be held liable to costly and time-consuming civil action. Like it or not, we do live in a litigous society.

Also it pays to look closely at the warranty. You may decide after buying the plans or e-manuals that a particular design has limited appeal and you want your money back. Most payment processors will guarantee a return within a specific time period. This is really a no-brainer, you can't lose. Consider this. It's just possible that someone with questionable ethics could build the system and get it working within the usual time period specified in the warranty and then demand their money back. It's an uncomfortable thought, but I'm using this hypothetical situation to demonstrate the minimal risk factor involved.

In the mindset of many people, myself included, the strength of the warranty backup can be a pivotal point in deciding whether or not to plunk down the moolah for someone you've never met, nor likely to. This factor will usually out- weigh the significance of actual price.These kinds of decisions are made by the thousands each day, so let's face it, internet shopping is here to stay.

Having been a test engineer and tech writer involved in setting ISO 9000 standards, I can recognize the important difference between good and bad technical writing. Clearly written manuals with plenty of illustrations are not only a very big plus, they are essential to the success of any engineering project, large or small, traditional or cutting edge.

WARNING: HHO gas is extremely flammable, and can explode violently. All joints must be properly sealed according to the petroleum industry standards, (API) and all installation work including initial testing to be performed outdoors away from any buildings.

I spent many years (30+) researching this very topic.

"Those who can, Do. Those who cannot, Criticise."