Exploding Water Heater/Jeans Myths 

Episode #89
Original Air Date: November 7, 2007

Exploding Water Heater /Jeans Myths

The Myth: A neglected water heater can build up enough pressure that it can blow itself through the roof!

The Experts: Jamie and Adam

Memorable/Quotable Moments:

Adam: That’s one of my favorite booms we’ve ever done!
Jamie: The boosters were separating!

The Action/Results:
The guys first tested this in small scale in the bunker with 6-gallon water heaters.  When they removed the thermostat and emergency cutoff switch, the temperature and pressure valve did spew water at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  However, when they removed the temperature and pressure valve as well, the tank heated up, but then had a sudde3n drop in pressure.  They had to abort the test in order to stay safe.

They decided to go out to Alameda for the next set of tests, and try it again.  This time, the bottom of the 6-gallon heater blew out at more than 190 pounds per square inch of pressure, with the water between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  They decided to take it up to full scale to see what would happen next!

The next test was with a 30-gallon water heater.  Adam suggested that they should fill this one 80% full, so that they could find an optimum balance between steam and water.  After 50 minutes, the heater went flying!  It went 500 feet into the air, and took 40 seconds to come down, according to Rob Lee.  So, they had only one other test to do to replicate the circumstances of this myth exactly – they had to build a house.

They built a fire engine red house, complete with a roof built according to the California building codes, around a 52-gallon water heater.  They put simulaid Jane in the bathtub next to the water heater, to see what would happen to a person in this situation.  Then they settled back to wait.

The water heater reached over 332 pounds per square inch of pressure when it finally blew!  It went right through the roof, and made a hole that Adam gleefully pointed out during the credits.  Jamie noted, “This actually surprised me.  The house was no hindrance whatsoever to the rocket!’  The guys noted that this has happened before in real life, therefore, this myth is CONFIRMED.

Jeans Myths #1 and #2
#1 The Myth: A cowboy falls off his horse and is dragged along behind.  His jeans get so hot that they catch on fire.

The Experts:
John Growney is a legendary stockman and former rodeo rider.  He tells Kari and Grant how the circumstances of this myth might happen.
Pistol the Psychic Horse: indicates to Grant by nodding and moving his hooves that he is not sure of the outcome of this myth.

Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Rob Lee referring to Grant as “the vigilant fanny assessor”!

The Action/Results:
Kari declares that this myth has Tory written all over it, so Tory suits up in some protective gear, and the build team goes out to the Growney ranch to test the myth.  Once there, Tory puts a denim jacket and regular jeans on over the safety suit, and he allows Pistol the Psychic horse to drag him across the field on his backside.  Grant measures the temperature of the jeans before and after he is dragged.  Before the dragging, the jeans are at 103.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and after a drag around the field at 20 miles per hour, they are at 116.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  A second test, with Pistol traveling at a faster pace yields a rise in temperature up to 145.5 degrees Fahrenheit.  However, even though there is a rise in temperature, there are no flames.

To make sure that this myth is busted, they put some ham into a pair of jeans and run the jeans on the belt sander.  The jeans fray, and the temperature rose from 69 degrees Fahrenheit to 138.5 degrees Fahrenheit, but there is still no flame.  The guys finally achieve flaming jeans by lighting them with a blowtorch.  This myth is BUSTED.

#2 The Myth: A lady who wanted her jeans to fit perfectly, climbed into a bathtub full of hot water.  She sat there for six hours, and the jeans shrank so much that they actually cut off her circulation, and she died.

The Expert:
Dr. Edward Kersh M.D. is the Chief of Cardiology at St. Luke’s Hospital.  He says that this is possible, because, if the veins were constricted enough, a clot could form.  If this clot travels to the lungs, a person could have a pulmonary embolism, and die from that.

Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Tory: I think we should just go back to wearing fig leaves!

The Action/Results:
First, Grant allows Tory to make a cast of his legs, so that they can have a set of fake legs to pump the real blood through.  They put tubing in the legs, and then put jeans on them.  They set the fake legs in a bathtub of hot water, and then time how fast the blood goes through the legs.  If the jeans shrink enough, the time to get the blood through the veins will increase.  However, the time it takes the blood to travel through the jeans stays the same.  So, it is on to part two of the experiment, which involves Grant and Kari going shopping to get some jeans.

Once they have selected a tight pair, they head to the Monteagle Medical Center to test this myth with medical supervision.  Grant puts the jeans on, and then swings his leg over into the pool of hot water.  They check him frequently to make sure that he is all right, but at the end of six hours, his veins have not been constricted, and no clots have developed.  The conclusion is that this myth is BUSTED.