MythBusters (2003) s14e02 Episode Script
Household Disasters
Please, don't try anything you are about to see at home.
We're what you call experts.
[ Glass shattering .]
Narrator: they say home is where the heart is.
But inside every house lurks a host of domestic dangers.
[ Woman screaming .]
So could your home actually be where the hurt is? The mythbusters are finding out.
Ah.
A mythbuster's job is never done.
Narrator: from exploding vacuum cleaners [ sarcastically .]
i spilled the whole thing.
Oh, no.
Narrator: to sunscreen that could scorch your skin can't get sunburnt.
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
Jamie: there.
He's on fire.
Narrator: to pianos dropping out of the sky.
Tory: off the roof.
Off the other roof! Nothing but concrete.
And finally, to water heaters that might extinguish fires.
Oh, crap! Boom! Jamie: wow.
Narrator: the mythbusters are on the case With a horde of household disasters.
Come on.
Come on, water heater.
[ Explosion .]
whoa! Who are the mythbusters? Adam savage this is science in action.
Narrator: and jamie hyneman.
We're gonna have an adventure.
Narrator: between them, more than 30 years Of special-Effects experience.
Together with kari byron [ gun cocks .]
let's do it.
grant imahara rahhhh! and tory belleci.
Let's chop this car up! Narrator: they don't just tell the myths.
Oh, yeah.
They put them to the test.
--Font color="#ffff00" captions by vitac -- Captions paid for by discovery communications Off the grid and undercover the mythbusters are beginning jamie: this is the worst-Case scenario.
Fire in the hole! Narrator: by living dangerously.
Adam: all i want is something to blow up.
Is that so much to ask? Jamie: [ laughs .]
[ Explosion .]
boom.
[ Both laugh .]
High five! Nicely done! I spoke too soon.
Good work, everyone.
[ Laughs .]
So, they've started with a bang.
But how about we start at the beginning? Well, today, what we have is a whole episode Devoted to myths about household disasters.
And the first one is a doozy -- The myth that sunscreen Can make you vulnerable to bursting into flames.
Spontaneous human combustion.
I'm all for it.
[ Laughing .]
great.
Let's go.
[ Chuckles .]
Jamie: there's a myth out there That says that certain types of sunscreen May protect you from burning, But they can also, at the same time, set you on fire.
And so, with that in mind, We've come out to one of our favorite places in the bay area That we can legally and safely set things on fire.
Narrator: yep.
Inside this fireproof concrete bunker [ laughs .]
nice.
Narrator: the guys will attempt to light up some lotion.
That your fire suit? It is, indeed.
Good.
Well, if you put that on, We'll find out which one of these is flammable.
All right.
With adam suited, First up are the traditional creams just squirt those into the flame.
in possibly the most basic test ever on "mythbusters.
" All right.
Here goes nothing.
3, 2, 1.
Not flammable.
Nope.
All right.
Number two.
Also not flammable.
Nope.
Jamie: so, why didn't the creams burn? Well, the creams are made up of chemicals and minerals, But they're primarily an oil-Based product.
And just like the oil in your salad dressing, It's pretty hard to get it to burst into flames.
Not flammable.
But we're just getting started.
Now it's time to move on to the sprays.
Oh! [ Laughs .]
All right.
That's one for further study.
Wow! Narrator: clearly, this is one you shouldn't try at home whoo! [ Laughs .]
because the sprays are adding fuel to the fire.
Wow! Dude, these sprays are scary.
And it's all down to the propellant.
Adam: so, what are those propellants you'll find In an average can of spray sunscreen? Primarily butane and propane.
Butane you'll know as the stuff that's in your lighter.
And propane is the stuff you cook your burgers on.
They're used primarily because they're self-Pressurizing.
They allow the manufacturer to make something that sprays Without having to put a highly pressurized gas In this canister.
They're not meant to be flammable -- Not for this product, anyway.
Narrator: the butane is fanning the flames of the myth.
All right.
Time to get cooking.
So now to find out if this summertime scenario Really is a household hazard.
Just in case.
Our scenario here is pretty straightforward.
Our dude here, the chef, Is a barbecuing aficionado who is also very pale.
So he is currently covering himself with sunscreen While barbecuing.
We're gonna wait until the meat gets good and greasy And get some fire coming up off of that.
And then we're gonna try and apply a little sunscreen, See what happens to our dude.
All right.
Here we go.
"I may be barbecuing, But it's been awhile since i put sunscreen on.
" Narrator: barbecue buster is pale as a ghost, So adam ensures he's thoroughly protected from the sun.
[ Spray hissing .]
Adam: yeah.
That's not so bad.
Narrator: but could that overzealous protection Actually do buster harm? Can't get sunburnt.
No.
No sunburn for you.
[ Spray hissing .]
Whoa.
Whoa.
[ Spray hissing .]
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
He's on fire.
Should i put him out? Yes! Excellent.
Whoo! That was close! [ Both laugh .]
Jamie: 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.
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.
Narrator: clearly, this could be a home disaster Waiting to happen.
So cue human analogue 2.
0.
Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? ââ¢âª ow-Whoo! ââ¢âª Next up, kari, tory, and grant Get the drop on a little house music.
Are you guys ready for a super slapstick, Cartoon-Style house hazards myth? Yeah.
Okay.
Let's hear it.
All right.
So, you know when a piano Is dangling above a house dangerously, Whenever it drops, it crashes all the way through.
Yeah.
And it leaves a perfect hole in the roof, And every floor it goes through.
Well, that's what we're testing.
Is that how it really happens? [ Bird screeching .]
Narrator: so, to test this disastrous domestic drop, They found the perfect crib to crash a piano through.
Whoa.
This place is creepy.
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.
What is this place? Now, before you freak out -- "Oh, it's a house from the 1800s!" -- This is ridden with rat poop.
This is slated for teardown.
This is going to be demolished anyway.
We're just gonna give it a head start.
[ Screaming .]
So, this is the piano that we're gonna be dropping on our roof.
It weighs 700 pounds.
We're gonna take it up 50 feet above the roof and drop it.
Now, it's gonna be traveling at 38 miles an hour, And it's gonna hit the rooftop with 12,000 pounds of force.
And this is our roof.
We'll be dropping the piano right on the bull's-Eye.
Now, at that target point, a roof of this design Is capable of supporting a static load Of approximately 2,200 pounds.
Let me show you what it looks like inside.
And we've specifically chosen the target point To be between the roof joists So it has the best possibility of punching through.
But that's not all.
In order for this myth to be confirmed, It has to punch through the floor, too.
Now, this floor is capable of supporting a static load Of 4,200 pounds.
And if you do all the math, That means we just might see a hole in the roof And a hole in the floor.
[ Truck beeping .]
Grant: all right.
Time to raise the piano, huh? Kari: let's do it.
Got the straps? Now, to get our piano airborne, this is our crane.
It should easily be able To dangle that piano 50 feet above the rooftop.
All right.
Take a long look at this piano.
This is the last time it's gonna look this good.
I think that the piano's gonna break into pieces.
The idea that it would keep going And go through the floor, as well, It feels a little ludicrous to me.
I think that we're gonna get just through the roof, And that's it.
Narrator: kari'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 gonna be hard-Hitting.
Okay.
Here we go.
This is "upright piano at 50 feet Dropped through a house" In 3, 2, 1.
Oh.
Oh! Oh! Ooh! Off the roof.
Off the other roof! Nothing but concrete.
Wow.
Listen to that bounce.
It's still playing.
It's still going, but that's the music of -- Yeah.
I think i know this tune -- "Busted.
" Narrator: 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? I think we're gonna need a bigger piano.
Yep.
Oh.
Oh! Tory: 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.
So now i think we need a bigger piano.
Narrator: coming up the mythbusters hit home with more domestic disasters.
Adam: come on, water heater.
Whoa! Narrator: sunscreen.
It's meant to keep you from burning.
Man: mm-Hmm! Narrator: but could it actually give you A very painful kind of tan? So far in this episode, our experiments Have been concentrated around the aerosolization Of spray sunscreen.
That is, when it creates a bilious cloud That gets near an open flame and can cause a whooshing fireball.
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
But that's not the only mechanism By which we've heard these sunscreens can be dangerous.
We've heard reports of people applying it And then, minutes later, approaching an open flame And then catching on fire that it may remain flammable for a period of time.
But to test this, we can't use our fiberglass mannequin 'Cause its skin is hard.
We need a more realistic human analogue to skin That can absorb our sunscreen.
Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? Like that guy.
Narrator: the suggestion is that propellant-Based sunscreen Stays flammable long after application.
Let's get to grilling.
There we go.
Narrator: but is that a scenario that will bring home the bacon? Now we wait a little bit, let the fat start to fry.
Jamie: for the first test, we're gonna apply the sunscreen And then wait three minutes before we expose it to flame.
All right, dude.
I think we're close.
You want to get ready to spray him And then count down three minutes? Okeydokey.
So, how might it be that sunscreen Remains flammable once applied to the skin? A whole bunch.
All the way down the arm, too.
Well, solvents are used to dissolve the oils and minerals And carry them in suspension.
And that is usually denatured alcohol At concentrations up to 75%.
And as we know, alcohol is very flammable.
Narrator: that's the theory, and three minutes later three minutes.
porky has to sweat it out.
All right.
Here we go, pig.
Adam fans the flames, But will the sunscreen still be flammable? Nothing.
No.
Nothing, man.
Uh [chuckles.]
no.
Three minutes, i don't think you're flammable.
Time to do one minute.
Let's go for broke.
Next, they slap on a whole lot more sunscreen [ spray hissing .]
and this time, grab the grill after just 60 seconds.
Time's up.
[ Beep .]
Go.
Ah.
One minute -- Nothing.
Nope.
We've tested the application of the spray sunscreen on our pig And exposed him to a barbecue fire After three minutes and one minute And, so far, have yet to achieve any kind of burning pork.
Now we're going to do it nearly instantaneously.
We're going to apply the sunscreen to our pig, Wait about five seconds for the bilious cloud to disperse, And then bring in the barbecue flames.
Here we go.
Okay.
There.
He's on fire.
Is he on fire? Oh! My goodness! [ Laughs .]
Narrator: so as porky feels the burn, There's definitely a residual risk, But it's only five seconds after application.
Jamie: so, it seems that the alcohol in these sprays Is evaporating very rapidly.
But if you spray yourself down And then immediately expose that sprayed area To an open source of flame like the grill, You could be in serious trouble, like our guy.
Narrator: before they tickle the ivories once again, First, a different domestic disaster.
Okay.
A vacuum cleaner.
And is that black powder? It is.
All right.
Let me explain.
Now, this myth is about a guy Who's making his own ammo in his living room.
He knocks over a bunch of black powder on the carpet, Decides to vacuum it up.
But something in the vacuum cleaner Ignites the black powder, and the whole thing explodes.
No way.
Man, this has "mythbusters" written all over it.
Narrator: it's a household hazard That you can't sweep under the rug.
But will sucking up black powder really bring the house down? Well, at the bomb range all right.
The cleanup crew's here.
Narrator: the guys get on with their chores all hands on deck.
Get it? [ Sarcastic laughter .]
[ Laughs .]
funny.
as they lay, first, a floor oh, my god.
It's perfect.
and then a carpet.
Now watch this.
Boom! Kari: wow.
We actually got a carpet That goes with the colors of the bomb range.
There's dirty brown and blasted brown.
A little bit of "burnt" ocher.
[ Chuckles .]
Narrator: so, now to bring in the vacuums.
But how could something built to suck ignite the black powder? Well, number one, You have an electric motor that's generating heat.
Number two, you have rotating parts moving at high speed.
You could form static electricity, And a static discharge could set it off.
And finally, there could be an electrical problem Inside of the vacuum, Causing a large amount of heat to be generated in a small area.
Narrator: and because of that unholy trinity ah.
A mythbuster's job is never done.
Narrator: the team is opting for some hands-Free hoovering.
So, this is how it's gonna go down.
We are gonna be vacuuming up a pound of black powder.
That's a lot of black powder, And the vacuum cleaner could potentially explode.
So we'll be operating it remotely With my vacuuming robot.
If you are not satisfied with the robot vacuuming machine, Your money is 100% 90% it is about 50% guaranteed.
Narrator: with the robot firing on its one and only cylinder it's like one of those furniture testers.
Narrator: grant adds the final ingredient.
Ow! I spilled some more! [ Sarcastically .]
oh, no! I spilled the whole thing.
Oh, no.
This feels like the beginning Of the best infomercial for a vacuum ever.
Grant: okay.
This is "black powder/vacuum" In 3 2 All right.
Engaging robo-Maid.
[ Vacuum whirring .]
All right.
Let's let it run for a minute and see what happens.
Narrator: slowly but surely, Robo-Maid runs the vacuum over the powder.
Yeah.
She moves real slow, but she does a great job.
But after a minute, although the vacuum is sucking, It's not blowing up.
Didn't blow up.
Okay.
Let's switch out the vacuum.
Narrator: so with a squadron of suckers standing by we do windows, too.
Narrator: next, they try the uprights.
All right.
I think we can call it.
Then, the canisters.
12-Amp canister vacuum.
3, 2, 1.
Then, the high- And the low-Amperages.
Well, so far, it's sucking.
Well, you're right.
It is sucking.
Narrator: but after all that vacuuming, They're still 0 for 7 on explosions.
This myth is totally busted.
I'm standing in a virtual vacuum-Cleaner graveyard.
We tried every vacuum cleaner we could find.
We used a substantial amount of black powder, and no boom.
Busted.
But we're gonna end this the way mythbusters Like to end an experiment -- With a big blast.
Narrator: yep.
The team tested the circumstances, And it sucked.
So now it's time to replicate the result.
Grant: time for our favorite part.
"Mythbusters maid service" in 3, 2, 1.
Oh! Oh! [ Laughter .]
Whoo! Now, that is an exploding vacuum cleaner.
So, all episode long, we've been testing things That go horribly wrong in the house.
For this story, we've got a bit of a twist.
We're doing two things that go horribly wrong, Except that they cancel each other out.
Go on.
Well, first, You've got to picture a house That has a faulty hot water heater -- A situation we know is very, very dangerous.
At the same time as the water heater Is about to blow, a fire starts.
Then, in some crazy coincidence, Just as the fire as reaching its peak, The water heater explodes, and bang.
No more fire.
So, the water heater explodes, And then it completely extinguishes the fire? Exactly.
So, what we need Is a house that we can set on fire And a water heater that will "fail" Precisely when we want it to, Because in this one, timing is everything.
Isn't it always? Yes, it is.
Narrator: so, they'll fight fire with steam later, Because first up, they need a water heater That will explode on cue.
We've done a lot of stories in this location.
Yes, we have.
And for the main ingredient, They'll need that malfunctioning water heater.
Nice.
[ Laughs .]
And for the firefighting contents, They've got to improvise.
Resources are a little scarce out here in pit 232, So miles and tory are using the gradall To get water in that trash can.
Said trash can Will then be transported over to our water heater, Where, soon, we're gonna turn it into steam, Hopefully catastrophically.
That right there, that's some mythbusters ingenuity.
Uh-Huh.
[ Gradall beeping .]
Straight from the lake into the tank.
Narrator: for the next step, Jamie is bringing in some air support.
But where does that fit with this overheated water heater? Now, if you're familiar with our show, You know that this is not our first water-Heater explosion.
Everything's to blow up, right here! [ Explosion .]
whoa! [ Laughs .]
Jamie: boom.
Oh! Now, in the past, when we've blown them up, We have gone with a very similar methodology For every single one.
We've capped it off, heated it up, and waited for it to blow ah! The suspense is killing me! and waited this is excruciating.
and waited.
I don't want to take my eyes off of it.
The waiting is the hardest part.
I love this part.
But in this case, we need the water heater To blow at a very specific point -- When the fire in our house Is big enough to have passed the point of no return But not big enough To have officially burned down the house.
So this time, We are implementing an entirely new method Of causing our water heater to blow exactly when we want it to.
And that new method starts here, With this generator putting out 11,000 watts of power To the heating elements in our water heater.
All those trusty electrons will transfer their energy Into the water inside this sealed container, Causing the water to expand, Causing pressure to build inside it.
And in our extensive experience with these, They'll blow somewhere Between 320 and 340 pounds per square inch of pressure.
So, i figure i can make the tank blow whenever i want Using this scuba tank.
I'll wait until we get up into the 300-P.
S.
I.
-Or-So range, Throw this lever.
And when i do [ imitating explosion .]
Oh, crap! Narrator: so, when the tank reaches 300 p.
S.
I power on.
Now we wait.
Narrator: a little extra burst Will push it past its threshold.
And boom.
Well, that's the theory, So first, a proof-Of-Concept test.
It's that familiar water-Heater wait As the pressure inside the tank slowly builds.
As they close in on 300 p.
S.
I.
, it's all down to their rig, Because if it can't trigger a boom, They won't be fighting fires any time soon.
We're at 226, folks.
The anticipation is really exquisite at this point.
10 minutes later, It's time to give the heater its booster shot.
It's "go" time.
Here we go.
All right, everybody.
It's happening.
I'll give a countdown.
Jamie, you ready? Jamie: i'm ready.
All right.
High-Pressure hot-Water-Heater explosion In 5, 4, 3 2, 1.
Go.
That pressure just dropped to zero.
Oh! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
It's up.
It's up.
It's up.
I see it.
I see it.
It's coming down to the right.
It's perfect.
Not too far.
Boom! Nice work, sir! [ Laughs .]
whoo! Within a second.
Well done.
[ Sighs .]
what a relief.
That works magnificently.
Proof of concept.
Let's go inspect the damage.
[ Chuckles .]
Never get used to that feeling.
That last shot in the arm Overpressurized the water heater.
And after a dramatic pause for effect it exploded almost on cue.
Smells wet.
And just like every other water-Heater explosion, There's the upside-Down concave, now made convex, That sends it on its journey.
Jamie: so, as you can see, the ground is wet around here.
It's about a 25-Foot radius of moisture.
That's the stuff that hopefully is gonna put out our fire.
Well, you know, a little welding, And it'll be good as new.
[ Laughs .]
Well, that was beautiful.
It would seem that even though we are old dogs When it comes to detonating or exploding hot water heaters, We can still learn a few new tricks.
We now know exactly how to set off a water heater When we want to.
Now it's time to transfer that technology to a house on fire, Because, don't forget, we're trying to put out a house fire With the energy of an exploding water heater.
This should be good.
Please, don't try what you're about to see at home.
We're what you would call experts.
Welcome back.
We have been testing a story about a house that is on fire, And that fire gets extinguished By an exploding hot water heater.
In order to test this, We had to come up with an entirely new method Of exploding a hot water heater on command.
We tested it, and it works perfectly.
Adam: boom! Nice work, sir! Now it's time to find out if that exploding hot water heater Actually has fire-Extinguishing capabilities.
Narrator: yep.
And for that, they're gonna need a house To set on fire.
So, this is our cozy little cottage.
It's being built to code.
It'll have all the modern amenities.
It has a lovely lakeside view.
Ain't she pretty? Well, at least she is right now.
[ Laughs evilly .]
Narrator: and every lake house needs a fire extinguisher Installed and filled to the brim.
Got to love a siphon.
It's like magic.
And now the dressing will commence.
Ooh! Like a magician.
Narrator: the mythbusters Are replicating a lounge-Room scenario, Complete with shag carpet that is some fugly-Ass carpet.
Yeah.
Nice.
Narrator: comfy couches this is looking good.
Narrator: and plenty of combustible contents.
Home, sweet home.
[ Chuckles .]
I find it interesting we're repeatedly making spaces That feel somewhat homey But are only gonna last for like 45 minutes Before we burn them down.
[ Laughs .]
Oh.
Or maybe put them out.
We might put this fire out.
Narrator: they might.
But to put it out, first, they'll need to start it.
All right.
Go ahead and fire it up.
[ Electricity crackling .]
Nice.
Shut it down.
[ Crackling stops .]
oh.
What is this? This is a little wastebasket fire starter That i built back in the shop yesterday.
In order to replicate a real-World fire Starting in a house, We are going to create a way to start a fire in a wastebasket.
We need to set a fire exactly when we want to.
And that means we're gonna use our favorite ignition source -- The 15,000-Volt neon transformer.
Now, if everything goes according to plan, Pushing this button should start a fire in this bucket.
321.
[ Electricity crackling .]
And there it is.
Wait.
That's it.
[ Harp plays .]
I think that's enough said.
Oh.
Wait.
There's one last detail.
Everyone has a nice little bit of a throw They put over the arm of their couch.
[ Chuckles .]
Diabolical.
Narrator: the house is now a disaster waiting to happen.
But to contain it, jamie is digging the dirt.
Jamie: 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.
Well, it's fire season here in california, And our experiment is gonna make the fire department A little, well, nervous.
So to put their minds at ease, I'm gonna dig a nice firebreak.
Narrator: and with that, their house is ready to burn.
A visitor.
Who could it be? I think we're done.
Not yet.
Stand back just a little bit.
Now we're done.
[ Chuckles .]
wipe your feet.
The carpet's all nice.
Narrator: it's a silent-Movie classic That plays a devastating tune.
But could this domestic disaster be fictional physics? Grant: okay.
So far we haven't had any luck Punching through the roof with our upright piano Just like in the movies.
But we're not giving up.
We're going to upgrade to this baby grand piano.
It has twice the weight of the upright And, therefore, twice the energy.
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.
Narrator: so, will a grander piano weighing 1,400 pounds Get the shingles to shatter? Though having a bigger piano gives us more kinetic energy [ piano playing .]
i'm thinking here That, since it's spread out over a larger surface area, We're still gonna get a bounce.
I don't think this one's going through.
After seeing that last piano, i just am less optimistic.
But this is "mythbusters.
" We've got to cover all our bases.
We already had an upright piano.
Now we've got to have one of these big boys.
[ Notes play .]
What are you doing back there? I'm serenading.
[ Laughs .]
Pins out.
[ Laughs .]
This is gonna be good.
This is gonna be real good.
Kari: wow.
Grant: wow.
Makes me very uncomfortable, Seeing something that heavy that high in the air.
Narrator: dangling 50 feet above the roof, Will it be an instrument of massive destruction? All right.
This is "grand piano through a roof" In 321.
Ohhh.
Ohhh! Oh! [ All cheering .]
Yeah! Tory: it's stuck! That's awesome! I thought it was going through.
That was awesome.
That was hilarious! It didn't put a hole, but it stuck to the roof.
That was awesome.
All right.
Let's go take a look.
[ Laughter .]
Tory: that was amazing.
Narrator: amazing, but this myth is on its last legs, As they're the only things that penetrated the roof.
Grant: [ laughs .]
Well, there's something you don't see every day.
Nope.
It just stuck to the roof.
That's awesome.
I think, at this point, We can pretty much call this one busted.
We tried twice with two different kind of pianos, And we didn't get a hole.
No.
And this is kind of an old, rotten house.
All right.
So, we had the grand piano Suspended 50 feet above the roof.
We let it go, and i thought for sure it was going through.
But as you can see here, only the legs made it through.
The rest of the piano is still on the roof.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like it does in the movies.
This one is busted.
Narrator: busted, But it ain't over until the piano goes through the roof.
Welcome back to the mythbusters experimental music program.
[ Discordant notes playing .]
But now we are going to introduce sand.
1,500 pounds of sand.
This is gonna fill every nook and cranny of the piano And hopefully give us an advantage, 'Cause right now, the score is roof 2, piano 0.
Narrator: in other words, They're stacking the odds by stacking the piano with sand.
And with a little fine tuning [ no audio .]
That sounds better.
There will be a lot of musicians out there That hate me right now, but narrator: the now-Packed piano is ready for a jam session.
Tory: anybody know any beach boys? Uh, gross.
I can't "sand" it.
[Stand.]
[ Laughs .]
You guys, let's just -- Let's just get this thing in the air.
Oh, my god.
That was great.
I want you to drop the piano on my head, though.
All right.
Bring in the crane.
This is gonna put a hole through the roof for sure.
Grant: now, the first time we tried this, The upright piano weighed about 700 pounds.
We've upped the weight of this one to 2,600 pounds, Or 3.
7 times more.
It seems to be holding the sand.
You guys want to get into position? Additionally, we're raising our height From 50 feet to 75 feet.
We're gonna raise up right from there.
That's going to result in an impact force Of over 55,000 pounds.
Now, bear in mind, that roof Is only rated for a static load of 2,100 pounds.
There's no doubt about it -- This thing is going through.
All right.
We're clear of the trees.
Narrator: now dangling at 75 feet above the roof, It's time for the final movement as this myth faces the music.
Kari: all right.
So, this is "heavier piano from a higher height" In 3, 2, 1.
Yeah! Yeah! Whoa-Ho-Ho! Whoa! Through the roof! No resistance whatsoever.
Grant: that put a hole in the roof.
Awesome.
Holy mackerel.
That was awesome.
Good shot.
Narrator: like a cartoon anvil whoa-Ho-Ho! Narrator: the piano drops straight through the roof.
Kari: yeah! Check out the new skylight.
That was sweet.
Whoa! Kari: this is kind of what i thought Was gonna happen with the first piano.
It was just gonna punch a hole through the roof And land on the floor.
Luckily, this piano had a couple extra things going for it.
Height.
We had it much, much higher.
It was much, much heavier.
And smaller surface area, Compacting all that weight into a nice little -- Boof -- Just demolition ball.
It was awesome.
All right.
It might have taken a few tries, But we finally got a hole in the roof with the piano.
But this one's still busted.
Grant: yeah.
I mean, that was an upright piano Weighing 2,600 pounds Stuffed with sand, raised to 75 feet.
That's not a normal situation.
Well, i'm pretty sure Nobody's calling mythbusters piano movers, are they? I'm sure someone would hire us.
[ Laughter .]
Somebody who wants a skylight.
[ Man screaming .]
Narrator: eagle-Eyed viewers, this is for you.
Oh.
You want to know why i'm wearing a cast on my hand.
Sure.
Of course you do.
Well, when we first got to this location, Before we even started shooting anything, We had to move around a bunch of things and pieces of equipment.
And among them were our blast chamber section panels.
These are an inch and a half thick.
They weigh 150 pounds apiece.
And one of them fell on my hand, Actually crushing my second metacarpal At the first knuckle of my index finger.
Ow! Adam: what am i doing up at the crack of dawn? I asked myself the same question this morning.
But here's the thing.
We are in northern california gold country, And it is smack in the middle of prime fire season.
The fire department has a real concern That when we set fire to our house And explode that hot water heater, That we could cause a wildfire.
They have given us permission to do this experiment, But only at 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.
So we have shown up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.
M.
To get all of our ducks in a row So that at 8:00 a.
M.
, We can push the button and set fire to the house And detonate this hot water heater And get done with this experiment, All without causing a fire, of course.
Narrator: yep.
And with the switch flicked and here we go.
Narrator: and the water heater heating, The sun rises, And the emergency crews prepare for the worst-Case scenario.
We expect that the building May simply, like, not be an interior structure anymore.
And be aware that that's a dangerous structure That could drop on anybody that goes in.
I would recommend watching for large objects Like that furniture that's traveling some distance.
That's the worst thing that we can see that happens, As far as putting the fire out there.
Adam: the sun is up.
It's nice and early morning.
And we are pretty much at "go" time.
The hot water heater is pressured to 105 p.
S.
I.
, Which is within its safety rating.
But that is time for us To all get under the safety of a bunker.
I'm sitting at ground zero at the couch Where my wastepaper basket Is properly fueled with some newspaper, Ready to set fire to the couch and the curtains.
We're not much more than 10 minutes away.
I must admit, i'm a little excited.
Narrator: the mythbusters fall back to the bunker Because, soon, that water heater is gonna blow.
Jamie: we are at 200 p.
S.
I.
Narrator: the question is, Will it extinguish the impending fire? This is command central.
We've got a view of the ignition point.
We've got a view of the room Where we expect the fire to occur.
We've got our ignition switch and our pressure meter.
We're all set.
It's nice when our gauges match.
I personally think the fire's Gonna take about 2, 2 1/2 minutes To get to the point of no return.
And i think that our hot water heater Is going to put it out when it explodes, But i think it's also going to destroy the house.
This is the most tense part of the operation.
So, i think it will be a plus and a minus All at the same time, but we'll find out soon enough.
Narrator: after 1 1/2 hours, The tank is closing in on the explosive butter zone.
So it's over to our fire starter.
All right.
Here we go.
Setting the fire.
3, 2, 1.
[ Click .]
Uh.
Jamie: oh.
Worked like a charm.
That worked -- Holy crap.
Wow.
Inside the house, the flames quickly take hold.
The smoke is obscuring.
It's still going strong, But it's obscuring my upper camera.
And with the fire raging and the water heater at 300 p.
S.
I.
, They're ready to fight one disaster with another.
All right.
Jamie, i'm gonna give you the countdown.
Are you ready? You got a good fire? Yeah.
I've got a good fire.
All right.
Here we go.
Fire in the hole.
We are going to blow this hot water heater In 5 4 3 2 1.
Go! Come on back in.
Come on.
Come on, water heater.
Whoa! It's up.
It's up.
It's up.
I don't -- I see it.
I see it.
It's coming down.
Wham! It landed on the land.
[ Laughs .]
[ Laughing .]
there's no house left.
I don't see any fire, though.
I see some smoke.
That was clearly a household disaster, And initially, it looks like the water heater Extinguished the fire.
However, once the dust settles looks like we still have a little bit of a fire.
Doesn't look like the water heater helped out very much.
Jamie: fire chief, for your information, We have extinguished the fire, But there's still some smoldering.
So a little water here and there Would take care of finishing it off.
Narrator: and as the fire crew Put out the smoldering wreckage this is why we can't have nice things.
Narrator: it's clear an exploding water heater Is not a fire extinguisher.
That could not have been more spectacular.
We had one household disaster, A small fire started in a wastebasket, Compounded by a second household disaster, An exploding hot water heater that caused a third, And ultimately fatal to the house, disaster -- That is, completely destroying the house.
Remember, the whole point of this Was to find out if one household disaster, the water heater, Could countermand the other one, the fire.
Not only didn't it -- It also took the entire house out while it went.
Fantastic result.
I can't make an okay sign with this hand.
Yes! What amazes me Is that there were no explosives involved here.
This little piece of sheet metal, though, did that.
Did it put out the fire? Some of it.
Did we save the house? Oops.
Well, i think it's pretty obvious That we should call this.
What do you think? Yep.
What do you think, guys? Together: busted! [ Both chuckle .]
Let's go home.
[ Chuckles .]
We're what you call experts.
[ Glass shattering .]
Narrator: they say home is where the heart is.
But inside every house lurks a host of domestic dangers.
[ Woman screaming .]
So could your home actually be where the hurt is? The mythbusters are finding out.
Ah.
A mythbuster's job is never done.
Narrator: from exploding vacuum cleaners [ sarcastically .]
i spilled the whole thing.
Oh, no.
Narrator: to sunscreen that could scorch your skin can't get sunburnt.
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
Jamie: there.
He's on fire.
Narrator: to pianos dropping out of the sky.
Tory: off the roof.
Off the other roof! Nothing but concrete.
And finally, to water heaters that might extinguish fires.
Oh, crap! Boom! Jamie: wow.
Narrator: the mythbusters are on the case With a horde of household disasters.
Come on.
Come on, water heater.
[ Explosion .]
whoa! Who are the mythbusters? Adam savage this is science in action.
Narrator: and jamie hyneman.
We're gonna have an adventure.
Narrator: between them, more than 30 years Of special-Effects experience.
Together with kari byron [ gun cocks .]
let's do it.
grant imahara rahhhh! and tory belleci.
Let's chop this car up! Narrator: they don't just tell the myths.
Oh, yeah.
They put them to the test.
--Font color="#ffff00" captions by vitac -- Captions paid for by discovery communications Off the grid and undercover the mythbusters are beginning jamie: this is the worst-Case scenario.
Fire in the hole! Narrator: by living dangerously.
Adam: all i want is something to blow up.
Is that so much to ask? Jamie: [ laughs .]
[ Explosion .]
boom.
[ Both laugh .]
High five! Nicely done! I spoke too soon.
Good work, everyone.
[ Laughs .]
So, they've started with a bang.
But how about we start at the beginning? Well, today, what we have is a whole episode Devoted to myths about household disasters.
And the first one is a doozy -- The myth that sunscreen Can make you vulnerable to bursting into flames.
Spontaneous human combustion.
I'm all for it.
[ Laughing .]
great.
Let's go.
[ Chuckles .]
Jamie: there's a myth out there That says that certain types of sunscreen May protect you from burning, But they can also, at the same time, set you on fire.
And so, with that in mind, We've come out to one of our favorite places in the bay area That we can legally and safely set things on fire.
Narrator: yep.
Inside this fireproof concrete bunker [ laughs .]
nice.
Narrator: the guys will attempt to light up some lotion.
That your fire suit? It is, indeed.
Good.
Well, if you put that on, We'll find out which one of these is flammable.
All right.
With adam suited, First up are the traditional creams just squirt those into the flame.
in possibly the most basic test ever on "mythbusters.
" All right.
Here goes nothing.
3, 2, 1.
Not flammable.
Nope.
All right.
Number two.
Also not flammable.
Nope.
Jamie: so, why didn't the creams burn? Well, the creams are made up of chemicals and minerals, But they're primarily an oil-Based product.
And just like the oil in your salad dressing, It's pretty hard to get it to burst into flames.
Not flammable.
But we're just getting started.
Now it's time to move on to the sprays.
Oh! [ Laughs .]
All right.
That's one for further study.
Wow! Narrator: clearly, this is one you shouldn't try at home whoo! [ Laughs .]
because the sprays are adding fuel to the fire.
Wow! Dude, these sprays are scary.
And it's all down to the propellant.
Adam: so, what are those propellants you'll find In an average can of spray sunscreen? Primarily butane and propane.
Butane you'll know as the stuff that's in your lighter.
And propane is the stuff you cook your burgers on.
They're used primarily because they're self-Pressurizing.
They allow the manufacturer to make something that sprays Without having to put a highly pressurized gas In this canister.
They're not meant to be flammable -- Not for this product, anyway.
Narrator: the butane is fanning the flames of the myth.
All right.
Time to get cooking.
So now to find out if this summertime scenario Really is a household hazard.
Just in case.
Our scenario here is pretty straightforward.
Our dude here, the chef, Is a barbecuing aficionado who is also very pale.
So he is currently covering himself with sunscreen While barbecuing.
We're gonna wait until the meat gets good and greasy And get some fire coming up off of that.
And then we're gonna try and apply a little sunscreen, See what happens to our dude.
All right.
Here we go.
"I may be barbecuing, But it's been awhile since i put sunscreen on.
" Narrator: barbecue buster is pale as a ghost, So adam ensures he's thoroughly protected from the sun.
[ Spray hissing .]
Adam: yeah.
That's not so bad.
Narrator: but could that overzealous protection Actually do buster harm? Can't get sunburnt.
No.
No sunburn for you.
[ Spray hissing .]
Whoa.
Whoa.
[ Spray hissing .]
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
He's on fire.
Should i put him out? Yes! Excellent.
Whoo! That was close! [ Both laugh .]
Jamie: 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.
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.
Narrator: clearly, this could be a home disaster Waiting to happen.
So cue human analogue 2.
0.
Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? ââ¢âª ow-Whoo! ââ¢âª Next up, kari, tory, and grant Get the drop on a little house music.
Are you guys ready for a super slapstick, Cartoon-Style house hazards myth? Yeah.
Okay.
Let's hear it.
All right.
So, you know when a piano Is dangling above a house dangerously, Whenever it drops, it crashes all the way through.
Yeah.
And it leaves a perfect hole in the roof, And every floor it goes through.
Well, that's what we're testing.
Is that how it really happens? [ Bird screeching .]
Narrator: so, to test this disastrous domestic drop, They found the perfect crib to crash a piano through.
Whoa.
This place is creepy.
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.
What is this place? Now, before you freak out -- "Oh, it's a house from the 1800s!" -- This is ridden with rat poop.
This is slated for teardown.
This is going to be demolished anyway.
We're just gonna give it a head start.
[ Screaming .]
So, this is the piano that we're gonna be dropping on our roof.
It weighs 700 pounds.
We're gonna take it up 50 feet above the roof and drop it.
Now, it's gonna be traveling at 38 miles an hour, And it's gonna hit the rooftop with 12,000 pounds of force.
And this is our roof.
We'll be dropping the piano right on the bull's-Eye.
Now, at that target point, a roof of this design Is capable of supporting a static load Of approximately 2,200 pounds.
Let me show you what it looks like inside.
And we've specifically chosen the target point To be between the roof joists So it has the best possibility of punching through.
But that's not all.
In order for this myth to be confirmed, It has to punch through the floor, too.
Now, this floor is capable of supporting a static load Of 4,200 pounds.
And if you do all the math, That means we just might see a hole in the roof And a hole in the floor.
[ Truck beeping .]
Grant: all right.
Time to raise the piano, huh? Kari: let's do it.
Got the straps? Now, to get our piano airborne, this is our crane.
It should easily be able To dangle that piano 50 feet above the rooftop.
All right.
Take a long look at this piano.
This is the last time it's gonna look this good.
I think that the piano's gonna break into pieces.
The idea that it would keep going And go through the floor, as well, It feels a little ludicrous to me.
I think that we're gonna get just through the roof, And that's it.
Narrator: kari'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 gonna be hard-Hitting.
Okay.
Here we go.
This is "upright piano at 50 feet Dropped through a house" In 3, 2, 1.
Oh.
Oh! Oh! Ooh! Off the roof.
Off the other roof! Nothing but concrete.
Wow.
Listen to that bounce.
It's still playing.
It's still going, but that's the music of -- Yeah.
I think i know this tune -- "Busted.
" Narrator: 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? I think we're gonna need a bigger piano.
Yep.
Oh.
Oh! Tory: 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.
So now i think we need a bigger piano.
Narrator: coming up the mythbusters hit home with more domestic disasters.
Adam: come on, water heater.
Whoa! Narrator: sunscreen.
It's meant to keep you from burning.
Man: mm-Hmm! Narrator: but could it actually give you A very painful kind of tan? So far in this episode, our experiments Have been concentrated around the aerosolization Of spray sunscreen.
That is, when it creates a bilious cloud That gets near an open flame and can cause a whooshing fireball.
Hey.
We caught him on fire.
But that's not the only mechanism By which we've heard these sunscreens can be dangerous.
We've heard reports of people applying it And then, minutes later, approaching an open flame And then catching on fire that it may remain flammable for a period of time.
But to test this, we can't use our fiberglass mannequin 'Cause its skin is hard.
We need a more realistic human analogue to skin That can absorb our sunscreen.
Ready for your 15 minutes of fame, little piggy? Like that guy.
Narrator: the suggestion is that propellant-Based sunscreen Stays flammable long after application.
Let's get to grilling.
There we go.
Narrator: but is that a scenario that will bring home the bacon? Now we wait a little bit, let the fat start to fry.
Jamie: for the first test, we're gonna apply the sunscreen And then wait three minutes before we expose it to flame.
All right, dude.
I think we're close.
You want to get ready to spray him And then count down three minutes? Okeydokey.
So, how might it be that sunscreen Remains flammable once applied to the skin? A whole bunch.
All the way down the arm, too.
Well, solvents are used to dissolve the oils and minerals And carry them in suspension.
And that is usually denatured alcohol At concentrations up to 75%.
And as we know, alcohol is very flammable.
Narrator: that's the theory, and three minutes later three minutes.
porky has to sweat it out.
All right.
Here we go, pig.
Adam fans the flames, But will the sunscreen still be flammable? Nothing.
No.
Nothing, man.
Uh [chuckles.]
no.
Three minutes, i don't think you're flammable.
Time to do one minute.
Let's go for broke.
Next, they slap on a whole lot more sunscreen [ spray hissing .]
and this time, grab the grill after just 60 seconds.
Time's up.
[ Beep .]
Go.
Ah.
One minute -- Nothing.
Nope.
We've tested the application of the spray sunscreen on our pig And exposed him to a barbecue fire After three minutes and one minute And, so far, have yet to achieve any kind of burning pork.
Now we're going to do it nearly instantaneously.
We're going to apply the sunscreen to our pig, Wait about five seconds for the bilious cloud to disperse, And then bring in the barbecue flames.
Here we go.
Okay.
There.
He's on fire.
Is he on fire? Oh! My goodness! [ Laughs .]
Narrator: so as porky feels the burn, There's definitely a residual risk, But it's only five seconds after application.
Jamie: so, it seems that the alcohol in these sprays Is evaporating very rapidly.
But if you spray yourself down And then immediately expose that sprayed area To an open source of flame like the grill, You could be in serious trouble, like our guy.
Narrator: before they tickle the ivories once again, First, a different domestic disaster.
Okay.
A vacuum cleaner.
And is that black powder? It is.
All right.
Let me explain.
Now, this myth is about a guy Who's making his own ammo in his living room.
He knocks over a bunch of black powder on the carpet, Decides to vacuum it up.
But something in the vacuum cleaner Ignites the black powder, and the whole thing explodes.
No way.
Man, this has "mythbusters" written all over it.
Narrator: it's a household hazard That you can't sweep under the rug.
But will sucking up black powder really bring the house down? Well, at the bomb range all right.
The cleanup crew's here.
Narrator: the guys get on with their chores all hands on deck.
Get it? [ Sarcastic laughter .]
[ Laughs .]
funny.
as they lay, first, a floor oh, my god.
It's perfect.
and then a carpet.
Now watch this.
Boom! Kari: wow.
We actually got a carpet That goes with the colors of the bomb range.
There's dirty brown and blasted brown.
A little bit of "burnt" ocher.
[ Chuckles .]
Narrator: so, now to bring in the vacuums.
But how could something built to suck ignite the black powder? Well, number one, You have an electric motor that's generating heat.
Number two, you have rotating parts moving at high speed.
You could form static electricity, And a static discharge could set it off.
And finally, there could be an electrical problem Inside of the vacuum, Causing a large amount of heat to be generated in a small area.
Narrator: and because of that unholy trinity ah.
A mythbuster's job is never done.
Narrator: the team is opting for some hands-Free hoovering.
So, this is how it's gonna go down.
We are gonna be vacuuming up a pound of black powder.
That's a lot of black powder, And the vacuum cleaner could potentially explode.
So we'll be operating it remotely With my vacuuming robot.
If you are not satisfied with the robot vacuuming machine, Your money is 100% 90% it is about 50% guaranteed.
Narrator: with the robot firing on its one and only cylinder it's like one of those furniture testers.
Narrator: grant adds the final ingredient.
Ow! I spilled some more! [ Sarcastically .]
oh, no! I spilled the whole thing.
Oh, no.
This feels like the beginning Of the best infomercial for a vacuum ever.
Grant: okay.
This is "black powder/vacuum" In 3 2 All right.
Engaging robo-Maid.
[ Vacuum whirring .]
All right.
Let's let it run for a minute and see what happens.
Narrator: slowly but surely, Robo-Maid runs the vacuum over the powder.
Yeah.
She moves real slow, but she does a great job.
But after a minute, although the vacuum is sucking, It's not blowing up.
Didn't blow up.
Okay.
Let's switch out the vacuum.
Narrator: so with a squadron of suckers standing by we do windows, too.
Narrator: next, they try the uprights.
All right.
I think we can call it.
Then, the canisters.
12-Amp canister vacuum.
3, 2, 1.
Then, the high- And the low-Amperages.
Well, so far, it's sucking.
Well, you're right.
It is sucking.
Narrator: but after all that vacuuming, They're still 0 for 7 on explosions.
This myth is totally busted.
I'm standing in a virtual vacuum-Cleaner graveyard.
We tried every vacuum cleaner we could find.
We used a substantial amount of black powder, and no boom.
Busted.
But we're gonna end this the way mythbusters Like to end an experiment -- With a big blast.
Narrator: yep.
The team tested the circumstances, And it sucked.
So now it's time to replicate the result.
Grant: time for our favorite part.
"Mythbusters maid service" in 3, 2, 1.
Oh! Oh! [ Laughter .]
Whoo! Now, that is an exploding vacuum cleaner.
So, all episode long, we've been testing things That go horribly wrong in the house.
For this story, we've got a bit of a twist.
We're doing two things that go horribly wrong, Except that they cancel each other out.
Go on.
Well, first, You've got to picture a house That has a faulty hot water heater -- A situation we know is very, very dangerous.
At the same time as the water heater Is about to blow, a fire starts.
Then, in some crazy coincidence, Just as the fire as reaching its peak, The water heater explodes, and bang.
No more fire.
So, the water heater explodes, And then it completely extinguishes the fire? Exactly.
So, what we need Is a house that we can set on fire And a water heater that will "fail" Precisely when we want it to, Because in this one, timing is everything.
Isn't it always? Yes, it is.
Narrator: so, they'll fight fire with steam later, Because first up, they need a water heater That will explode on cue.
We've done a lot of stories in this location.
Yes, we have.
And for the main ingredient, They'll need that malfunctioning water heater.
Nice.
[ Laughs .]
And for the firefighting contents, They've got to improvise.
Resources are a little scarce out here in pit 232, So miles and tory are using the gradall To get water in that trash can.
Said trash can Will then be transported over to our water heater, Where, soon, we're gonna turn it into steam, Hopefully catastrophically.
That right there, that's some mythbusters ingenuity.
Uh-Huh.
[ Gradall beeping .]
Straight from the lake into the tank.
Narrator: for the next step, Jamie is bringing in some air support.
But where does that fit with this overheated water heater? Now, if you're familiar with our show, You know that this is not our first water-Heater explosion.
Everything's to blow up, right here! [ Explosion .]
whoa! [ Laughs .]
Jamie: boom.
Oh! Now, in the past, when we've blown them up, We have gone with a very similar methodology For every single one.
We've capped it off, heated it up, and waited for it to blow ah! The suspense is killing me! and waited this is excruciating.
and waited.
I don't want to take my eyes off of it.
The waiting is the hardest part.
I love this part.
But in this case, we need the water heater To blow at a very specific point -- When the fire in our house Is big enough to have passed the point of no return But not big enough To have officially burned down the house.
So this time, We are implementing an entirely new method Of causing our water heater to blow exactly when we want it to.
And that new method starts here, With this generator putting out 11,000 watts of power To the heating elements in our water heater.
All those trusty electrons will transfer their energy Into the water inside this sealed container, Causing the water to expand, Causing pressure to build inside it.
And in our extensive experience with these, They'll blow somewhere Between 320 and 340 pounds per square inch of pressure.
So, i figure i can make the tank blow whenever i want Using this scuba tank.
I'll wait until we get up into the 300-P.
S.
I.
-Or-So range, Throw this lever.
And when i do [ imitating explosion .]
Oh, crap! Narrator: so, when the tank reaches 300 p.
S.
I power on.
Now we wait.
Narrator: a little extra burst Will push it past its threshold.
And boom.
Well, that's the theory, So first, a proof-Of-Concept test.
It's that familiar water-Heater wait As the pressure inside the tank slowly builds.
As they close in on 300 p.
S.
I.
, it's all down to their rig, Because if it can't trigger a boom, They won't be fighting fires any time soon.
We're at 226, folks.
The anticipation is really exquisite at this point.
10 minutes later, It's time to give the heater its booster shot.
It's "go" time.
Here we go.
All right, everybody.
It's happening.
I'll give a countdown.
Jamie, you ready? Jamie: i'm ready.
All right.
High-Pressure hot-Water-Heater explosion In 5, 4, 3 2, 1.
Go.
That pressure just dropped to zero.
Oh! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
It's up.
It's up.
It's up.
I see it.
I see it.
It's coming down to the right.
It's perfect.
Not too far.
Boom! Nice work, sir! [ Laughs .]
whoo! Within a second.
Well done.
[ Sighs .]
what a relief.
That works magnificently.
Proof of concept.
Let's go inspect the damage.
[ Chuckles .]
Never get used to that feeling.
That last shot in the arm Overpressurized the water heater.
And after a dramatic pause for effect it exploded almost on cue.
Smells wet.
And just like every other water-Heater explosion, There's the upside-Down concave, now made convex, That sends it on its journey.
Jamie: so, as you can see, the ground is wet around here.
It's about a 25-Foot radius of moisture.
That's the stuff that hopefully is gonna put out our fire.
Well, you know, a little welding, And it'll be good as new.
[ Laughs .]
Well, that was beautiful.
It would seem that even though we are old dogs When it comes to detonating or exploding hot water heaters, We can still learn a few new tricks.
We now know exactly how to set off a water heater When we want to.
Now it's time to transfer that technology to a house on fire, Because, don't forget, we're trying to put out a house fire With the energy of an exploding water heater.
This should be good.
Please, don't try what you're about to see at home.
We're what you would call experts.
Welcome back.
We have been testing a story about a house that is on fire, And that fire gets extinguished By an exploding hot water heater.
In order to test this, We had to come up with an entirely new method Of exploding a hot water heater on command.
We tested it, and it works perfectly.
Adam: boom! Nice work, sir! Now it's time to find out if that exploding hot water heater Actually has fire-Extinguishing capabilities.
Narrator: yep.
And for that, they're gonna need a house To set on fire.
So, this is our cozy little cottage.
It's being built to code.
It'll have all the modern amenities.
It has a lovely lakeside view.
Ain't she pretty? Well, at least she is right now.
[ Laughs evilly .]
Narrator: and every lake house needs a fire extinguisher Installed and filled to the brim.
Got to love a siphon.
It's like magic.
And now the dressing will commence.
Ooh! Like a magician.
Narrator: the mythbusters Are replicating a lounge-Room scenario, Complete with shag carpet that is some fugly-Ass carpet.
Yeah.
Nice.
Narrator: comfy couches this is looking good.
Narrator: and plenty of combustible contents.
Home, sweet home.
[ Chuckles .]
I find it interesting we're repeatedly making spaces That feel somewhat homey But are only gonna last for like 45 minutes Before we burn them down.
[ Laughs .]
Oh.
Or maybe put them out.
We might put this fire out.
Narrator: they might.
But to put it out, first, they'll need to start it.
All right.
Go ahead and fire it up.
[ Electricity crackling .]
Nice.
Shut it down.
[ Crackling stops .]
oh.
What is this? This is a little wastebasket fire starter That i built back in the shop yesterday.
In order to replicate a real-World fire Starting in a house, We are going to create a way to start a fire in a wastebasket.
We need to set a fire exactly when we want to.
And that means we're gonna use our favorite ignition source -- The 15,000-Volt neon transformer.
Now, if everything goes according to plan, Pushing this button should start a fire in this bucket.
321.
[ Electricity crackling .]
And there it is.
Wait.
That's it.
[ Harp plays .]
I think that's enough said.
Oh.
Wait.
There's one last detail.
Everyone has a nice little bit of a throw They put over the arm of their couch.
[ Chuckles .]
Diabolical.
Narrator: the house is now a disaster waiting to happen.
But to contain it, jamie is digging the dirt.
Jamie: 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.
Well, it's fire season here in california, And our experiment is gonna make the fire department A little, well, nervous.
So to put their minds at ease, I'm gonna dig a nice firebreak.
Narrator: and with that, their house is ready to burn.
A visitor.
Who could it be? I think we're done.
Not yet.
Stand back just a little bit.
Now we're done.
[ Chuckles .]
wipe your feet.
The carpet's all nice.
Narrator: it's a silent-Movie classic That plays a devastating tune.
But could this domestic disaster be fictional physics? Grant: okay.
So far we haven't had any luck Punching through the roof with our upright piano Just like in the movies.
But we're not giving up.
We're going to upgrade to this baby grand piano.
It has twice the weight of the upright And, therefore, twice the energy.
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.
Narrator: so, will a grander piano weighing 1,400 pounds Get the shingles to shatter? Though having a bigger piano gives us more kinetic energy [ piano playing .]
i'm thinking here That, since it's spread out over a larger surface area, We're still gonna get a bounce.
I don't think this one's going through.
After seeing that last piano, i just am less optimistic.
But this is "mythbusters.
" We've got to cover all our bases.
We already had an upright piano.
Now we've got to have one of these big boys.
[ Notes play .]
What are you doing back there? I'm serenading.
[ Laughs .]
Pins out.
[ Laughs .]
This is gonna be good.
This is gonna be real good.
Kari: wow.
Grant: wow.
Makes me very uncomfortable, Seeing something that heavy that high in the air.
Narrator: dangling 50 feet above the roof, Will it be an instrument of massive destruction? All right.
This is "grand piano through a roof" In 321.
Ohhh.
Ohhh! Oh! [ All cheering .]
Yeah! Tory: it's stuck! That's awesome! I thought it was going through.
That was awesome.
That was hilarious! It didn't put a hole, but it stuck to the roof.
That was awesome.
All right.
Let's go take a look.
[ Laughter .]
Tory: that was amazing.
Narrator: amazing, but this myth is on its last legs, As they're the only things that penetrated the roof.
Grant: [ laughs .]
Well, there's something you don't see every day.
Nope.
It just stuck to the roof.
That's awesome.
I think, at this point, We can pretty much call this one busted.
We tried twice with two different kind of pianos, And we didn't get a hole.
No.
And this is kind of an old, rotten house.
All right.
So, we had the grand piano Suspended 50 feet above the roof.
We let it go, and i thought for sure it was going through.
But as you can see here, only the legs made it through.
The rest of the piano is still on the roof.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like it does in the movies.
This one is busted.
Narrator: busted, But it ain't over until the piano goes through the roof.
Welcome back to the mythbusters experimental music program.
[ Discordant notes playing .]
But now we are going to introduce sand.
1,500 pounds of sand.
This is gonna fill every nook and cranny of the piano And hopefully give us an advantage, 'Cause right now, the score is roof 2, piano 0.
Narrator: in other words, They're stacking the odds by stacking the piano with sand.
And with a little fine tuning [ no audio .]
That sounds better.
There will be a lot of musicians out there That hate me right now, but narrator: the now-Packed piano is ready for a jam session.
Tory: anybody know any beach boys? Uh, gross.
I can't "sand" it.
[Stand.]
[ Laughs .]
You guys, let's just -- Let's just get this thing in the air.
Oh, my god.
That was great.
I want you to drop the piano on my head, though.
All right.
Bring in the crane.
This is gonna put a hole through the roof for sure.
Grant: now, the first time we tried this, The upright piano weighed about 700 pounds.
We've upped the weight of this one to 2,600 pounds, Or 3.
7 times more.
It seems to be holding the sand.
You guys want to get into position? Additionally, we're raising our height From 50 feet to 75 feet.
We're gonna raise up right from there.
That's going to result in an impact force Of over 55,000 pounds.
Now, bear in mind, that roof Is only rated for a static load of 2,100 pounds.
There's no doubt about it -- This thing is going through.
All right.
We're clear of the trees.
Narrator: now dangling at 75 feet above the roof, It's time for the final movement as this myth faces the music.
Kari: all right.
So, this is "heavier piano from a higher height" In 3, 2, 1.
Yeah! Yeah! Whoa-Ho-Ho! Whoa! Through the roof! No resistance whatsoever.
Grant: that put a hole in the roof.
Awesome.
Holy mackerel.
That was awesome.
Good shot.
Narrator: like a cartoon anvil whoa-Ho-Ho! Narrator: the piano drops straight through the roof.
Kari: yeah! Check out the new skylight.
That was sweet.
Whoa! Kari: this is kind of what i thought Was gonna happen with the first piano.
It was just gonna punch a hole through the roof And land on the floor.
Luckily, this piano had a couple extra things going for it.
Height.
We had it much, much higher.
It was much, much heavier.
And smaller surface area, Compacting all that weight into a nice little -- Boof -- Just demolition ball.
It was awesome.
All right.
It might have taken a few tries, But we finally got a hole in the roof with the piano.
But this one's still busted.
Grant: yeah.
I mean, that was an upright piano Weighing 2,600 pounds Stuffed with sand, raised to 75 feet.
That's not a normal situation.
Well, i'm pretty sure Nobody's calling mythbusters piano movers, are they? I'm sure someone would hire us.
[ Laughter .]
Somebody who wants a skylight.
[ Man screaming .]
Narrator: eagle-Eyed viewers, this is for you.
Oh.
You want to know why i'm wearing a cast on my hand.
Sure.
Of course you do.
Well, when we first got to this location, Before we even started shooting anything, We had to move around a bunch of things and pieces of equipment.
And among them were our blast chamber section panels.
These are an inch and a half thick.
They weigh 150 pounds apiece.
And one of them fell on my hand, Actually crushing my second metacarpal At the first knuckle of my index finger.
Ow! Adam: what am i doing up at the crack of dawn? I asked myself the same question this morning.
But here's the thing.
We are in northern california gold country, And it is smack in the middle of prime fire season.
The fire department has a real concern That when we set fire to our house And explode that hot water heater, That we could cause a wildfire.
They have given us permission to do this experiment, But only at 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning.
So we have shown up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.
M.
To get all of our ducks in a row So that at 8:00 a.
M.
, We can push the button and set fire to the house And detonate this hot water heater And get done with this experiment, All without causing a fire, of course.
Narrator: yep.
And with the switch flicked and here we go.
Narrator: and the water heater heating, The sun rises, And the emergency crews prepare for the worst-Case scenario.
We expect that the building May simply, like, not be an interior structure anymore.
And be aware that that's a dangerous structure That could drop on anybody that goes in.
I would recommend watching for large objects Like that furniture that's traveling some distance.
That's the worst thing that we can see that happens, As far as putting the fire out there.
Adam: the sun is up.
It's nice and early morning.
And we are pretty much at "go" time.
The hot water heater is pressured to 105 p.
S.
I.
, Which is within its safety rating.
But that is time for us To all get under the safety of a bunker.
I'm sitting at ground zero at the couch Where my wastepaper basket Is properly fueled with some newspaper, Ready to set fire to the couch and the curtains.
We're not much more than 10 minutes away.
I must admit, i'm a little excited.
Narrator: the mythbusters fall back to the bunker Because, soon, that water heater is gonna blow.
Jamie: we are at 200 p.
S.
I.
Narrator: the question is, Will it extinguish the impending fire? This is command central.
We've got a view of the ignition point.
We've got a view of the room Where we expect the fire to occur.
We've got our ignition switch and our pressure meter.
We're all set.
It's nice when our gauges match.
I personally think the fire's Gonna take about 2, 2 1/2 minutes To get to the point of no return.
And i think that our hot water heater Is going to put it out when it explodes, But i think it's also going to destroy the house.
This is the most tense part of the operation.
So, i think it will be a plus and a minus All at the same time, but we'll find out soon enough.
Narrator: after 1 1/2 hours, The tank is closing in on the explosive butter zone.
So it's over to our fire starter.
All right.
Here we go.
Setting the fire.
3, 2, 1.
[ Click .]
Uh.
Jamie: oh.
Worked like a charm.
That worked -- Holy crap.
Wow.
Inside the house, the flames quickly take hold.
The smoke is obscuring.
It's still going strong, But it's obscuring my upper camera.
And with the fire raging and the water heater at 300 p.
S.
I.
, They're ready to fight one disaster with another.
All right.
Jamie, i'm gonna give you the countdown.
Are you ready? You got a good fire? Yeah.
I've got a good fire.
All right.
Here we go.
Fire in the hole.
We are going to blow this hot water heater In 5 4 3 2 1.
Go! Come on back in.
Come on.
Come on, water heater.
Whoa! It's up.
It's up.
It's up.
I don't -- I see it.
I see it.
It's coming down.
Wham! It landed on the land.
[ Laughs .]
[ Laughing .]
there's no house left.
I don't see any fire, though.
I see some smoke.
That was clearly a household disaster, And initially, it looks like the water heater Extinguished the fire.
However, once the dust settles looks like we still have a little bit of a fire.
Doesn't look like the water heater helped out very much.
Jamie: fire chief, for your information, We have extinguished the fire, But there's still some smoldering.
So a little water here and there Would take care of finishing it off.
Narrator: and as the fire crew Put out the smoldering wreckage this is why we can't have nice things.
Narrator: it's clear an exploding water heater Is not a fire extinguisher.
That could not have been more spectacular.
We had one household disaster, A small fire started in a wastebasket, Compounded by a second household disaster, An exploding hot water heater that caused a third, And ultimately fatal to the house, disaster -- That is, completely destroying the house.
Remember, the whole point of this Was to find out if one household disaster, the water heater, Could countermand the other one, the fire.
Not only didn't it -- It also took the entire house out while it went.
Fantastic result.
I can't make an okay sign with this hand.
Yes! What amazes me Is that there were no explosives involved here.
This little piece of sheet metal, though, did that.
Did it put out the fire? Some of it.
Did we save the house? Oops.
Well, i think it's pretty obvious That we should call this.
What do you think? Yep.
What do you think, guys? Together: busted! [ Both chuckle .]
Let's go home.
[ Chuckles .]