1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Please, don't try anything you're about to see at home. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000 We're what you call experts. 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000 They say home is where the heart is. 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:20,000 But inside every house lurks a host of domestic dangers. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,000 So could your home actually be where the heart is? 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:30,000 The Mythbusters are finding out. 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Whoa, Mythbusters job is never done. 8 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 From exploding vacuum cleaners. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,000 I spilled the whole thing, oh no. 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,000 To sunscreen that could scorch your skin. 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Can't get sunburnt. 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,000 Hey, we caught him on fire. 13 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,000 There he's on fire. 14 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 To pianos dropping out of the sky. 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Off the roof, off the other roof. 16 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,000 Nothing but concrete. 17 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:56,000 And finally to water heaters that might extinguish fires. 18 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,000 Oh crap! 19 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Boom! 20 00:00:58,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Wow. 21 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:04,000 The Mythbusters are on the case with a horde of household disasters. 22 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Come on, come on, water heater. 23 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Whoa! 24 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Who are the Mythbusters? 25 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,000 Adam Savage, this is science in action. 26 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,000 And Jamie Heineman. 27 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,000 We're gonna have an adventure. 28 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,000 Between them more than 30 years of special effects experience. 29 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,000 Together with Carrie Byron. 30 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Let's do it. 31 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:29,000 Grant Imahara. 32 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,000 Ah! 33 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,000 And Tori Belachie. 34 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,000 Let's chop this car up! 35 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,000 They don't just tell the Myths. 36 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,000 Oh yeah. 37 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,000 They put them to the test. 38 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:50,000 Off the grid. 39 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,000 And undercover. 40 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,000 The Mythbusters are beginning. 41 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,000 This is the worst case scenario. 42 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Fire in the hole! 43 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 By living dangerously. 44 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,000 All I want is something to blow up. 45 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Is that so much to ask? 46 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Wow! 47 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:15,000 My boy! 48 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,000 Nicely done. 49 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Good work everyone. 50 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 So they've started with a bang. 51 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,000 But how about we start at the beginning? 52 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:33,000 Well today what we have is a whole episode devoted to Myths about household disasters. 53 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,000 And the first one is a doozy. 54 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:40,000 The Myth that sunscreen can make you vulnerable to bursting into flames. 55 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,000 Spontaneous human combustion. 56 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,000 I'm all for it. 57 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Great, let's go. 58 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:52,000 There's a myth out there that says that certain types of sunscreen may protect you from burning. 59 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 But they can also at the same time set you on fire. 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,000 And so with that in mind we've come out to one of our favorite places in the Bay Area 61 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:03,000 that we can legally and safely set things on fire. 62 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Yep. 63 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Inside this fireproof concrete bunker. 64 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Nice. 65 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,000 The guys will attempt to light up some lotion. 66 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:13,000 Is that your fire suit? 67 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,000 It is indeed. 68 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 Good, well if you put that on we'll find out which one of these is flammable. 69 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:18,000 Alright. 70 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:22,000 With Adam suited, first up are the traditional creams. 71 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Just squirt those into the flame. 72 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 And possibly the most basic test ever on Mythbusters. 73 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,000 Alright, here goes nothing. 74 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,000 Three, two, one. 75 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Not flammable. 76 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:37,000 Nope. 77 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,000 Alright, number two. 78 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,000 Also not flammable. 79 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Nope. 80 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,000 So why didn't the creams burn? 81 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:52,000 Well the creams are made up of chemicals and minerals but they're primarily an oil based product 82 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 and just like the oil in your salad dressing it's pretty hard to get it to burst into flames. 83 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Not flammable. 84 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,000 But we're just getting started. 85 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,000 Now it's time to move on to the sprays. 86 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:05,000 Oh! 87 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Alright, that's one for further study. 88 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,000 Wow! 89 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,000 Clearly this is one you shouldn't try at home. 90 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Woo! 91 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,000 Because the sprays are adding fuel to the fire. 92 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:22,000 Wow! 93 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,000 Dude, these sprays are scary. 94 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,000 And it's all down to the propellant. 95 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,000 So what are those propellants you'll find in an average can of spray sunscreen? 96 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,000 Primarily butane and propane. 97 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Butane you'll know as the stuff that's in your lighter. 98 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,000 And propane is the stuff you cook your burgers on. 99 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,000 They're used primarily because they're self-pressurizing and they allow the manufacturer to make something that sprays 100 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,000 without having to put a highly pressurized gas in this canister. 101 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,000 They're not meant to be flammable, not for this product anyway. 102 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,000 The butane is fanning the flames of the myth. 103 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:57,000 Alright. 104 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,000 Time to get cooking. 105 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:06,000 So now to find out if this summertime scenario really is a household hazard. 106 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,000 Just in case. 107 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,000 Our scenario here is pretty straightforward. 108 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:18,000 Our dude here, the chef, is a barbecuing aficionado who's also very pale. 109 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:22,000 So he is currently covering himself with sunscreen while barbecuing. 110 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,000 We're going to wait until the meat gets good and greasy and get some fire coming up off of that. 111 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,000 Then we're going to try and apply a little sunscreen to see what happens to our dude. 112 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,000 Alright, here we go. 113 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:36,000 I may be barbecuing but it's been a while since I put sunscreen on. 114 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Barbecuing Buster is pale as a ghost, so Adam ensures he's thoroughly protected from the sun. 115 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,000 Yeah, that's not so bad. 116 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:50,000 But could that overzealous protection actually do Buster harm? 117 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000 Can't get sunburned. No, no sunburn for you. 118 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,000 Oh, oh. 119 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,000 Hey, we caught him on fire. 120 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,000 He's on fire. 121 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,000 Should I put him out? 122 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:05,000 Yes. 123 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Excellent. 124 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,000 Woo, that was close. 125 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:18,000 We actually were able to get the fire to jump from the barbecue through the mist to the guy's arm and set him on fire. 126 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Pretty extreme circumstances, I know, but at this point his arm and even some of his clothing are on fire and he's in big trouble. 127 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Clearly this could be a home disaster waiting to happen. 128 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,000 So cue Human Attalog 2.0. 129 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? 130 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Next up, Kari Torian Grant gets a drop on a little house music. 131 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:57,000 Are you guys ready for a super slapstick cartoon style house hazards myth? 132 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,000 Yeah, okay, let's hear it. 133 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:06,000 All right, so you know when a piano is dangling above a house dangerously, whenever it drops it crashes all the way through. 134 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,000 Yeah, that leaves a perfect hole in the roof and every floor goes through. 135 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,000 Well, that's what we're testing. Is that how it really happens? 136 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:22,000 So to test this disastrous domestic drop, they found the perfect crib to crash the piano through. 137 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,000 Oh, this place is creepy. 138 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:32,000 Now to test this, we had to find a house and by some miracle, somebody has given us a house to crash a piano through. 139 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,000 What is this place? 140 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Now before you freak out, oh, it's a house from the 1800s. 141 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:43,000 This is ridden with rat poop. This is slated for tear down. This is going to be demolished anyway. 142 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,000 We're just going to give it a head start. 143 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,000 So this is the piano that we're going to be dropping on our roof. 144 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:54,000 It weighs 700 pounds. We're going to take it up 50 feet above the roof and drop it. 145 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Now it's going to be traveling at 38 miles an hour and it's going to hit the rooftop with 12,000 pounds of force. 146 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,000 And this is our roof. We'll be dropping the piano right on the bull's eye. 147 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:12,000 Now at that target point, a roof of this design is capable of supporting a static load of approximately 2,200 pounds. 148 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,000 Let me show you what it looks like inside. 149 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:22,000 And we've specifically chosen the target point to be between the roof joists so that it has the best possibility of punching through. 150 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,000 But that's not all. In order for this myth to be confirmed, it has to punch through the floor too. 151 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Now this floor is capable of supporting a static load of 4,200 pounds. 152 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:37,000 And if you do all the math, that means we just might see a hole in the roof and a hole in the floor. 153 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000 Alright, time to raise the piano, huh? 154 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Let's do it. 155 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,000 Got the straps. 156 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:57,000 Now to get our piano airborne, this is our crane. It should easily be able to dangle that piano 50 feet above the rooftop. 157 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,000 Alright, take a long look at this piano. This is the last time it's going to look this good. 158 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:08,000 I think that the piano is going to break into pieces. The idea that it would keep going and go through the floor as well, it feels a little ludicrous to me. 159 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,000 I think that we're going to get just through the roof and that's it. 160 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:24,000 Carrie's instincts say no, but with a 700 pound piano dropping from 50 feet and striking the roof with a force of 12,000 pounds, it's going to be hard hitting. 161 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:33,000 Okay, here we go. This is upright piano at 50 feet, drop through a house in three, two, one. 162 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Oh, off the roof, off the other roof. Not too much concrete. 163 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Oh, listen to that bounce. It's still playing. 164 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:50,000 It's still going, but that's the music of, yeah, I think I know this tune. Busted. 165 00:09:50,000 --> 00:10:01,000 It seems the upright piano was too low key. Despite the force of the fall, it wasn't enough to carry the tune. But is there more to this myth? 166 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,000 I think we're going to need a bigger piano. 167 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Yep. 168 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Wow, look at that. We splintered the beams. I think what happened was there was so much flex in the roof that we weren't able to punch through. 169 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,000 So now I think we need a bigger piano. 170 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,000 Coming up, the Mythbusters hit home with more domestic disasters. 171 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Come on, Waterheater. 172 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:42,000 Sunscreen. It's meant to keep you from burning. 173 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,000 But could it actually give you a very painful kind of tan? 174 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:53,000 So far in this episode, our experiments have been concentrated around the aerosolization of spray sunscreen. 175 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:59,000 That is when it creates a bilious cloud that gets near an open flame and can cause a whoo-shing fireball. 176 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,000 Hey, we got them on fire. 177 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,000 But that's not the only mechanism by which we've heard these sunscreens can be dangerous. 178 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:11,000 We've heard reports of people applying it and then minutes later approaching an open flame and then catching on fire. 179 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 That it may remain flammable for a period of time. 180 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000 But to test this, we can't use our fiberglass mannequin because its skin is hard. 181 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:25,000 We need a more realistic human analog to skin that can absorb our sunscreen. 182 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,000 Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? 183 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Like that guy. 184 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:36,000 The suggestion is that propellant-based sunscreen stays flammable long after application. 185 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,000 Let's get to grilling. 186 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:39,000 There we go. 187 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,000 But is that a scenario that will bring home the bacon? 188 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,000 No, wait a little bit. Let the fat start to fry. 189 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:53,000 For the first test, we're going to apply the sunscreen and then wait three minutes before we expose it to flame. 190 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:57,000 All right, dude, I think we're close. You want to get ready to spray him and then count down three minutes? 191 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:02,000 Okay, so how might it be that sunscreen remains flammable once applied to the skin? 192 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,000 A whole bunch, all the way down the arm too. 193 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:09,000 Well, solvents are used to dissolve the oils and minerals and carry them in suspension. 194 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:15,000 And that is usually denatured alcohol at concentrations up to 75%. 195 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,000 And as we know, alcohol is very flammable. 196 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,000 That's the theory. And three minutes later... 197 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,000 Three minutes. 198 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,000 Porky has to sweat it out. 199 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:27,000 There we go, pig. 200 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:32,000 Adam fans the flames, but will the sunscreen still be flammable? 201 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Nothing. Nothing, man. 202 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,000 Ah, no. 203 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,000 Three minutes. I don't think you're flammable. 204 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Time to do one minute. 205 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Let's go for brook. 206 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000 Next, they slap on a whole lot more sunscreen. 207 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,000 And this time, grab the grill after just 60 seconds. 208 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,000 Time's up. Go. 209 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Ah, one minute. Nothing. 210 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,000 Nope. 211 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,000 We've tested the application of spray sunscreen on our pig and exposed him to a barbecue fire 212 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:15,000 after three minutes and one minute, and so far have yet to achieve any kind of burning pork. 213 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,000 Now we're going to do it nearly instantaneously. 214 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:23,000 We're going to apply the sunscreen to our pig, wait about five seconds for the billiest cloud to disperse, 215 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,000 and then bring in the barbecue flames. 216 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,000 There we go. 217 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Okay. 218 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 There he's on fire. 219 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Is he on fire? No, my goodness. 220 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:43,000 So as Porky feels the burn, there's definitely a residual risk. 221 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,000 But it's only five seconds after application. 222 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,000 So it seems that the alcohol in these sprays is evaporating very rapidly. 223 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:58,000 But if you spray yourself down and then immediately expose that sprayed area to an open source of flame like the grill, 224 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,000 you could be in serious trouble, like our guy. 225 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:14,000 Before they tickle the ivories once again, first a different domestic disaster. 226 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,000 Okay, a vacuum cleaner. And is that black powder? 227 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,000 It is. All right, let me explain. 228 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,000 Now this myth is about a guy who's making his own ammo in his living room. 229 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,000 He knocks over a bunch of black powder on the carpet, decides to vacuum it up, 230 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,000 but something in the vacuum cleaner ignites the black powder and the whole thing explodes. 231 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,000 No way. 232 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,000 Man, this has myth posters written all over it. 233 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,000 It's a household hazard that you can't sweep under the rug, 234 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,000 but will sucking up black powder really bring the house down? 235 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,000 Well, at the bomb range. 236 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,000 All right, the cleanup crews here. 237 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,000 The guys get on with their chores. 238 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,000 All heads on deck, get it? 239 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:53,000 Hey! 240 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,000 Woo-hoo, funny. 241 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,000 As they lay first a floor. 242 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,000 Oh my God, it's perfect. 243 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,000 And then a carpet. 244 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,000 Watch this. Boom! 245 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000 Wow, we actually got a carpet that goes with the colors of the bomb range. 246 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,000 There's dirty brown and blasted brown. 247 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,000 A little bit of burnt ochre. 248 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 So now to bring in the vacuums. 249 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:20,000 But how could something built to suck ignite the black powder? 250 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Well, number one, you have an electric motor that's generating heat. 251 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000 Number two, you have rotating parts moving at high speed. 252 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:34,000 You could form static electricity and a static discharge could set it off. 253 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,000 And finally, there could be an electrical problem inside of the vacuum, 254 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,000 causing a large amount of heat to be generated in a small area. 255 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,000 And because of that unholy trinity. 256 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,000 Oh, Miss Buster's job is never done. 257 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,000 The team is opting for some hands-free hoovering. 258 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,000 So this is how it's going to go down. 259 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,000 We're going to be vacuuming up a pound of black powder. 260 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:57,000 That's a lot of black powder. 261 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,000 The vacuum cleaner could potentially explode. 262 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:04,000 So we'll be operating it remotely with my vacuuming robot. 263 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,000 If you are not satisfied with the robot vacuum machine, 264 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:12,000 your money is 100% 90%. 265 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,000 It's about 50% guaranteed. 266 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,000 With the robot firing on its one and only cylinder. 267 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,000 Like one of those furniture testers. 268 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,000 Grat adds the final ingredient. 269 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,000 Oh, I spilled some more. Oh, no. 270 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 I spilled the whole thing. Oh, no. 271 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:36,000 This feels like the beginning of the best infomercial for a vacuum ever. 272 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:42,000 Okay, this is black powder vacuum in three, two, one. 273 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,000 All right, engaging RoboMaid. 274 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,000 All right, let's let it run for a minute and see what happens. 275 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:56,000 Slowly but surely, RoboMaid runs the vacuum over the powder. 276 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,000 Yeah, she moves real slow, but she does a great job. 277 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:05,000 But after a minute, although the vacuum is sucking, it's not blowing up. 278 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:09,000 Didn't blow up. Okay, let's switch out the vacuum. 279 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:14,000 So with a squadron of suckers standing by. 280 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,000 We do windows too. 281 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,000 Next, they try the uprights. 282 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,000 All right, I think we can call it. 283 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,000 Then the canisters. 284 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:26,000 12 amp canister vacuum. Three, two, one. 285 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:29,000 Then the high and the low amperages. 286 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,000 Well, so far it's sucking. 287 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,000 Oh, you're right. It is sucking. 288 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,000 But after all that vacuuming, there's still 0 for 7 on explosions. 289 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,000 This myth is totally busted. 290 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,000 I'm standing in a virtual vacuum cleaner graveyard. 291 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,000 We tried every vacuum cleaner we could find. 292 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,000 We used a substantial amount of black powder and no boom. 293 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:52,000 Busted. 294 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,000 But we're going to end this way. 295 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,000 MythBusters liked an experiment with a big blast. 296 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:02,000 Yep, the team tested the circumstances and it sucked. 297 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,000 So now it's time to replicate the result. 298 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,000 It's time for our favorite part. 299 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,000 MythBusters made service in three, two, one. 300 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,000 Oh! 301 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 Now that is an exploding vacuum cleaner. 302 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 MythBusters. 303 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:42,000 So, all episode long, we've been testing things that go horribly wrong in the house. 304 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,000 For this story, we've got a bit of a twist. 305 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,000 We're doing two things that go horribly wrong, except that they cancel each other out. 306 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Go on. 307 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,000 Well, first you've got to picture a house that has a faulty hot water heater. 308 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,000 A situation we know is very, very dangerous. 309 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 At the same time as the water heater is about to blow, a fire starts. 310 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,000 Then in some crazy coincidence, just as the fire is reaching its peak, 311 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,000 the water heater explodes and bang! 312 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,000 No more fire. 313 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:14,000 So the water heater explodes and then it completely extinguishes the fire. 314 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:15,000 Exactly. 315 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:20,000 So what we need is a house that we can set on fire and a water heater that will fail 316 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:25,000 precisely when we want it to, because in this one, timing is everything. 317 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000 Isn't it always? 318 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,000 Yes, it is. 319 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,000 So they'll fight fire with steam later, 320 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:40,000 because first off, they need a water heater that will explode on cue. 321 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,000 We've done a lot of stories in this location. 322 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,000 Yes, we have. 323 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,000 The main ingredient, they'll need that malfunctioning water heater. 324 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,000 Nice. 325 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,000 And for the firefighting contents, they've got to improvise. 326 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,000 Resources are a little scarce out here at Pit 232, 327 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:03,000 so Miles and Tori are using the Great All to get water in that trash can. 328 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,000 Said trash can will then be transported over to our water heater, 329 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,000 where soon we're going to turn it into steam, hopefully, catastrophically. 330 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:15,000 That right there, that's some Mythbusters ingenuity. 331 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Straight from the lake, into the tank. 332 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000 For the next step, Jamie is bringing in some air support. 333 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,000 But where does that fit with this overheated water heater? 334 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:37,000 Now if you're familiar with our show, you know that this is not our first water heater explosion. 335 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:40,000 Mavre things to blow up. Right here. 336 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:52,000 Now in the past, when we've blown them up, we have gone with a very similar methodology for every single one. 337 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,000 We've capped it off, heated up, and waited for it to blow. 338 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,000 Ah, this fence is killing me. 339 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,000 And waited. 340 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,000 This is excruciating. 341 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,000 And waited. 342 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,000 I don't want to take my eyes off me. 343 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 The waiting is the hardest part. 344 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 I love this part. 345 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,000 But in this case, we need the water heater to blow at a very specific point 346 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,000 when the fire in our house is big enough to have passed the point of no return, 347 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,000 but not big enough to have officially burned down the house. 348 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:26,000 So this time, we are implementing an entirely new method of causing our water heater to blow exactly when we want it to. 349 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:34,000 And that new method starts here, with this generator putting out 11,000 watts of power to the heating elements in our water heater. 350 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:39,000 All those trusty electrons will transfer their energy into the water inside this sealed container, 351 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:43,000 causing the water to expand, causing pressure to build inside it. 352 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:50,000 And in our extensive experience with these, they'll blow somewhere between 320 and 340 pounds per square inch of pressure. 353 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:54,000 So I figure I can make the tank blow whenever I want using this scuba tank. 354 00:21:54,000 --> 00:22:01,000 I'll wait until we get up into the 300 psi or so range, throw this lever, and when I do... 355 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,000 KKKKK 356 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,000 Oh crap! 357 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 So when the tank reaches 300 psi... 358 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,000 Power on! 359 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Now we wait. 360 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:25,000 A little extra burst will push it past its threshold and boom. 361 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:29,000 Well, that's the theory, so first, a proof-of-concept test. 362 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:36,760 It's that familiar water heater wait as the pressure inside the tank slowly builds. 363 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:42,040 As they close in on 300 psi, it's all down to their rig because if it can't trigger 364 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,160 a boom, they won't be fighting fires anytime soon. 365 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,280 We're at 226 folks. 366 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:53,400 The anticipation is really exquisite at this point. 367 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:59,160 Ten minutes later, it's time to give the heater its booster shot. 368 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:01,880 It's go time. Here we go. 369 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:06,560 Alright everybody, it's happening. I'll give a countdown. 370 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:08,280 Jamie, you ready? 371 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:09,200 I'm ready. 372 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:18,200 Alright. High pressure hot water heater explosion in five, four, three, two, one, go. 373 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,040 That pressure just dropped to zero. 374 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,760 Oh, oh, oh, oh, it's up, it's up, it's up. I see it, I see it. 375 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,760 It's coming down to the right. It's perfect. Not too far. 376 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,080 Boom! Nice work, sir. 377 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,080 Within a second. 378 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,080 Well done. 379 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,760 What a relief that works magnificently. 380 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:50,120 Proof of concept. 381 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:52,680 Let's go inspect the damage. 382 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,680 Never get used to that feeling. 383 00:23:56,680 --> 00:24:00,400 That last shot in the arm overpressurized the water heater. 384 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:07,400 And after a dramatic pause for effect, it exploded almost on cue. 385 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:11,800 Smells wet and just like every other water heater explosion, 386 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:18,360 there's the upside down concave now made convex that sends it on its journey. 387 00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:21,720 So as you can see, the ground is wet around here. 388 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:25,440 It's about a 25 foot radius of moisture. 389 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,920 That's the stuff that hopefully is going to put out our fire. 390 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,960 You know, you know, a little welding, it'll be good as new. 391 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,840 Well, that was beautiful. 392 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,400 It would seem that even though we are old dogs, when it comes to detonating 393 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,920 or exploding hot water heaters, we could still learn a few new tricks. 394 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,960 We now know exactly how to set off a water heater when we want to. 395 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,480 Now it's time to transfer that technology to a house on fire, 396 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,960 because don't forget we're trying to put out a house fire 397 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,720 with the energy of an exploding water heater. 398 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,720 Should be good. 399 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:10,160 Please don't try what you're about to see at home. 400 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,040 We're what you would call experts. 401 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,280 Welcome back. 402 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,840 We have been testing a story about a house that is on fire, 403 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,720 and that fire gets extinguished by an exploding hot water heater. 404 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:26,320 In order to test this, we had to come up with an entirely new method 405 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,240 of exploding a hot water heater on command. 406 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,760 We tested it and it works perfectly. 407 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,440 Boom! Nice work, sir. 408 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,120 Now it's time to find out if that exploding hot water heater 409 00:25:38,120 --> 00:25:41,120 actually has fire extinguishing capabilities. 410 00:25:41,120 --> 00:25:45,120 Yep, and for that, they're going to need a house to set on fire. 411 00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:48,120 So this is our cozy little cottage. 412 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,120 It's being built to code. 413 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:52,120 It'll have all the modern amenities. 414 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:54,120 It has a lovely lakeside view. 415 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:56,120 Ain't she pretty? 416 00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:59,120 Well, at least she is right now. 417 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:04,120 And every lake house needs a fire extinguisher. 418 00:26:04,120 --> 00:26:07,120 Installed and filled to the brim. 419 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:10,120 Got a lovely siphon. It's like magic. 420 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:12,120 And now the dressing will commence. 421 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:14,120 Oh, like a magician. 422 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:18,120 The mythbusters are replicating a lounge room scenario 423 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:20,120 complete with shag carpet. 424 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:24,120 That is some fuggly-ass carpet. Nice. 425 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,120 Comfy couches. 426 00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:28,120 It's looking good. 427 00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:31,120 And plenty of combustible wood. 428 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:33,120 It's looking good. 429 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:35,120 And plenty of combustible contents. 430 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:37,120 Home sweet home. 431 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:43,120 I find it interesting we're repeatedly making spaces that feel somewhat homey 432 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:47,120 but are only going to last for like 45 minutes before we burn them down. 433 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:51,120 Or maybe put them out. We might put this fire out. 434 00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:56,120 They might, but to put it out, first they'll need to start it. 435 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:58,120 All right, go ahead and fire it up. 436 00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:02,120 Nice. Shut it down. 437 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,120 Oh, what is this? 438 00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:09,120 This is a little wastebasket fire starter that I built back in the shop yesterday. 439 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:13,120 In order to replicate a real-world fire starting in a house 440 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:16,120 we are going to create a way to start a fire in a wastebasket. 441 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:19,120 We need to set a fire exactly when we want to 442 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:22,120 and that means we're going to use our favorite ignition source, 443 00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,120 the 15,000-vote neon transformer. 444 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:29,120 Now if everything goes according to plan, pushing this button should start a fire in this bucket. 445 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:32,120 Three, two, one. 446 00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:39,120 And there it is. 447 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:41,120 Wait, that's it. 448 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,120 I think that's enough said. 449 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,120 Oh, wait, there's one last detail. 450 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:48,120 Everyone has a nice little bit of a throw. 451 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:51,120 They put over the arm of their couch. 452 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:54,120 Diabolical. 453 00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:57,120 The house is now a disaster waiting to happen, 454 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:01,120 but to contain it, Jamie is digging the dirt. 455 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:08,120 One of the problems with setting a house on fire is the question of what else you might set on fire if you do that. 456 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:11,120 Well, it's fire season here in California 457 00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:16,120 and our experiment is going to make the fire department a little, well, nervous. 458 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:21,120 So to put their minds at ease, I'm going to dig a nice fire break. 459 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,120 And with that, their house is ready to burn. 460 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:29,120 Visitor, who could it be? 461 00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:30,120 I think we're done. 462 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,120 Not yet. Stand back just a little bit. 463 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,120 Now we're done. 464 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:38,120 Wipe your feet. The carpet's all nice. 465 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:44,120 It's a silent movie classic that plays a devastating tune. 466 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:49,120 But could this domestic disaster be fictional physics? 467 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:55,120 Okay, so far we haven't had any luck punching through the roof with our upright piano, just like in the movies. 468 00:28:55,120 --> 00:29:00,120 But not giving up, we're going to upgrade to this baby grand piano. 469 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:05,120 It has twice the weight of the upright and therefore twice the weight of the upright. 470 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:09,120 It has twice the weight of the upright and therefore twice the energy. 471 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:16,120 We'll find a new part of the roof to drop it on because the one we just used is compromised and we'll give it another shot. 472 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:22,120 So will that grander piano weighing 1,400 pounds get the shingles to shatter? 473 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:26,120 Though having a bigger piano gives us more kinetic energy, 474 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:32,120 I'm thinking here that since it's spread out over a larger surface area, we're still going to get a bounce. 475 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:38,120 I don't think this one's going through. After seeing that last piano, I just am less optimistic. 476 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,120 But this is MythBusters. We've got to cover all our bases. 477 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:45,120 We already had an upright piano now. Got to have one of these big boys. 478 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:47,120 What are you doing back there? 479 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,120 I'm turning. 480 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,120 It's out. 481 00:29:55,120 --> 00:30:03,120 This is going to be good. This is going to be real good. 482 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:08,120 It makes me very uncomfortable seeing something that heavy, that high in the air. 483 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:14,120 Dangling 50 feet above the roof, will it be an instrument of massive destruction? 484 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:18,120 Alright, this is grand piano through a roof. 485 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,120 In three, two, one. 486 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:24,120 Oh! 487 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:30,120 It's stuck. That's awesome. I thought it was going through. 488 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:32,120 That was awesome. 489 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:33,120 That was hilarious. 490 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:37,120 It didn't put a hole in it and it stuck to the roof. That was awesome. 491 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:38,120 Alright. 492 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:40,120 Let's go take a look. 493 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,120 That was amazing. 494 00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:49,120 Amazing. But this myth is on its last legs, as they're the only things that penetrated the roof. 495 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:53,120 Well, there's something you don't see every day. 496 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:54,120 No. 497 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,120 It just stuck to the roof. That's awesome. 498 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,120 I think at this point we can pretty much call this one busted. 499 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,120 We tried twice with two different kind of pianos and we didn't get a hole. 500 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:06,120 No, and this is kind of an old rotten house. 501 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,120 Alright, so we had the grand piano suspended 50 feet above the roof. 502 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,120 We let it go and I thought for sure it was going through. 503 00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:18,120 But as you can see here, only the legs made it through. 504 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:22,120 The rest of the piano is still on the roof. 505 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:27,120 Fortunately, it doesn't work like it does in the movies. This one is busted. 506 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:32,120 Busted, but it ain't over until the piano goes through the roof. 507 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:36,120 Welcome back to the MythBusters Experimental Music Program. 508 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,120 But now we are going to introduce sand. 509 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,120 1500 pounds of sand. 510 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:48,120 This is going to fill every nook and cranny of the piano and hopefully give us an advantage. 511 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,120 Because right now the score is roof two, piano zero. 512 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:58,120 In other words, they're stacking the odds by stacking the piano with sand. 513 00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:00,120 And with a little fine tuning. 514 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,120 That sounds better. 515 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:08,120 There'll be a lot of musicians out there that hate me right now. 516 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:12,120 The now packed piano is ready for a jam session. 517 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,120 Anybody know any Beach Boy? 518 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,120 Uh, Rose, I can't sand it. 519 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,120 Oh, you got it. Let's just get this thing in the air. 520 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,120 Oh my God, that was great. 521 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:24,120 I want you to drop the piano on my head though. 522 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,120 Alright, bring in the crane. 523 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,120 This is going to put a hole through the roof for sure. 524 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:36,120 Now the first time we tried this, the upright piano weighed about 700 pounds. 525 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:42,120 We've upped the weight of this one to 2600 pounds or 3.7 times more. 526 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,120 It seems to be holding the sand. 527 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,120 You guys want to get into position? 528 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:51,120 Additionally, we're raising our height from 50 feet to 75 feet. 529 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,120 We're going to raise up right from there. 530 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:59,120 That's going to result in an impact force of over 55,000 pounds. 531 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:05,120 Now bear in mind, that roof is only rated for a static load of 2,100 pounds. 532 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,120 There's no doubt about it. This thing is going through. 533 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:11,120 Alright, we're clear of the trees. 534 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:17,120 Now dangling at 75 feet above the roof, it's time for the final movement, 535 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:20,120 as this myth faces the music. 536 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:24,120 Alright, so this is heavier piano from a higher height. 537 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,120 In 3, 2, 1... 538 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:29,120 Yeah! 539 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,120 Whoa! 540 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:33,120 Where's the roof? 541 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:35,120 No resistance whatsoever. 542 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:36,120 That's the hole of the roof. 543 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,120 Holy crap! 544 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:39,120 That was awesome. 545 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:40,120 Good shot! 546 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:46,120 Like a cartoon anvil, the piano drops straight through the roof. 547 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:53,120 Yeah, check out the new skyline! 548 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,120 That was sweet. 549 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:03,120 This is kind of what I thought was going to happen with this first piano. 550 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:06,120 It was just going to punch a hole through the roof and land on the floor. 551 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:09,120 Luckily this piano had a couple extra things going for it. 552 00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,120 Height, we had it much, much higher. 553 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,120 It was much, much heavier. 554 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:18,120 And smaller surface area, compacting all that weight into a nice little... 555 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,120 Just demolition ball. 556 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:22,120 It's awesome. 557 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,120 Alright, it might have taken a few tries, 558 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:28,120 but we finally got a hole in the roof with the piano, but this one's still busted. 559 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,120 Yeah, I mean, that was an upright piano weighing 2,600 pounds. 560 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:35,120 Stuffed with sand, racist 75 feet. 561 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,120 That's not a normal situation. 562 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:40,120 Well, I'm pretty sure nobody's calling Mythbusters piano movers, are they? 563 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:42,120 I'm sure someone would hire us. 564 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:44,120 Somebody wants a skylight. 565 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:58,120 Eagle-eyed viewers, this is for you. 566 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:01,120 Oh, you want to know why I'm wearing a cast on my hand? 567 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,120 Sure, of course you do. 568 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,120 Well, when we first got to this location, before we even started shooting anything, 569 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,120 we had to move around a bunch of things and pieces of equipment, 570 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,120 and among them were our blast chamber section panels. 571 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:15,120 These are inch-and-a-half thick, they weigh 150 pounds a piece, 572 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:20,120 and one of them fell on my hand, actually crushing my second metacarpal 573 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,120 at the first knuckle of my index finger. 574 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,120 Ow! 575 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,120 What am I doing up at the Crack of Dawn? 576 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,120 I asked myself the same question this morning, but here's the thing. 577 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,120 We are in Northern California, a gold country, 578 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:45,120 and it is smack in the middle of prime fire season. 579 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,120 The fire department has a real concern that when we set fire to our house 580 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,120 and explode that hot water heater that we could cause a wildfire. 581 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:55,120 They have given us permission to do this experiment, 582 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,120 but only at eight or nine in the morning. 583 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:02,120 So we have shown up at the ungodly hour of five a.m. 584 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:06,120 to get all of our ducks in a row so that at eight a.m. 585 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:09,120 we can push the button and set fire to this house 586 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:13,120 and detonate this hot water heater and get done with this experiment. 587 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,120 All without causing a fire, of course. 588 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,120 Yep, and with the switch flicked... 589 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,120 And here we go. 590 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:24,120 At the water heater heating, the sun rises 591 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:28,120 and the emergency crews prepare for the worst-case scenario. 592 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:32,120 We expect that the building may simply, like, 593 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,120 not be an interior structure anymore 594 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:39,120 and be aware that that's a dangerous structure that could drop on anybody that goes in. 595 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:44,120 I would recommend watching for large objects like that furniture that's traveling some distance. 596 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:49,120 That's the worst thing that we can see that happens as far as putting fire out there. 597 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:53,120 The sun is up. It's nice and early morning, and we are pretty much at go time. 598 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:57,120 The hot water heater is pressured to 105 psi, which is within its safety rating, 599 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:00,120 but that is time for us to all get under the safety of a bunker. 600 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,120 I'm sitting at ground zero at the couch where my waste paper basket 601 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:08,120 is properly fueled with some newspaper ready to set fire to the couch and the curtains. 602 00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:12,120 We're not much more than 10 minutes away, I must admit. I'm a little excited. 603 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:15,120 The mythbusters fall back to the bunker, 604 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:19,120 because soon that water heater is going to blow. 605 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:21,120 We are at 200 psi. 606 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:25,120 The question is, will it extinguish the impending fire? 607 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:30,120 This is Command Central. We've got a view of the ignition point. 608 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:34,120 We've got a view of the room where we expect the fire to occur. 609 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,120 We've got our ignition switch and our pressure meter. 610 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,120 We're all set. 611 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:43,120 It's nice when our gauges match. 612 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:48,120 I personally think the fire is going to take about two, two and a half minutes 613 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:51,120 to get to the point of no return. 614 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:55,120 And I think that our hot water heater is going to put it out when it explodes, 615 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:58,120 but I think it's also going to destroy the house. 616 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:01,120 This is the most tense part of the operation. 617 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:06,120 So I think it will be a plus and a minus all at the same time. 618 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:08,120 But we'll find out soon enough. 619 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:13,120 After one and a half hours, the tank is closing in on the explosive butter zone. 620 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:15,120 So it's over to our fire starter. 621 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,120 All right, here we go. Set in the fire. 622 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:21,120 Three, two, one. 623 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:23,120 Uh-oh. 624 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,120 Worked like a charm. 625 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:26,120 That worked. Holy crap. 626 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:27,120 Oh, wow. 627 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:30,120 Inside the house, the flames quickly take hold. 628 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:33,120 The smoke is obscuring. 629 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:36,120 It's still going strong, but it's obscuring my upper camera. 630 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:40,120 And with the fire raging and the water heater at 300 psi, 631 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:44,120 they're ready to fight one disaster with another. 632 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:47,120 All right, Jamie, I'm going to give you the countdown. 633 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:48,120 Are you ready? 634 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,120 You got a good fire? 635 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:50,120 Yeah, I got a good fire. 636 00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:51,120 All right. 637 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:52,120 Here we go. 638 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:54,120 Fire in the hole. 639 00:38:54,120 --> 00:39:02,120 We are going to blow this hot water heater in five, four, three, two, one. 640 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:03,120 Go. 641 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:04,120 Come on back in. 642 00:39:07,120 --> 00:39:08,120 Come on. 643 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,120 Come on, water heater. 644 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:10,120 Whoa. 645 00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:11,120 It's up. 646 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:12,120 It's up. 647 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:13,120 It's up. 648 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:14,120 I don't see it. 649 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:15,120 I see it. 650 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:16,120 It's coming down. 651 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:18,120 Land. 652 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,120 It landed on the land. 653 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:23,120 There's no house left. 654 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,120 I don't see any fire, though. 655 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:27,120 I see some smoke. 656 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:31,120 That was clearly a household disaster. 657 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:35,120 And initially, it looks like a water heater extinguished. 658 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:42,120 However, once the dust settles, it looks like we still have a little bit of a fire. 659 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,120 It doesn't look like the water heater helped out very much. 660 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:57,120 Bar chief, for your information, we have extinguished the fire, 661 00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:01,120 but there's still some small drinks of a little water here and there. 662 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:02,120 Take care. 663 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:03,120 Finishing it off. 664 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,120 And as the fire crew put out the smoldering wreckage, 665 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,120 this is why we can't have nice things. 666 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:16,120 It's clear an exploding water heater is not a fire extinguisher. 667 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:18,120 That could not have been more spectacular. 668 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:20,120 We had one household disaster. 669 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:24,120 A small fire started in a waste basket compounded by a second household disaster 670 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:29,120 and an exploding hot water heater that caused a lot of damage. 671 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:36,120 A small water heater that caused a third and ultimately fatal to the house disaster 672 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,120 that is completely destroying the house. 673 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:44,120 Remember, the whole point of this was to find out if one household disaster, 674 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,120 the water heater, could countermand the other one, the fire. 675 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:52,120 Not only didn't it, it also took the entire house out while it went. 676 00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:54,120 Fantastic result. 677 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:56,120 I can't make an OK sign with this hand. 678 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:57,120 Yes! 679 00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:01,120 What amazes me is that there were no explosives involved here. 680 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:05,120 This little piece of sheet metal, though, did that. 681 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:07,120 Did it put out the fire? 682 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:08,120 Some of it. 683 00:41:08,120 --> 00:41:10,120 Did we save the house? 684 00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:12,120 Oops. 685 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:15,120 Well, I think it's pretty obvious how we should call this. 686 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:16,120 What do you think? 687 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:17,120 Yep. 688 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:18,120 What do you think, guys? 689 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:20,120 Busted! 690 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:22,120 Let's go home.