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Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
Here's an illustration of my water ballast that takes maximum advantage of my feeble Paint skills This illustration does not attempt to show the support structure that holds the pair of pipes in the center of the garbage can, as that would have made the picture too complicated.
This worked well for me. However it wasn't a very safe design. For one, the fact that the copper pipes tower above the garbage can is a hazard; they may fall over, and you'd better not be in their way! One solution might be to find a way to hold the pipes in parallel by the bottom ends only, leaving the top ends unconnected and completely under water. I have a few ideas for that, and that's my next design. Another approach might be to make the PVC sleeve slotted on one side so that instead of raising/lowering it, you rotate it (the copper may then be attached at both ends, but needn't extend above the water). This latter approach would probably give up some of the range that the former method has, and then you also loose the advantage that, with the former method, gravity is naturally trying to turn the power down. So I like the raise/lower idea best.
One thing I forgot to draw in the picture is an end cap on the control handle. Good measure to guard against the possibility that water works its way up in there. PVC fittings are all PVC-welded together.
Anyway, hopefully this has at least served to illustrate how the water ballast works. There is plenty of room for improvement and/or experimentation, however.
Registered Member #1025
Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566
J. Aaron Holmes wrote ...
Here's an illustration of my water ballast that takes maximum advantage of my feeble Paint skills This illustration does not attempt to show the support structure that holds the pair of pipes in the center of the garbage can, as that would have made the picture too complicated.
That's really good idea... I will have a use for such device, but I will switch to stainless steel to avoid any additive unwanted chemical reactions in the basket... Thanks...
Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
Mates wrote ...
I will switch to stainless steel to avoid any additive
Yeah, that would probably be goodness! If I find some available inexpensively, I'll have to give that a shot as well. Cheapness being a major goal here, however, I start to wonder as soon as real money gets involved. Of course, if your purpose is something other than a ballast, the "cost" argument may or may not apply.
Registered Member #1107
Joined: Thu Nov 08 2007, 10:09PM
Location:
Posts: 792
Ok thanks for all the help. I will start making the ballast after i do my schoolwork but i have one last question. How far are the electrodes spaced apart? I am also assuming that you are using standard 1/2" copper pipe as the electrodes and i am also assuming that the further the plastic pipe is out of the water the more current it lets through?
Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
teslacoolguy wrote ...
How far are the electrodes spaced apart?
It's not critical. Mine were probably 3/8" apart or something close. I never measured and didn't figure it much mattered. Just do whatever is convenient given the materials you manage to find, and if the conductivity isn't what you want, just dope with more baking soda and it will be ok. If you build what I have illustrated (again, one of a zillion ways to build such a device!), then the minimum separation will be dictated by the outer diameter of the PVC tee joint. You probably don't want the spacing to be too tight, or else the control handle won't slide easily up and down.
Registered Member #540
Joined: Mon Feb 19 2007, 07:49PM
Location: MIT
Posts: 969
I would assume that the water would heat more evenly if the electrodes were spaced farther apart. You don't want water that's too hot in one area I suppose.
Registered Member #477
Joined: Tue Jun 20 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 546
Myke wrote ...
I would assume that the water would heat more evenly if the electrodes were spaced farther apart. You don't want water that's too hot in one area I suppose.
Not really. The heat production would be more diffuse, but convection currents develop very quickly and result in nice even heating of the whole water volume. That's because conduction generally occurs near the bottom of the can. It would be a different story if you were to lower parallel electrodes into the water, starting conduction at the top. In that case, the water volume in the lower regions of the can wouldn't be buying you much.
Registered Member #1107
Joined: Thu Nov 08 2007, 10:09PM
Location:
Posts: 792
Today i got around to making the copper pipe assembly and tomorrow i will finish the base that will be submerged to the bottom of thr trash can and then i have to figure out how to connect the 2 pipes to wires. I cant really put connectors on there because they are to close together so any suggestions would be appereciated. Also seeing that this is becoming more of a project can a mod please transfer it to the projects section?
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saturable reactor (now water ballast)
This illustration does not attempt to show the support structure that holds the pair of pipes in the center of the garbage can, as that would have made the picture too complicated.
