You gotta love modern technology…
I have been playing around with the water heater on my E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart, doing some experiments based on the ones I remember from high school chemistry class.
I took the thing apart, and discovered that with a few simple modifications I was able to get it to perform a crude form of electrolysis.
Now that’s just a fancy-schmancy chemistry word for using electricity to separate the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen which are the main ingredients in propane.
OK, enough geeky science talk. Here’s how it works. I installed another water tank and plumbed it to my modified water heater and hooked up a 12V battery. Then I ran the gas line to my burners.
As long as the battery holds out (about four hours on a charge) I get a constant supply of gas to cook my dogs with!
Sorry for the tangle of wires. I took this picture before I cleaned up the installation, but you get the idea. I also need to add more PVC pipe to the top of the exhaust stack. Water vapor comes out the top and it’s condensing on the side of the cart – kinda messy.
Since I don’t need a propane tank anymore I’m thinking of mounting a 10 gallon Igloo drink cooler on the trailer tongue. If anyone has a better use for that space let me know.
Here’s how to make your own water-to-propane converter. I made a video that shows how to modify the heater and I’m letting it go for just $5 to the first 50 people that click the orange button below.
After that the price will increase to $199 which is still a great deal. You’ll make that back in a short time by not having to buy propane anymore.
This changes everything.
-Steve
P.S. You can still use the modified heater for making hot water but the water that comes out is missing a hydrogen molecule. It’s still safe to wash your hands with, but the water is a lot heavier. Fill up a cup and you’ll notice it – kinda neat!
Strange…I followed the instructions but couldn’t get it to work.
Bradley, I looked at the drawing you sent me. You hooked up the battery backward. Polarity matters.
Hi Steve. For my day job I sell radio advertising and I have a client at the moment who sells a conversion kits for turning water into hydrogen to run your car on. When I saw your idea, I thought “WOW! How good is this? Congratulations for being one of the great thinkers of our time and using science to make better life better for hot doggers.
This is amazing!! i just watched the viedo and made the conversion in about 20 minutes. this is going to save me so much money!! thanks Steve!!
You got me ho0ok – line -and sinker LMAO I wasnt sure it would work but was going to try it for $5………….
I JUST THOUGHT OF A NAME FORR A CART” THREE DDOG NIGHT ” HAS ANYONE USED IT YET
did the conversion and currently running the heating system for my house, using solar panels for the electrical source.
All I can say is WOW ! I put a chain & sprocket on my axle and this now powers the cart . I nolonger need to push it at events… How much are the canutter valves , I will need two piston return springs 🙂
What an amazing invention, Steve –
I’m already contemplating the possibilities for adopting this idea to run my car on hydrogen. I wonder how many miles per gallon of water I can get from it?
Besides saving on gas I’ll have a ready source of hot water for brewing fresh coffee in a French press – thereby eliminating the high cost of my many Starbucks stops. ;o)
I guess I’m with Bradley. I even reversed the polarity but still no go. Do I need to turn the battery a different direction or something?
Good one! April Fools!
Hi Gus:
July 10th, 2014
I’ll be in Halifax in mid august 2014 after your B-Day (Birthday)
Hope to contact you.
Karl
780-298-1485 cell
Steve,
Converting Hot Dogs into cash is the only way to get rich no matter what high new fangled invention comes down the pike. By the way, with a few modifications, the Jarvic 7, makes a great Portion Control Nacho Cheese Dispenser…I’ll swap plans with you…Even Stevan
wow steve this is amazing, no one would even of thought of doing some thing like this, now I can pocket the money I am saving on the propane and get another cart lol
Tony
Great idea … so good i stayed up last night and converted my electra glide i used the hard bags as water containers and thinking of converting the gas tank into a solar power with lower shelves.thank you again for your great idea.. you must make your mother proud !!!
YOU GOT ME STEVE!!!! lol…i was super excited too…dashing for my debit card @ 7am! LOL…This site and this community you’ve created is the absolute best – humor included!
Well, spent the 5 bucks and tried it out. Now my cart sounds like it has a bad case of gas. Scaring the customers away… (Keep telling them it’s not me).
Just building my cart now but I took my water heater out of the box and did the conversion, also using the generated propane to run my generator, who’d have thought that you can get all this from water. Use the sapce from the propane tank for more water storage
amazing
Now that’s just a fancy-schmancy!!!! I’ll need to look at the video again. I can’t figure out what polarity is right. hmmmmmm might have to send you an email Steve.
Is this an April Fuels Joke?
There actually is a process that has been around for awhile to separate the hydrogen molecule out of water. Hydrogen is a gas that can be used for fuel. Some are experimenting with it in cars. Might work for the burner…
Steve,
I’m taking these instructions and i’m going to start building a car that can run on water/propane.
The cart runs great. I was able to perform the conversion for just $3.00 with some scrap parts.
-Josh
Way above my head but are there any issues with pressure and rust on the burners, what operating temps??
Amazing!!!
Amazing!!!!
I’m loving the idea of the converter! Can’t wait to put it into action!!!!Thanks again, Steve!!!
Ok, as an ex aerospace engineer and now a dentist, i have some suggestions. Yes, the idea is crude. First, let’s get your terminology correct, electrolysis makes hydrogen, not propane, so you can get a better flame if you also modify your burner to a hydrogen burner, not a propane burner. Second, there are better materials for annodes that will dramatically improve your hydrogen production. Finally a hydrogen storage system can also dramatically reduce your tank size. Call me for more suggestions.
Hey Dr D –
It may be crude but I’m cooking dogs with it as is. Email me your mods and I’ll include them in version 2 if they are not too difficult. Like all our products, it has to be easy to make.
Thanks!
-Steve
Duggs,
Pressure is good just the way we have it. I don’t anticipate a rust problem. Time will tell.
-Steve
Trying to rescue your beautiful state’s automotive industry Joshua? Send me pics!
-Steve
Uncle Vic,
It’s noisy on startup but then it settles down.
-Steve
Dave, depends on your elevation. You may need to hook up two batteries in parallel.
-Steve
You’re killin’ me Pocono – as usual. Keep that Jarvic, never know when you might need it.
-Steve
Mickey,
You can use ball point pen springs for the piston returns but you have to stretch them out a bit. Canutters are another story. I have a secret source for them at the end of the video. You need to watch the whole thing.
-Steve
I am really intrigued by this. I guess I have spent a lot of money on sillier things, so I am going to invest this $5 and see what comes of it. The way I feel about the EZ cart is almost indescribably good, and if this works, I can see a LOT of savings in other areas too. I’m still at the beginning stage on my cart, frame is built and painted, now I have to get busy buying more of the supplies and building the rest of the cart. It seems a slow process, but it IS taking shape, and if this works on saving fuel costs it will be a real boon. Thank you Steve.
Steve, you are a horse’s backside. Happy April Fool!
Wanda, Dixie Kitchen!
Fast delivery on the instructions. All ready have it installed and running. The people who have seen the end product are amazed. Using an old tank filled with fresh water is a great idea. I find using store bought water seems to make more because of the purity of the water. The only two drawbacks (if you could call them that)
1. You have to get more water during the day.
2. Because the water weighs more increasing the MPG of your tow car/truck(hopefully the weight difference is made up by increased sales of product)
People love to buy from from “green stands”
Hope all a great upcoming season
Dogs on the run,
The only “heavy” water that you’ll have onboard is what ends up in the wastewater tank from hand washing so it’s not too bad.
-Steve
I was gonna comment and say we need a video and low and behold my man has his bases covered !!! I’m going to buy this video and check it out. I am a tinkering kinda man. Great job !!!
Steve, I followed your instructions and it works great! However, when running, it emits a florescent green vapor. Is this normal?
Ha, Ha, you had me FOOLED!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, great experience
Steve, that was a good one, sure would be nice to have something like that. Keep tinkering, you might be on to something!
JD,
That’s not green vapor. It’s just regular water vapor. The green led (power indicator) is shining through it from underneath. Looks kind of cool, though!
-Steve
OK I got mine working but my health dept requires me to carry two bottles of propane on my cart how do I get around that ?
Kennboyy –
Good question…
I guess you could just carry two empties for show?
-Steve
I’m going to refer to you guys as “The Wild Bunch.”
Just don’t start robbing banks and trains.
Steve,
You are inspirational.
Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so much return on $5 bucks in my life…..thanks Steve.
Big dave. I found that if you can keep the positive pole of the battery as close to true north as possible it accelerates the conversion process. And putting 2 batteries in parallel will help the purity and the burn will be cleaner. No need to change out the burners that way
Hey Steve, Just finished doing the remodifications as instructed in the video, It is freaking AWESOME!!!
One other suggestion. I installed an “L meter” right before the water inlet connection. Creates a marked improvement in fuel flow without changing the pressure.
Thunder Dog,
What’s an “L meter”? I didn’t use one…
-Steve
I spent all morning searching the web and your idea was the best!!! Thanks for making my day.
What a great idea! I followed your video and it worked on the first try! And I am not much of a craftsman (which is why I bought an all-chrome cart).
One downside: I had to increase my liability insurance to 10 million.
Man Bites Dog,
LOL! Glad you got it working.
-Steve
Steve, This is the most awesome thing that I have ever seen. Worth alot more than $5.00. Thanks again for your great work.
OK OK OK! I went back to my old electronics manual and sure enough on page 32 in the chapter on dc current it states in the third paragraph, fourth sentance that: “electrons travel faster going downhill rather than uphill.” So, all you doggers with battery problems need to place the battery above the hydrogen system. That’s what I did and it works great! Tikiman.
Micah, I just went to your website that you are building. Boy, did my eyes pop out when I saw your cart! Great planning and fantastic colors.
hEY THIS WORKS GREAT…STAYED UP AND CONVERTED MY CART LAST NITE…THE ONLY WAY TO GET GAS CHEAPER IS TO PUT JALAPENO PEPPER SLICES ON YOUR DOGS!
THIS DOES WORK BETTER IF YOU USE 2 BATTERIES IBN PARALLEL THOUGH…THEY LAST ALOT LONGER THAT WAY.
Thunder Dog, Is the “L meter” that you installed similer to the jetting system used in the British Amal carbs used on the old Nortons and Triumphs of the 1960s-1970s? The only problem I ever had with Amal carbs was the fowling of the desert sand when I toured North Africa in 1984. But a quick buff took care of that problem. Tikiman
got it to worke had to turn the batt up side down
Steve, sometimes referred to as an LOL meter”
Steve you are crazy to sell this for only $5.00, I’m the best lookin hotdog guy in the south and you could be rich….
Man, you werent kidding! i cant believe how much heavier the HO water is than regular H2O. are you sure its still safe to wash your hands with? I bought a very small generator from harbor freight today and have that running off the hydrogen gas to charge the battery! So i never need to charge the battery or buy propane YAY!
The “L” meter Very similar to what Tiki is referring to, only different.
Steve
Great Job! I hooked it up and it is working great! Saving me some money now! Its like MAGIC!
It works perfectly! Now if I can just get enough plutonium for my flux capacitor, I’ll be able to go back in time and buy my dogs way cheaper thus increasing my profits! 😉
Steve, This is so cool! I have taken the steam from the stack and piped it into another container and am cooking my beans right now. Still a little crude but will eventually get the bugs out. Thanks, best $5.00 I’ve spent in a long time.
I was watching the science Channel the other night and there is an invention called the Bloomberg box. it takes small quantities of propane mixed with the air and converts it to electrical energy. he says a unit the size of your air conditioner condenser will be able to power your entire home. they are already testing them on commercial buildings like Google headquarters and eBay headquarters. if a box the size of an air conditioner can power a whole house just imagine a miniature size box that you will be able to place on your hot dog cart to heat up electrical coils to power your steam table and electric coffeemaker convection oven. the technology is right around the corner. instead of your large propane tank all you will need is one the size of a coffee thermos to generate electricity all day long. maybe even add a small television or stereo to your cart to entertain you why you conduct business.
Dave Klinger,
The only Guys I know of to use the name Three Dog Night were Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, & Cory Wells…. They were Doggers in the Late 60s….Its not in Black & White but I think the Name would Bring Joy to the World along with your Dogs I would be there for your opening but, Mama told me not to come
That was just cruel Steve….hehehehehe
I have never hit an order buton so fast. thanks steve!!!
Man I wish I would have been one of the first 30 doggers to order! 199 bucks is still worth it!
Thanks Steve!!!!!
Its such a good deal I bought it twice!
It blew up my cat. My attorney will be contacting you.
Just curious. Wasn’t the Hindenburg filled with Hydrogen? Hmmm…(big flames = Not Good)