The hottest selling product on the internet just now is something called Water4Gas. The big question however, is Water4Gas a scam or does it really work?

The principal behind Water4Gas is, on the surface, quite a simple one. Basically, Water4Gas tell you hw to add some extra hardware to your engine that magically increases you gas mileage by 50% or more. This hardware - basically a water jug with electrical contacts is nothing more than a simple electrolysis device that uses electricity to split water into its two components hydrogen and oxygen. This process is nothing new or revolutionary, in fact I remember performing the same experiment in High School over 20 years ago! The resulting gas, called Browns Gas, or HHO can then be burnt to release energy - same as with your gasoline. So, the idea is, produce this HHO, mix it with gasoline, burn it and produce power - but in doing so you burn less of the expensive gasoline to produce the same power - sounds great!

Unfortunately, theres a fundamental flaw in this - and its the same branch of science that offered the possibility that takes it away again. The first law of thermodynamics states quite clearly that the energy generated by recombining the hydrogen and oxygen through combustion can only ever be equal to the amount of energy it took to separate them. In other words it takes as much power to create HHO as you can ever derive from it - and thats in a perfect system (anyone remember perpetual motion machines!)

The problem gets worse when you realise that the electricity generated by you car doesnt come for free - it has to be generated (yeah I know it comes from the battery or alternator but where do they get their power from - the sun - I mean come on - think about it) The net result of generating electricity to generate the heat required to separate the water into hydrogen and oxygen means that the entire system is imbalanced. Again, you get less power out of the entire than you put in - simple!

What’s more, the introduction of hydrogen and oxygen into your engine’s intake can often lead to the car’s computer incorrectly adjusting the air/fuel mixture to the point where fuel consumption either worsens further, or damage could be done to your engine.

Its not all doom and gloom though. What most people dont realise is that by simply changing their driving habits, and using some basic, common sense techniques, real, as in actual, mileage increases can be achieved. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that you can double your gas mileage without buying any silly hardware or spending most of the weekend under you bonnet - and it doesnt force you to buy a Prius!