In short, straight AC will not produce electrolysis. It just heats the water through resistive heating (I*R losses, usually just called IR losses) and does not make gas other than heat produced water vapor. The rapid reversal of polarity causes any generated anions and cations to just sway to and fro in solution and not go anywhere.
The sizzling you hear is the salt water pretty much arcing from the plates, past the nylon washers, and to the bolts. That type of construction just does not work well for series cells. My first attempts at series cells were like that, so I learned early on. Even with rectified DC, the IR losses due to the arcing is much greater than the current that would normally flow through the cells. In simple terms, it's shorting out from end to end.
BobStatistics: Posted by Bob Boyce — Thu Jul 20, 2006 3:26 am
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