Courtesy of SilverGen-

How many times have you seen advertisements for colloidal silver generators that promise small particle sizes? The fact is, many, if not most, units on the market today can't deliver uniformity because they use a constant voltage source to create the silver particles in the water.  Our colloidal silver generators consistently produce particles between .001 and .005 microns in size.  See our electron microscopy photographs for proof.

THE KEY QUESTION TO ASK IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING A COLLOIDAL SILVER GENERATOR FROM SOMEONE ELSE:   "Is your generator a constant voltage device?"

If they answer "Yes" then you will be getting an uncontrollable device.  It doesn't matter if the voltage is provided by a transformer/rectifier or batteries.  Constant voltage generators are rudimentary and you will probably be unhappy with the device in the long run.  They just aren't much good.

The problem is this: distilled water is a fairly good insulator. With a constant voltage connected to silver electrodes in distilled water, the initial current flow is very low because the water has high resistance to electron flow. However, as the silver particles finally do start to accumulate in the water, the resistance in the water goes down from the conductive silver content now building up.

This causes the current flow to increase and as a consequence, the silver particles begin to increase in size (they are being ripped off the silver electrodes.) As more silver is torn from the electrodes, the process is accelerated until one has to stop the process because the particles become so large they begin to fall out of suspension.

If the particles of silver are truly colloidal, they will be suspended in the water because they are not heavy enough to sink to the bottom of the vessel and they are electrically charged and repel each other.  Larger particles are too heavy to remain suspended, so they fall to the bottom of the vessel. So, uniformity of size is VERY important. Most manufacturers do not tell you this fact because their generators are not capable of making SMALL, uniform size particles except for brief periods of time. That is, only so long as the current flow is LOW.

That is why some manufacturers tell you to put salt in the water at the start and run the unit for a few minutes only. Adding salt to the water increases the conductivity of the water which gets the reaction started quickly. You are then told to run the unit for only a short period of time because they know the reaction will be too violent if left to run very long. This is not good. Salt in the water creates silver chloride. What we want are pure silver colloidal particles. Using salt in the water creates two or more silver products; a chloride and a colloid.  Even more chlorides can be produced, depending on what was in the salt. As you may know, sea salt contains almost all minerals known to man. This is because all streams and rivers flow into the sea and carry the minerals they come in contact with into the sea. And that is why the sea water is mineralized. When one dries seawater to get the salt from it, they have a representative sample of what has flowed into the sea. The salt is composed of all the minerals the fresh water has picked up during its travel to the ocean. So, you can see using sea salt would be the worst material you could use to make the water conductive. It would contain all the minerals in the sea. These minerals would combine with the silver to form many different silver chlorides. That is NOT what we want. We want only ionic silver particles and pure water to be in the final product.

All the particles coming off the positive electrode are electrically charged the same, and like charges repel.  Therefore the particles try to stay equidistant from each other in the dispersion.  This can be seen by shining a strong, narrow beam of light through the suspension.  The beam of light will reflect the light off the silver particles and it will appear as a foggy beam.  With the light off, the dispersion will be quite clear.  The best way to see this effect is to use a laser beam.  The small pocket models work quite well for this purpose.  If you use a flashlight, try to do it in the dark and you will get the best result.  This is called the Tyndall effect.

Most units on the market today use a voltage source which is usually between 27 and 36 volts D.C. This can be supplied easily by using either 3 or 4 - 9 volt batteries in series to produce the voltage. This is not a problem. In fact it can be very useful because the generator can be used anywhere at anytime and not be dependent on the electrical power system. If one is on an outing, boating, traveling or living where house wall current is not available, it can be a boon to have a battery powered unit.

The problem with the battery powered units and most of those powered from the wall current is, the voltage is not reduced as silver is released from the electrodes.  This causes the silver to be released from the electrodes at a faster and faster rate as the water becomes more conductive.  By reducing the voltage as the water becomes more conductive the current remains the same and the particle size is kept constant. This is what we strive for when making colloidal silver.

What is the proper way to make colloidal silver? It is to use a power source that can reduce the voltage in order to maintain current flow at a preset maximum value.  This is called a constant current source.  Remember, the voltage only makes the current flow.  It is the current that makes the silver particles come off the electrodes. If the current is too low, no silver particles will be formed and if there is too much current flow, the particles will be too large and will not be colloidal.  It is a tricky combination.

We at SilverGen have one of the only colloidal silver generators on the market which uses a constant current source (Note: although SilverGen was one of the first to pioneer constant current, most silver makers have it now, but always check just to be safe.  Silver makers are still being sold that don't have it - Dennis).  Our top of the line model SG6Auto has a built in stirring motor to eliminate agglomeration and also has an automatic shutoff circuit and a variable PPM control so you can just set it for the strength you want and when the light goes out it's ready to use.  No clip leads or external electrodes to bother with. 

The SG7 Pro uses the same technology carried one step further.  It can produce CS 30 times more quickly than the SG6 Auto.  It also produces 5 gallons at a time rather than a pint or quart.  It is the generator of choice if you want large volumes of the finest CS that can be produced.

We prefer to not sell the colloidal silver liquid because we feel it is better for you to make it yourself.  Having a colloid generator is an investment for your well being that is much better than having to search for the colloidal silver when you need it.  And you can make it any strength you want.  Generally, when you buy colloidal silver water, you never can tell the strength of the solution or what other products may have gone into making the product.  

After looking at all the information regarding colloidal silver generators, you may have come to the conclusion that they are mostly all the same as far as operation.  In most cases, what you get for your money is a box with three or four 9 volt batteries connected in series with a switch to turn it on, a light bulb in the circuit which will light up if the terminals are accidentally touched together (it acts as a fuse which won't blow in case of a short circuit), a couple of leads with clips and two silver electrodes which in most cases are small gauge silver wires.   You really don't get very much for the amount of money you pay.

Our generators are NOT battery operated.  They work off regular house current and have electronic circuitry which allows our units to make colloidal silver which is uniform in particle size and is consistent.  Our generators contain a printed circuit board, transformer, full wave bridge rectifier, diodes, resistors, capacitor, transistors and other electronic components.  In addition, our electrodes are 1/4 inch wide and 5 inches long and are made of 28 gauge .999 fine silver.  They have about 2 1/2 times the surface area of the wire electrodes supplied by others.  This reduces current density by the same factor, resulting in smaller particles.

For those of you who may have times of no electrical power and wish to be able to make colloidal silver, we offer a modified unit that can work off both house current and external battery power.  These units will work with any DC voltage up to 40 volts.  This means you can use a 12 volt auto battery or as many as 4 - 9 volt transistor radio batteries in series as the voltage source.  The internal current regulator will still work the same as if the unit was powered with alternating current from the wall.  These units are equipped with an extra power cable and clip leads to connect to the voltage source and are also protected against reverse current in case you connect it to a battery incorrectly.  

What we offer is a "constant current" generator.  Battery operated units are basically a "constant voltage" device.  What this all means can be broken into two explanations.

 Constant current and constant voltage generators and What's good and bad about them.

You may also have noticed that other manufacturers seem to have different techniques for making the colloidal silver.  They may ask you to add salt, heat the water, throw the solution out if it becomes muddy and start over, run the unit for short periods of time only and other requirements.  None of this is necessary if one uses a "constant current" generator.  All the variables are accounted for automatically. 

If the water is warm, the initial constant current will be reached a bit sooner than if cold water was used and timing may start a bit earlier. The water temperature will not control timing or strength of the solution once the target current is reached.  Target current is low, so it takes very little time before the colloidal particles are being formed. 

Salt is unnecessary and is a detriment to proper operation.  NEVER use salt.  It will produce silver chloride which is a silver salt.  We are looking for the metallic silver particles and ionic silver only.  A constant current generator will make ONLY electrically charged metallic and ionic particles and it does NOT need additives to start the process.

Proper timing is necessary to produce the quantity of silver in solution but it is NOT necessary to stop the current flow after a short period of time as most units require.  Using those battery powered units, which are constant voltage generators are the equivalent of driving an automobile with the gas pedal stuck to the floor.  They will run away with you and are uncontrollable.  Constant current puts you back in control.  Don't settle for less than the best. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this far.  Please see the "TECHNICAL" page for complete information on the difference between constant current and constant voltage generators.  It will open your eyes to the problems associated with constant voltage.