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Originally Posted by DANTHEVR4MAN
I was reading about NaOH as well are there any harmful gases created using this or would it degrade the cathode at a much faster rate ?.
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No harmful gases from NaOH. If I remember correctly the reason NaHCO3 is a poor choice compared to the hydroxides is because the reaction is something like 2NaHCO3 --> H20 + Na2CO3 + CO2 and you will be producing H2 and CO2, with virtually all of your H2 coming from the water. With the hydroxides, you will be gaining some H2 from them as well and this will increase your output, but not by much. There are even better choices than the hydroxides, but they are harder to obtain and more expensive.
As for the electrodes, don't use steel. I suggest platinum, they will last a long long time, steel will last a few hours.
You can buy them here:
ELECTRODE PAIR, PLATINUM, SPARE
If you want something cheaper, you can also try graphite, although it won't hold up as well as the platinum.