A few months ago I built my own hydrogen generator to increase my gas mileage. I built it over the course of a single weekend, with parts found locally and for under $65. I started seeing a 35% increase in gas mileage and my car was running smoother, quieter and with more power. And then some guy selling a $1000 hydrogen generator kit wrote an article claiming my DIY generator created carbon monoxide and could kill me.

Now I'm not the kind of gal that believes everything she reads like a lot of folks. I know that companies try to discredit their competition with lies and misleading advertising playing on people's fears all the time. Believe it or not, this actually works because there are a lot of folks who actually do believe everything they read without question.

I'm not one of these easily led individuals so I did some research. The first thing I did was contact the person who wrote this article. Now the online magazine I'm submitting this to won't allow me to reveal this person's name even though everything I'm about to say about him and his company is absolutely true and can be confirmed.

Nonetheless, this person sells a pre-built hydrogen generator with a $1000 price tag and he has made the blanket statement that there are people on the internet "peddling lethal junk to innocent people" in the way of DIY guide books.

He states that these guides instruct that you use baking soda as a "catalyst" for the generator and that it produces carbon monoxide and that even a small leak can kill you. Pretty bold and serious statements to be sure.

I asked this man to send me any factual proof, government warnings or statistics on those hurt by running their own hydrogen generators. He wrote back that if I didn't believe him I could ask any high school chemistry teacher. I thought this was a pretty lame answer so I wrote back stating that if a person makes a claim against another that causes that person financial harm (which he was doing by claiming the guides people were selling on the internet could kill people) then he needed some factual data supporting his claims. He wrote back that I should forward any more correspondence to his lawyer. Interesting and typical response from someone caught lying.

But to be sure, I had my generator tested by an independent, licensed technician which showed no carbon monoxide production. I contacted an actual scientist and researcher from Gulf Laboratories and he said the claims this man made were "laughably ridiculous" and that his 25 years experience told him that you don't get carbon monoxide from baking soda.

I contacted the company I originally bought my DIY guide from and forwarded the article to him and said I wanted my money back if this turned out to be true. He sent me documentation and proof that the system was safe and said that the claims made by this person selling the expensive HHO gas kit were "unsubstantiated ranting and filled with so many inaccuracies that it could not even be taken seriously".

There are thousands of people who have built there own hydrogen generators and have cut their gas bills in half. Their cars are running cleaner and lasting longer. There are no reports of anyone being injured by carbon monoxide poisoning.

It is unbelievable what some people will do to make money. I don't know about you but "go ask a high school chemistry teacher" is pretty lame proof to pretty serious statements made by someone trying to sell an expensive version of something you can build yourself at a fraction of the cost.

This borders on criminal negligence in my opinion, and I hope the company that has sold thousands upon thousands of DIY guides sues this man and his company and puts him out of business. I'm not saying there isn't a place in the market for pre-made hydrogen generators, in fact there is. There's just no room for a crook looking to play on people's fears and stealing their money.

I'm keeping my hydrogen generator and in fact am expanding on it to increase my gas mileage another 50% or so. Which is possible as there are those who have seen a 100% increase in gas mileage all with a device they built themselves!