Narrator: take cover.
On this episode
of "mythbusters,"
Jamie and adam
get all steamed up...
Whoo!
...as they test
if an ordinary water heater
Has the extraordinary ability
to fly right through your house
Like a rocket.
And our rebel trio try on some
riveting all-american legends
About blue jeans...
Oh, those are good.
...charging off with,
If you're dragged
along the ground by a horse,
Could your jeans catch fire?
Do you feel any heat?
In your pants, I mean.
Then there's
the bloodcurdling tale
That shrinking your jeans
by sitting in a bath
Could squeeze the life
right out of you.
Kari: oh, my god!
Are we gonna have to amputate
his legs?
Narrator:
who are the mythbusters?
[ British accent ] it's time
to blow some stuff up.
Narrator: adam savage...
And jamie hyneman.
That was fun.
Narrator: between them,
More than 30 years
of special-effects experience.
This is the kind of thing
I'd do on the weekend.
Narrator: joining them,
kari byron...
Come over here.
You smell that?
...grant imahara...
He's alive!
[ Laughs evilly ]
...and tory belleci.
Starting to feel
like a bad idea.
Narrator: they don't just
tell the myths.
They put them to the test.
I bet you're wondering
Why I'm standing here
with a plunger.
No, but I'm sure
you're gonna tell me.
Absolutely right.
We have a plumbing myth.
Picture an old house,
And in that house
is an old hot-water heater.
The hot-water heater
is neglected.
It's beyond neglected --
In fact, so badly
that it blows up.
But it doesn't
just blow up.
No, this hot-water heater
blows up like a rocket,
sh**ting up through the roof
of the house
Hundreds of feet into the air,
landing 500 feet away.
The fans are going nuts
about this on the website,
And they want us
to test it out.
Sounds like fun to me.
Gets me all steamed up
just thinking about it.
This is a tale
of expl*sive transformations.
The water heater,
an everyday appliance
That sits quietly in homes
and business everywhere,
Can, apparently, build up
so much pressure,
It can turn into a rocket
Capable of launching
through the roof
And into the atmosphere.
Water heaters exploding,
taking off like rockets --
I thought they had safeties for
preventing that kind of thing.
Apparently, they do,
and we're going to end up
With a rocket-propelled
water heater,
Come hell or hot water.
But, first, I think
We should learn a little bit
about what makes them tick,
And specifically,
what would make them fail.
A little water heater 101.
Water heaters are fitted
with two main safety devices --
A thermostat
and emergency cutoff switch
To prevent the water
from overheating
And a temperature
and pressure-relief valve
To release excessive pressure.
They also have
hot and cold water inlets
And a heating element inside.
To find out what needs to happen
To make good water heaters
go bad,
Jamie and adam
are conducting scale tests
Using small, 6-gallon tanks.
Adam: today, all the tests we're
doing with small water heaters
Are about failure.
We're going to set this thing up
using instrumentation
That monitors
both temperature and pressure.
Then, we're gonna make
each component --
Each safety component
of this water heater --
Fail until we get
the entire tank to fail.
Anyone have to go
to the bathroom?
Narrator: improper installation
or lack of regular maintenance
Can really cause
the safety devices to fail.
Jamie and adam are just
simplifying the process.
This is the thermostat
and the emergency cutoff switch,
Which the water heater
normally comes with.
We've taken it off.
So we've got
no emergency shutoff.
Narrator: okay, let's turn on
the heat for this myth.
Adam: I'm seated
in the "mythbusters"
Hot-water-heater-expl*si*n-proof
safety bunker,
At the command center,
Where a bank of instruments
are informing us
Of every possible condition
of that hot-water heater.
Actually, it's two instruments.
I've got one on top,
Which tells me the temperature
inside of the water,
And one that tells me of
the pressure that's building up.
Narrator: the t&p valve
Is now the only
functioning safety device.
So, here's how it works.
When heated
inside a closed environment,
Water expands and causes
an increase in pressure.
If the temperature or pressure
gets too high,
The t&p valve opens.
Adam: so, in theory, once this
thing reaches the pressure
That the pressure-relief
Or the temperature-relief valve
activates that,
We should just see it
start to spew some water.
Yep.
From h2o headquarters,
the guys wait and watch.
So people don't get scalded,
The recommended set temperature
for water heaters
Is well below boiling point
of 212 degrees fahrenheit.
Look at how fast
the temperature is rising, man.
Yeah.
Won't take long.
When the water gets up
to a dangerous 165 degrees,
The t&p valve comes
to the rescue.
Oh, there it goes.
Really?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah, look.
It's spewing.
That's what
it's supposed to do.
[ Sighs ]
that's better.
For their next test,
They're really
putting themselves in hot water.
What's next?
Well, next I think we pull
the t&p valve,
And we start the final
failure-analysis test
In which nobody approaches
this bunker
Until we hear, "boom,"
or, "all clear."
Adam:
you might wonder
Exactly how that's gonna happen
in real life,
And I'm gonna play it out
for you.
A homeowner looks
at his hot-water heater
And sees that there is
this thing sticking out
And a pipe
that doesn't go anywhere.
And he thinks, "well, maybe
that's from some old plumbing.
"It's dripping water, too.
So I'll just cap it,
stop it from dripping water."
Happens all the time.
Narrator:
removing the t&p valve
could cause a serious expl*si*n.
So, jamie rigs up
an external emergency release
So they can defuse the system
immediately.
Are we live?
We're live.
All right, let's get everyone
in the safety zone.
The pressure slowly builds.
Normally, a t&p valve is set
to release at about 150 psi.
Now the sky's the limit.
[ Laughs ]
this is excruciating.
Tell me about it.
Both the temperature and the psi
are climbing steadily,
When, all of a sudden...
Whoa!
We just lost pressure.
We lost half
of our pressure there.
Something in the system
Is causing the pressure
to drop rapidly.
We're at 300 degrees
fahrenheit.
I think we're losing pressure
somewhere we can't see,
And we've just
got to abort.
All right,
well, I'll pull the valve.
That's what it's for.
All right,
let's do it.
Jamie triggers
his emergency release.
When water that's been heated
beyond boiling point hits air,
It turns instantly into vapor.
Great for opening those pores.
Okay, that is indicating
it's fully depressured.
Having seen the kind of intense
stress they're up against,
The guys decide to move
out of m5 to somewhere safer.
Adam: the psi gauge just failed.
Don't know why.
But the main thing is, neither
jamie or I feel comfortable
Doing the test
here in the bunker anymore.
After watching the amount
of steam that came out,
Knowing how much pressure
it takes to make a tank blow,
We just want to be far away
from this.
Narrator: the pent-up fury
inside this tiny tank
Has got the guys
running for cover.
We need more room,
for sure.
Let's pack up
and move it out.
Okay.
♪ Hey! ♪
Okay, guys, the next one
Is as american as
baseball and apple pie.
It's myths
about blue jeans.
Oh. Blue-jean myths.
That'll be cool.
Okay, that reminds me
of one of my favorite jokes.
Are you ready?
How can you tell the sex
of a chromosome?
How?
You pull down its jeans
[genes].
Get it? Chromosomes?
Ha ha ha ha! I get it.
Narrator:
since their creation
During the rough-and-tumble days
of the american wild west,
No one item of clothing
has meant so much to so many.
Practical,
synonymous with rebellion,
Sexy, and cool,
It's no wonder legends about
jeans are bursting at the seams.
What's the first myth?
A cowboy falls off his horse
and gets dragged by it,
And the friction
that's created
Actually causes the jeans
to catch on fire.
Okay, that has "tory"
written all over it.
Why does it have me
written all over it?
Narrator: [ western accent ]
yee-haw!
To get this tale off and running
And to get the chance
to talk like this,
The team hightails it over
to the growney ranch
In red bluff, california.
[ Normal voice ] with kari
having injured her leg
And grant in charge
of gathering data,
It's all up to tory.
Well, this should be
easy enough.
We get a horse,
we drag you behind it,
And see if your jeans
catch on fire.
This should be fun.
For us.
[ Scoffs ]
[ laughs ]
Narrator: tory is
going to be playing cowboy,
So he gets himself kitted up
in full-body padding...
While kari and grant chat
with renowned stockman john.
So, how do you get yourself
in trouble?
Does your foot get caught
in the stirrup?
Does it get caught
in the reins?
How do you get dragged?
The common thing is being
caught in the stirrup
And, in the old days,
being caught in the rope.
And the rope would hang
onto you long enough,
Or it would actually
close in on you
While it was wrapped
around the saddle horn,
And then just
drag you off.
With john being
a former rodeo rider,
Grant asks
the burning question...
John, have your jeans
ever caught fire?
Not, uh...
[ Laughs ]
I could have really gone with
a good one there, all right.
Go with whatever
you want.
I was gonna tell a story
one time.
But, you know,
my pants have been on fire,
But not on fire.
[ Chuckles ]
Seems like john's not one
to tell tales.
But someone else on the ranch
sure is.
Grant: okay, so, the ranch
actually has a psychic horse.
This is p*stol, and p*stol's
gonna be able to tell me,
To predict
what's gonna happen today.
Is this a dangerous thing
for us to do?
[ Snorts ]
[ Chuckling ] yeah.
I knew it.
I knew it.
Are the jeans
gonna catch fire?
[ Whinnies ]
Yes, no?
Not sure. Okay.
Narrator: by p*stol's reckoning,
things could go either way.
So, to find out for sure,
let's get this myth saddled up.
Now tory's weight
represents a downward force
That's pushing the jeans
onto the ground.
And as the horse
drags him along,
The friction there
is going to build up
And, hopefully, cause the jeans
to spontaneously combust.
Narrator: to try to keep tory
out of kicking range,
He'll be towed behind p*stol
with a 25-foot-long rope.
But john doesn't horse around
about the risk.
So, I'm relatively safe?
No, you're not
relatively safe.
Is not gonna kick you.
That's the only thing
I'll guarantee you,
'Cause you're far enough
away from the horse.
But I've seen it
where the horse
gets over the rope
And starts drawing
you in to it and
then kicking you.
So don't let him
get under the rope.
Thanks for your words
of encouragement.
You're welcome,
because you need
All the help you can get.
[ Laughs ]
Narrator:
faced with the bottom line,
Tory's starting
to feel all alone
On the wide-open plain.
Tory:
in the shop, you're like,
"Oh, you're gonna get dragged
behind a horse,"
And I'm like, "yeah,
that sounds fun."
But then you get out here,
and you go,
"Gosh, this seems
like a really stupid idea."
And I'm starting
to get that feeling
More than, "that sounds
like it's gonna be fun."
Narrator: the fans
want to get the down low
On this classic
spaghetti-western scenario.
If you're dragged
along the ground
By an out-of-control horse,
Can the friction cause
your jeans to catch fire?
Tory is trying this
saturday matinee myth for real.
But he's finding out
it's a potential minefield.
Tory: I'm looking around,
and I'm seeing rocks,
And I'm seeing horse dung.
Not only it is gonna hurt, it's
gonna be very, very unpleasant.
[ Whistling ]
Narrator: ooh-whee!
This is sure gonna be
entertaining.
So, how do they plan
To drag his derriere
through the dirt?
Kari: p*stol looks like
he's all ready to go.
We've got 20 feet of rope
That we've got our cowgirl
holding on to.
She's gonna
ramp up her speed
And ride
directly that direction.
All right, well, you know
what I'm probably gonna do,
Is I'm probably gonna
hold onto the rope,
Start off on my stomach.
And then, as I'm going,
I'm try to flip over to my back,
So, that way, I can get
As much friction on the back
of the pants as possible.
Narrator:
to reduce the hazards,
Tory is decked out
in top-to-toe denim
With a padded safety suit
underneath.
[ Imitates siren ]
fashion police.
Top-10 cardinal rules --
denim on denim, no.
Narrator:
and paramedics are on-site.
Expert cowgirl nela
will be riding p*stol,
The psychic horse.
Wow. This rope's
a lot shorter
Than I thought
it was gonna be.
To calculate the hotness
of tory's rear,
The team has got
some specialized equipment.
Grant: we have an infrared
surface thermometer,
So we'll measure how hot
the jeans are before the run...
Grant: 103.5.
...and compare that
to how hot they are after.
And I'll just be carrying this
just in case.
Narrator: stretched out
Tory should be out
of kicking range.
Giddyup!
[ Screaming ]
Okay, you got to be
on your back!
Narrator: as tory is pulled
across the ground,
He realizes
that being a movie stunt man
Is not as glamorous
as he once thought.
Oh, hit a patch
of dung there.
Tory: I was just trying
to hold on to the rope.
I was hoping that the horse
would stop soon.
I just kind of
kept my eyes closed
And my mouth shut.
Narrator: tory's cheeks clock up
some serious speed.
We're topping out
at 20 miles an hour.
But they don't even generate
a puff of smoke.
Okay, flip over.
Flip over.
Okay, got it.
That was great.
Can we do that again?
Post run, tory's,
um, posterior temperature
Has increased by 13 degrees.
Do you feel any heat?
In your pants, I mean.
Yeah, definitely.
The friction did add some heat.
But these pants
aren't smoking.
Then let's ride again...
Round two.
...and to try and increase
the amount of friction,
Ramp up the speed.
All right.
Good to go. [ Coughing ]
[ Grunts ]
Narrator:
drag that no-good varmint
Out of town, p*stol.
At a quicker pace...
They are going way faster
this time.
...tory and the dung
are really flying.
Oh, my god!
They're topping at 30!
I sure hope he doesn't
have a date tonight.
Tory: this time, we went
a little bit faster --
A lot faster, it felt like.
Felt like I was
bouncing around a lot.
My head was going
all over the place.
Narrator:
when his gluteus maximus
finally grinds to a halt...
[ Coughing ]
...our vigilant fanny assessor
rushes in.
It's 145 1/2 degrees,
whoa!
So an increase
of 34 degrees.
But still,
it didn't catch on fire.
And that's kind of
what I figured.
I figured the jeans
were just gonna tear away
Before they caught on fire.
Tory could sell his distressed
denim for a fortune.
But fire from friction
was fiction.
Grant:
tory did experience an increase
in temperature of his clothing.
But he did not
burst into flame.
Both the jacket and the jeans
are safe for now.
Narrator: but this myth
isn't done and dusted yet.
Team tail end has
some final tests to rustle up.
Man:
expl*si*n danger lurks
In thousands of typical
hot-water-heater installations
Because the great majority
have either improper protection
Or no protection at all.
Narrator: is the tale of the
water-heater rocket really true
Or just
over-the-top scare tactics?
To find out,
jamie and adam have arrived
At the wide-open spaces
of alameda naval base.
Adam: so, the very first
thing we're go do
Is make this bunker
into a safe haven
For all the people on the crew
to be able to monitor the blast.
And the second thing
we're gonna do
Is make a blast
for all the people to monitor.
We're gonna blow up
that little thing
Once and for all.
Narrator:
to attain lift-off,
They're not adding
expl*sives of any kind,
Just plain and simple
heat and pressure.
Adam: it may help you
to think about this
In terms of just
a pure release of energy.
All we're doing is putting
energy into the water heater
In the form of electricity
converted to heat.
We're not letting that energy
out in any way.
Now, the difference
between a rocket and a b*mb --
A b*mb releases
all of its energy
In every direction at once.
And a rocket releases
all of its energy
Over a little bit longer
period of time,
In one single direction.
And that's
what we're looking for here.
Narrator:
the same as their scale tests,
they're using a 6-gallon tank
And to re-create
real-life circumstances
Of shoddy installation
and neglect,
Have made a few adjustments.
Adam:
the electronic cutoff switches
and thermostats -- gone.
The temperature
and pressure valve -- gone.
Narrator: the power from a
remote generator is switched on.
Okay, adam, we're live.
We're hooked up.
We're running
at about 25 amps.
So, everybody be on alert.
Over.
Narrator: and our little heater
has his moment in the sun.
Well, as far as I can tell,
everything is good to go.
I hope we get it
to blow this time.
Yep.
I'm tired of watching the heater
not do anything.
Third time's the charm.
In a healthy appliance,
The cutoff switch would activate
before boiling point,
And the pressure release valve
at 150 psi.
But our patient is sick,
And his temperature's
rising rapidly.
All right,
so, we're at 7 minutes --
Almost 40 psi
and 250 degrees fahrenheit.
Okay, we're at 20 minutes,
And 190 psi.
Suddenly, his fever breaks.
That's a failure,
but that's not an expl*si*n.
Adam:
it was pretty spectacular --
This thing bathed in a cloud
of hot scalding steam.
And 300-, 400-degree water --
it's ludicrously dangerous.
Narrator: 6 gallons of water
Turned into 9,600 gallons
of fissuring vapor.
But even with all that force,
the tank didn't go for a ride.
Adam: the small tank
Is probably made
with the same gauge of metal
As a medium-size
or large-size tank,
Which means it's gonna be
exponentially stronger
Because there's
less surface area
For the pressure to act against.
Let's get a bigger heater
out here,
Try this again.
Okay, let's do it.
[ Pipe plays note ]
Narrator: a bigger tank
May give the guys
the heave-h* they need.
All right.
Death by shrinkage.
This is the one
Where the woman puts on
a very tight pair of jeans
And sits in a bathtub
for six hours.
Yeah, I've heard that's how
you get the perfect fit.
However,
they end up k*lling her.
Oh. Maybe not
the perfect fit.
Narrator: this myth
is a fan-site denim demand.
A woman trying to get her jeans
to fit just right
Sat in a hot bath
for six hours.
The heat caused her jeans
to shrink and legs to swell.
And the pressure
cut off her blood circulation.
Then it was curtains.
To find out how
this death-by-denim scenario
Might be possible,
Kari has an appointment.
Once again, we have
another one of those myths
Where the worst-case scenario
is death.
So before
we put any of our hosts
Into any sort of mortal danger,
I've come down
to st. Luke's hospital
To talk to
the head of cardiology.
Hi.
Narrator:
dr. Edward kersh, m.d.,
Explains why
constriction on the legs
Can be harmful to your health.
So, is this even possible?
Well, I hate to say
that it is possible.
Really?
Really, because
I do love tight jeans.
But there is
the possibility
That you could do yourself
some damage.
There are two types
of circulations in the legs.
One is
the arterial circulation.
That's the high-pressure
circulation
Of blood flowing down
into your legs.
But once that's done,
the blood has to come back up.
That's a low-pressure
situation.
You could create a clot.
Then that could travel back up
and hit your lungs
And produce something
called a pulmonary embolism.
You mean like dvts.
That can really k*ll you.
Exactly. Dvt, and it can be
a fatal occurrence.
Now that I've talked to you,
I'm starting to feel
Like this is more dangerous
than I had originally thought.
Armed with her alarming
information,
It's back to m7
to re-create
This potentially fatal
bathtime scene.
I'm ready.
Using grant as the model,
their first task
Is to make a realistic pair
of fake human legs.
Jim morrison,
eat your heart out.
[ Laughing ]
Okay, I'm sorry.
Narrator: tory begins
plastering grant's shapely gams
So he can make a mold.
We got to hurry up
and get you on that float.
Tory: what I need to do
is make a cast of his legs.
We're gonna fill it
with a material
That's similar to flesh.
We're gonna put veins in there,
so that way we can see,
If those jeans do start
constricting around those legs,
It cuts off
the blood circulation.
How about those giants?
Yeah.
Narrator:
when the plaster hardens...
Oh!
...tory continues
making the mold
While grant rigs up an old tub
with a blood-pumping system.
Grant: it starts out with an
aquarium pump with this vessel,
And it will be filled
with actual blood.
Blood's gonna be pumped
through this tube
To valve number one,
which regulates the pressure.
Now, this goes into the tube
that would lead to the leg,
Which is inside the tub.
Jeans are gonna be
constricting.
Finally, comes out here.
Narrator: meanwhile,
tory inserts surgical tubing
That will act as the
low-pressure veins in each limb.
He places them
Just like in the human body.
Then he fills up the hollows
with permagel.
Grant: we're actually
going to focus
On the thing
that is most likely to constrict
And, therefore,
cut off the blood flow,
And that is vein,
Which brings back the blood
to the heart
And is a lot weaker
than the arteries,
Which carry the blood flow
from the heart.
[ High-pitched voice ]
don't block the blood flow.
Don't do it.
Narrator: now
to dress grant's legs
In a pair of
new, shrinkable jeans.
There's no way of doing this
without it looking creepy.
Narrator: next, they place
the legs into the tub
And attach them to the valves.
Then, kari and grant
fill up the reservoir
For the veins with pig's blood.
Tory: [ transylvanian accent ]
grant is like dr. Frankenstein.
He's a genius --
a demented genius.
Narrator:
grant checks the flow
To make sure
it's running through the veins
At the normal human rate
of about a liter a minute.
Grant: all right,
So, this, from now on, is gonna
be our level of regular flow.
If there's
any deviation from this,
Then we'll know that the jeans
are causing constriction
And possibly, uh,
potential death.
So, I guess this would be
a good time to explain --
Why do jeans shrink?
Shrinkage is all about
chemical bonding.
Your jeans are composed
of cotton fibers.
Cotton fibers
are composed of molecules.
The molecules join together
To form long chains
called "polymers."
Now, the polymers themselves
are quite strong.
But the forces that hold them
next to each other --
They're much weaker
hydrogen bonds.
That's right, and when
your jeans are first made,
The cotton fibers are spun
and stretched out on a loom.
It's a huge amount of stress
to put on those hydrogen bonds,
And many of them break.
But new ones are formed
in their place
By keeping the cotton fibers
in that stressed-out state.
And the thing is,
the jeans want to return
To their natural,
relaxed state.
But it requires
a large amount of energy
To break
the hydrogen bonds.
And throwing your clothes
in the washing machine
With the heat and the detergent
and the dryer --
Even a hot bath
will do just that.
And the result
of broken hydrogen bonds is...
Shrinkage.
Narrator:
in the team's "shrinking jeans
of death" bath test,
The final step
Is to fill the tub
with piping-hot water.
Grant:
I am definitely predicting
That we are going to get
some loss of flow
In this experiment.
I think it's entirely possible.
Narrator: time for a nice,
relaxing bath for six hours...
And possibly all eternity.
[ Evil laughter ]
Can an ordinary, everyday
water heater
Become a rocket so powerful it
could blast through a building?
So far, jamie and adam
have let off a lot of steam...
Jamie: there we go.
Adam: whoa!
...but couldn't send
a small, 6-gallon tank skywards.
This time, they're using
a 30-gallon tank
And have a new strategy
to add some extra thrust.
I'd like to fill this
Okay.
So, let's put
We may find
this perfect relationship
Between water and steam
For getting the maximum
amount of pressure.
Narrator: in daily life,
a water heater is an appliance
Nobody normally
takes any notice of.
So, to mimic one
in serious neglect,
Jamie and adam disable
its safety devices.
Once again, it's time for launch
and to man bunker boiling over.
By the time we're done
with this,
We'll actually know
what we're doing.
At least one of our crew
seems to think
They'll get it this time.
Never has a single water heater
been covered
From so many angles.
Maybe all this attention
will raise them
From their d-list-apparatus
status.
Okay, now,
we're at 160 psi.
It's officially
a no-go zone.
Anything goes from here on in,
so stay clear.
Adam: these pressure-vessel ones
are really difficult,
'Cause they involve tons
and tons of waiting and waiting.
And it's excruciating.
It's really boring.
The suspense
is k*lling me!
Narrator: after an excruciating
Whoa!
...they achieve lift-off.
Wow!
That was at
about 350 psi.
Whoa!
The heater travels
in a straight trajectory
Into the air
so high you could order a pizza
While you're waiting for it
to come back down.
Wow. No,
it just came down.
[ Laughs ]
there it is.
It came down
like 40 seconds later.
[ Laughs ]
oh, my god!
This was
a really serious expl*si*n.
Whoa!
I mean, even though this is
just a water heater,
You would be in danger
of shrapnel hitting you.
You could get severe burns
from the steam.
And not only that,
The shock wave
was really significant.
I mean, the whole area
was reverberating.
Narrator: adam's just seen
the most beautiful thing
We've ever filmed
on the high-speed.
[ Gasping ] oh!
That's one of my favorite booms
we've ever done.
Just water and pressure.
Look up top.
You can see the tank
breaking through the casing.
Boo!
There it goes.
Jamie: [ laughs ]
[ Laughs ]
Wow.
The boosters
were separating.
[ Laughing ]
yeah, exactly.
You know, what we just saw
isn't just about pressure.
It's about steam
and superheated water.
Right, and everything knows
That at sea level,
at atmospheric pressure,
Water boils
at 212 degrees fahrenheit.
Yeah, but as
the pressure increases,
So does the boiling point.
So, for example,
at 350 psi,
The boiling point is
And this all means
That when
that hot-water heater fails
And releases
that super-heater water,
It instantaneously
turns to steam.
Yeah, and that 30 gallons
of superheated water,
It goes to 30,000 gallons
of steam in an instant.
Wow! No wonder
it was so spectacular.
But there's one
even-more-spectacular way
For the guys to push this myth
through the roof --
Put the water heater
into the house.
Do we have a house?
No, we got to build one.
You ready?
Damn.
[ Chuckles ]
Wearing uber-tight jeans
Has been blamed
for a host of ailments,
From the dreaded muffin top
to infertility.
But how about death
by shrinkage?
Team jean-ius is trying to test
the viewer-requested myth
That if you try
to shrink your jeans
By sitting in a hot tub,
the constriction could k*ll you.
Their test is all set up,
so let's flow.
Tory:
this is where we're at with
the shrinking jeans of death.
We have our fake legs with
our veins running through them,
And the blood's running
through the veins.
We have the jeans on the legs,
And the legs are submerged
in the hot bathtub water.
We're gonna leave them there
for six hours,
Because if the jeans
are constricting
And the blood flow slows down,
it could potentially k*ll you.
Narrator: with unwashed,
shrinkable jeans
Able to constrict up to 3 inches
in hot water
And the veins lying 2 inches
Beneath the surface
of their legs,
Enough of a squeeze
to slow the flow
Could be possible.
We got a bleeder.
Our researchers found
a lot of interesting facts
About tight clothing.
In new zealand in 2006,
A kid was trying
to shrink his jeans
By wearing them
in the bathtub.
And to get them
even tighter,
He laid out in the sun
wearing them.
They got so tight,
he couldn't get them off,
And they had to rush him
to the hospital.
Yeah, actually,
the doctors are saying
That he was in danger
of losing his legs.
If you cut off circulation
too long,
Muscles can die
within a matter of hours.
It's a very real,
very serious condition
Called
"compartment syndrome."
Who knew tight clothes
could be so dangerous?
I think we should just go back
to wearing fig leaves.
As the team continues
to monitor their tub test,
It seems to be bringing out
the creature of the night
In kari.
Kari: this myth is actually
kind of beautiful to me.
For some reason, I just think
blood's really pretty,
So this isn't
grossing me out at all.
It's just kind of
a neat, little blood fountain.
Narrator:
but after a full six hours
Of constantly monitoring their,
uh, neat little blood fountain,
There's barely any change
in the rate.
And that means there's not
enough constriction to k*ll.
Grant: well, we ran the blood
through our veins
And our mock legs for six hours.
And unfortunately --
or fortunately --
We did not get
any decrease in flow.
And this was
with stock, shrinkable jeans.
Narrator:
the only way to try and wring
some results out of this myth
Is to do it for real.
So, what's your waist size?
So, 30.
So, kari goes to help grant
Pick out a formfitting pair
of denims.
Oh, that one's perfect.
Grant: when I go
jeans shopping for myself,
I walk into a department store,
I get the jeans,
I pay for them,
and I leave.
I'm done in five minutes.
This is going to be
An excruciating
three-hour experience.
Narrator: grant, you have
no idea how excruciating.
[ Grunts ]
[ laughs ]
This isn't happening.
Oh, those are good.
Narrator:
normally, the biggest worry
About buying designer jeans
is the price.
But not this time.
Grant: my worries
are the potential for death
Due to a blood clot
forming in my leg
Because the jeans have cut off
my circulation.
Other than that,
it should be easy.
Narrator:
since prehistoric times,
Friction has been used
to set things aflame.
But the fans want to know
If this force can also
set fire to your jeans.
To answer this, uh,
burning question,
Tory bravely had
his denim-clad derriere
Dragged along the ground
by a galloping horse.
[ Screaming ]
Narrator: but all he got
was the manure-washed look.
I think I've had enough.
Narrator:
to reproduce the speed of a
horse in full galloping stride,
Tory sets up a belt-sanding rig
To represent the bumpy surface
of the ground.
Wah! Pbht!
Narrator: and to represent
a human, he outfits a ham hock.
Tory: I can honestly say
I've never stuck a piece of pork
in a pair of jeans.
Narrator: their cool swine
is secured in place.
Then, they take its temperature.
Ready?
Here we go.
The ignition point of cotton
is about 250 degrees.
The belt sander provides
a consistent surface
That the denim can be
grated across --
Hopefully, upping
the friction factor.
I can see the jeans
are starting to fray.
The smell of smoky bacon
is in the air.
Get some of this, man.
You're missing out.
But it's still
not being cooked.
All right, shut it off.
This is why
cut-price dermabrasion
Is never a good idea.
We turned it into leather.
Still only 138 1/2.
Ripped through the jeans.
The jeans are no longer
in existence.
The jeans are shredded.
They've doubled their
temperature increase
From their experiment with tory
and p*stol, the psychic horse.
However...
Your jeans
are gonna disintegrate
Before they catch
on fire.
Unless we've got something else
that catches it on fire.
It's not gonna be friction.
But nothing comes between
the mythbusters and a result.
[ Both laugh ]
Finally,
they've got the look.
Clear.
And that, my friend,
is what it takes
To set your jeans on fire.
Yeah. A torch.
[ Horse neighs ]
Narrator:
can this kind of damage
be caused by your water heater?
To find out, jamie and adam
have successfully launched
A 30-gallon water heater
Whoa!
Now to really blow the lid
off this myth...
That hot-water heater flew
into the air.
That's amazing.
It wasn't contained.
It doesn't tell us
whether it would make it
Through a building or not.
Well, and that's
our next step, I think.
Let's build a building
around that hot-water heater
And get it to fail
and see what happens.
And we'll have to build the roof
to code.
Absolutely.
I totally agree.
Then we'll know, if it happens
in our building,
It would happen
in your house.
I can't wait!
Only the mythbusters
would take delight
In building a house
from scratch
In anticipation
of destroying it.
It's gonna take me a few hours
to build it.
But you'll get to watch it
in all of about 10, 15 seconds.
Narrator: so, let's get
this time lapse started.
First goes down the floor,
Which they tile in deco-inspired
black-and-white.
Next, they unpack
their shining centerpiece...
Bada-bing, bada-boom.
...a 52-gallon water heater.
This size would typically
be used by a family of four.
Once again, they disconnect
its safety devices
As if it's faulty
or needs a service.
There we go.
It does add
a charming focal point
To the room, doesn't it?
[ Grunts ]
Then, they close it in
with walls and windows.
Here's hoping
they're double-glazed.
Hi, everybody!
Welcome to
the "mythbusters" clubhouse!
Narrator: now to create a
typical water-heater home scene
With the lady of the house
enjoying a relaxing bath.
A little steam bath.
[ Laughs ]
Remember, their cozy cottage
Is no balsa-wood-and-hobby-glue
construction.
Jamie and adam
are building the roof
To exact california code
building regulations.
In order to make sure
we're getting this right,
We've actually built this roof
to code.
It's identical
to any kind of roof
Any normal hot-water heater
would be meeting
On its way into the sky.
Narrator: the roof
is lowered in place and secured.
Now for the final touch.
All right, everybody,
we're gonna paint this thing.
We want start from the bottom
and move to the top
And paint everything
except the black shingles --
Everything you can see.
Neatness does not count.
Narrator: it's not exactly
a subtle shade,
But salmon just doesn't say
"mythbusters."
So, what's jamie's
tank-tossing projection?
If the myth is true,
the water heater in that house
Is gonna take off like a rocket
and go right through the roof.
Whether I think that's gonna
happen or not, I'm not so sure.
I think maybe if we had
a taller roof
So it had a little bit
of acceleration room.
I'm not sure whether
it's a b*llet, really,
But more of a big "woof!"
Narrator: jamie and adam's
impressive construction skills
Have created a house fit for the
likes of little red riding hood.
It's almost a shame
to make it go...
Boom!
♪ Those jeans are so tight ♪
♪ They were clinging
to her skin ♪
Narrator: tight jeans
look very foxy.
But can they strangle
the very life out of you?
The theory is,
if you sit in a hot bath,
Trying to get your jeans
to shrink,
The pressure could
cut off your circulation,
Causing a blood clot
that kills you.
Grant is courageously offering
his own legs to experiment on.
But the team
is taking no chances.
Tory: grant is gonna be
our guinea pig.
He's gonna put on
the tight jeans,
Sit in a hot tub.
But we brought him here
to a hospital,
So in case anything goes wrong,
If a clot starts forming,
the doctors will be here.
They'll be monitoring him,
make sure that he doesn't die.
Narrator:
first, grant changes
Into his brand-new, unwashed,
shrinkable jeans.
An unfortunate result of size
denial is emerging already.
A hot bath has been prepared
for grant to slip into.
Do you want to back in, and
we'll just lower you down?
Grant: oh, h* h* h* h*!
Is it nice?
It's nice.
Tory: yeah?
Yeah.
Narrator: all he has to do
is sit back, relax,
And wait for any warning signs.
So, you talked
to the doctor, right?
Yeah.
What are the warning signs
that I should be looking for
If a clot
is starting to form?
Well, we're talking
about constriction here,
So your legs are going to be
falling asleep --
Numbness, pins and needles.
When you can't feel
your feet anymore,
Probably a good sign
that we need to do something.
Okay, good.
As grant lets his troubles
and cares get taken away,
Kari and tory
keep a close watch.
Tory: why is there
all those air bubbles
Coming out of your pants?
[ Laughs ]
there's a lot of them.
So, how's he feeling so far?
Grant: I have to say,
I'm feeling a little bit
of discomfort in my stomach.
But nothing that's unbearable.
It's tight --
no doubt about that.
But I don't think it's
life-threatening at this point.
Narrator:
to make absolutely sure
there are no blockages forming,
Medical technician keith
checks his condition
Using a doppler machine.
So, if a clot was forming,
what would it look like on that?
Atkinson: in the veins,
you would not be able
To see the blue
venous blood flow
Because it would just
be obstructed.
There would be no way
of blood getting down or up.
In the arteries,
you would see just no flow.
But, fortunately, grant's
leg veins are flowing freely.
After six long hours
of being submerged
And continual monitoring
throughout...
Kari:
how you doing, sir?
Fantastic.
This is good day at work?
It's an excellent day
at work.
...keith give his final verdict
on grant's condition.
Kari: are you seeing
constriction?
No, it's got beautiful
flow still,
Absolutely no obstructions
or restrictions.
Are we gonna have to amputate
his legs?
I don't think
you're gonna have to.
Narrator:
well, that's good news.
Now all they have to do
Is get grant
out of this denim shrink-wrap.
Grant: you know, you may
have to cut me out of these.
Let's see.
Let's see.
I want to see
how tight they are.
Oh, my god!
Look how tight those are!
Dude,
they're capris now.
Narrator: so, how are they
going to summarize
This gripping life-or-death
jeans legend?
Well, I guess
this one's looking busted.
Grant didn't die,
And we didn't have to
amputate his legs.
You sound
a little disappointed.
Yeah,
I'm not gonna lie.
We didn't have
any loss of flow
In either the fake grant legs
or the real grant legs.
Well, perhaps someone
Who wasn't in as peak physical
condition as me
Might experience
some loss of blood flow.
Well, if that's the case,
then we're gonna have to test
Hundreds more people
to really find out.
We know that dvt
and compartment syndrome
Are a very real conditions.
And constricting blood flow
to your legs
For a long period of time
is never a good idea.
It's okay.
It wasn't your look, anyway.
I'm willing to let go
of the muffin top.
Yes, but is the muffin top
willing to let go of you?
[ Roars ]
[ laughs ]
Narrator: the buildup
of steam under pressure
Can cause many things
to go off.
[ Kettle whistling ]
But how about a water heater
Bursting right
through your house?
Okay, have you
been paying attention?
If you haven't, I'll recap.
We're investigating the myth
About hot-water heaters failing
inside people's houses,
Behaving like rockets
and sh**ting out
through their roofs.
So, we tested this
first on a small scale
with a six-gallon heater,
And it didn't blow up
so much as fail, like, "pshhh!"
[ Rumble ]
So we went and got
a 30-gallon heater,
And it blew up perfectly,
just like a rocket.
[ expl*si*n ]
We decided to go full-scale --
Built the house around it,
And we're just about to see
what happens when it fails.
Narrator: to mimic
a real-life situation,
The roof of the house
has been constructed
To california building-code
specifications.
And the water heater
contains no expl*sives.
They turn on the power,
hunker down, and wait.
You feeling ready?
Everyone's in position?
Cameras are all rolling?
Yeah, we got a nice,
little red house out there
Sitting out
like everything's rosy.
Rosy on the outside,
but roasting on the inside.
Okay, everybody,
we're at 300 psi.
That's twice
the tank rating.
Keep your eyes peeled,
'cause it'll go any minute now.
As the pressure
inside the tank mounts,
So does jamie
and adam's heart rate.
Oh, this is k*lling me!
Any second.
This is excruciating!
This kind of stress on
a regular basis can't be good.
No, it's shortening
our life-spans.
[ Laughs ]
We're gonna make it to 350.
[ Rumbling ]
Oh!
Suddenly, the heater launches
And tears through the roof
like it's tissue.
You could practically
have a three-course meal
While you're waiting
for it to come back down.
[ Both laughing ]
Look at the house!
What house?
I don't see a house.
I don't know what
you could be talking about.
Jamie:
this actually surprised me.
The house was no hindrance
whatsoever to the rocket.
It probably would have gone
through several houses like this
Before it stopped going.
Narrator: it's like
a fairy tale come true.
The water heater huffed...
It puffed...
And it blew the house down.
Jamie:
it just goes to show you,
You know,
there's danger everywhere.
Did you know what was lurking
in your basement?
Narrator:
the guys inspect what's left
of their once-charming home.
Adam: the bottom of the tank
went from concave to convex,
Probably in a split second.
There's a hole in the roof.
It had to go through
In order to make that hole,
and yet it totally did.
And it did it without breaking
Any of the three windows
in here.
That's a rocket,
my friend.
Yeah.
Not a b*mb.
The trajectory and form of the
Is revealed on the high-speed.
[ Laughing ]
Oh.
I got to say,
it's more interesting
Than an actual
expl*sive expl*si*n,
Because the steam
is just erupting everywhere
And completely
disintegrating.
It's different.
It's more elegant.
Yes, it was, like a lovely,
delicate water-heater ballet --
Uh, but deadly.
So, our researchers
have found cases
Of this actually
happening.
Indeed.
In 2001,
outside of seattle,
A burrito shop's
hot-water heater exploded,
Went right through the roof,
And apparently flew
And there was one
in minnesota
Where the water heater
Went through all the floors
of the house,
Continued 150 feet
in the air,
And it was so bad
That it knocked the house
off its foundation,
And it had to be
condemned.
Two people were injured.
k*lled a dog.
That's real bad stuff.
So, the moral of the myth is,
even though you use them daily,
Don't take your water heater
for granted,
Or there may not be
a happy ending.
And test your relief valve.
What I hope that people
get out of this episode is,
When they see that pipe sticking
out of their water heater
That doesn't go anywhere
and it's dripping water,
That they don't go,
"oh, maybe I should cap that."
Hey! Look!
It's the hole in the roof!
I'd call that...
Can I wrap this up yet?
...myth confirmed!
[ Laughs ]
Grant, if you're not gonna keep
those skintight rocker jeans,
Can I have them?
Yeah, you can have them,
'cause I'll be returning
To my regular shop jeans,
thank you very much.
Do either of you
want my jeans
That were dragged
through horse manure?
Absolutely not.
But I would like
a few more myths
Where I get to go shopping
at vintage-clothing stores.
All right, well, if you have
any ideas for myths
That involve kari
going shopping,
Log on
to discovery.com/mythbusters
And let us know.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
05x20 - Exploding Water Heater
Watch/Buy Amazon
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.
A weekly documentary in which two Hollywood special effects experts attempt to debunk urban legends by directly testing them.