Water Heater Explosion Mythbusters

[mikesjunkyard1]

mic4433 is right if the water heater is connected to a household plumbing system it would seem that another part of the system may fail before the the tank would launch. Where would you like to see the water appear under pressure at few hundered degrees. Toilet tank, Freezer ice maker, Kitchen sink faucet. Backflow prevention is fairly common so you should not count on pressure release into the municipal system.

[MichaelCox]

Next experiment: could water-heater rockets have military applications?

[mlc4433]

Closed system, not connected to any piping or a municipal water supply... just capped off. Also, not full. A water heater in a real situation will not be 20% empty like this one was (hence the space for steam pressure to build). And of course lastly, they removed the thermostat protection.

Not something that will happen by just capping off a t&p valve... they did a HECK of a lot more than just cap a t&p valve.

[348frank348]

YES PLEEEEEEESE! BUY A HUGE STEAM POWERED SHIP AND BLOW IT UUPP!

[SvenTviking]

Now imagine a steam locomotive boiler full of live steam going? Or a ships boiler where the steam is so hot, the steam pipes glow red hot! Mythbusters? Could you arrange that?

[admiralwg]

/wipes a tear from his eye

So beautiful...:)

[BramsCommando]

hey,.... wheres my water heater ?!

[BieberFeverr4Everr]

I'll be back after I check the heater.......

[themixeduphippy]

I think i`ll go check the water heater.

[vejet]

They should try that with gasoline next time.

[MarkRustemier]

lol apparently 439 feet... so specific

[sethmusic]

@MarkRustemier lol, you're right....when you lie, its best to keep from rounding up

[xXxXMaggoXxXx]

lol at 5:36 looks like a real rocket launch

[xXxXMaggoXxXx]

Yeah sit on the top of your water heater and fly to the moon - for free!! Yepeeee :)))))

[thecosmicvoid]

I cried...

[kingjim007]

CHECK YOUR RELIEF VALVE!!!

[kingjim007]

CHECK YOUR RELIEF VALVE!!!

[RAMBO10366]

In soviet Russia, water heater is nuke

[casinocolours]

HOLY SHIIIT!!! that's mental! What an amazing explosion!! :D

[catman529outdoors]

ours started leaking a couple months ago so we had it replaced, but we still have the old one...now I know what to do with it!

[naptu1]

putting the house around that tank was the best idea EVER!

[thunderbay63]

This is my favorite Mythbusters segment. Astonishing, beautiful and scary all at the same time.

Oddly enough, I just recently had the hot water heater in my apartment replaced. As it turns out, it had been installed improperly, and had a stuck relief valve. I think I dodged a missile there.

[iRy0n]

When he talks about the guy in Minnesota who this happened to. That's my cousin. Killed their dog:(

[SwindleCon]

my dad is a 52 year old engineer and i told him about this and showed him other vids of this and yet he still doesnt believe me

[GrandiaKnight]

One of the best episodes ever!

[TheGodOfCruelty]

Look at the House ... What house? I don't see a House xD

[LP640ROADSTERdk]

OH MY GOD, even like 4th time this is SSSOOOOO AWESOME xD hehe, love it

[FlyingAce1015]

I like the second episode where they redo this with a 2 story house

[Sreewtyui]

Ok, I give...what is a Hot Water Heater? Is this a heater that heats already hot water or do they mean a Water Heater?

[bimclunk]

lmao @ American Beauty reference.

[cliffsDover]

in the same epidsode, they are testing the shrinking jeans myth. When they do that, they also showed a short videoclip from a musicvideo. It's a dark man who sings something "your jeans are so tight" or something like that. Does anyone know the singer and the name of the song? :D

[AllHailZeppelin]

They're using an iPhone timer, nice

[kjviolin2]

There's a coupon for $50 off any EcoSmart tankless heater on

acehotline(dot)com

It's their "end of the month sale"

The coupon code is: 15952 

Just though I would pass the word around :)

[MaurizioM89]

holy fuck! Even if it doens't explode and fly through the roof it will roast everything! It will go up to 400°F!

[Dajova]

1:34 wtf? "Obama raises all this energy every direction" o_o

[InceRumul]

Has anyone watched this with the new CC feature? It's absolutely hilarious. My favorite line:

At 1:34

"Obama raises all this energy direction that wants to the Iraqi police to solve its energy over a little bit longer period..."

How that has anything to do with water heaters exploding is beyond me! XD

[Nelsonwmj]

"Did you ever know what danger was lurking in your basement?" HAHAHA that myth sure shook quite a few nerves...

[Kote12TK]

They call this a myth 'coz the "safety" was really working. Temperature control and pressure relief valve are really functioning as design. Just don't tamper the "safety" feature of any kind of boiler.

[renj123]

no. the myth was that the safety was clogged cuz this guy didn't know what that thing was for, and since it was dripping water, he thought it was just faulty and just capped it. the myth of the water heater consequently exploding and tearing through the roof was either confirmed or plausible.

[DeltaPhi79]

I don't know how big my grandmother's was, but her water heater exploded. It didn't go through the floor, but it shook the house.

[pismo10]

The 6 gal heater should have had more boom, I wonder what they did different.?

[mkarnerfors]

It depends on what kind of failure mode you get. The bigger tanks in the video lose the bottom catastrophically, meaning they get an instantaneous release of all the energy at once. The smaller tank only ruptures and sort of "fizzles" the steam out over a longer period of time.

A tragic RL comparison would be Aloha Airlines flight 243. The failure mode was supposed to be a slow decompression through a small hole, but instead it failed catastrophically, probably beauase the hole got plugged.

[MsAshley28]

A couple in Wisconsin did this. They let the water heater get all old and stuff. The house went kaboom! They were killed, sadly.

[georgebushisntcool]

7:44 - are these people??!!

[bobie1704]

yup, those are the mythbusters.

[oiseaudenuit]

YES it's cool on that show but imagine if this is your tank in your house!!!  OMG, it could be very dangerous! Always good to check every month if all is fine!

[coolbreeze922]

This is pretty cool. I just wish he'd stop calling it a "hot water heater." Why would anyone need to heat hot water? Just call it a water heater already!

[oiseaudenuit]

Yeah you are right! if the water is already hot you don't need it! I guess he was just thinking about this experience of very hot water blowing all over! LOL

[InceRumul]

You're right on! I always ask myself the same thing!

Although in this particular case, I think it actually WAS a hot water heater - that's why it exploded.

[Yado904]

Small tank, no boom.

Medium, BOOM!

Extra Large, KA BOOM!!!!!

[MayflowerBlood]

T.Y.

Rock&Up!

Bryan From MayflowerBlood

[agdamp]

the badedly LOL 8:45

[SaskNewfie]

That's awesome.

[ribenawrath]

cool.

So now we all know how to blow up any house and make it look like an accident!

[stclairsurfy]

@ribenawrath ur an idiot... if that happens then it come back on the plumber who installed the cylinder weather he installed it lyk that or not.

[UltimateLifeformRB]

I would give anything to be on this show. They get to blow more shit up than the military!

[lonewolf604]

and get paid for it!

[SMBKING2008]

That... was... beautiful....

[COOLBEANS12321]

@SMBKING2008 EPICLY

[firesyde424]

This has to be the best job in the world.

[Xunkun]

Bwah hah hah! Now *that's* entertainment! XD

[Whopzer]

sf 4:29 test

[mattburien]

the incidence in Seattle i was onlt a few blocks from when it happened. i not only heard it i felt the explosion. if the water heater had gon in the other direction it would have landed in my apt.

[matflashlight]

That was probably the coolest and best rocket they had on that show.

[jasonisunavailable]

The T&P valve should be tested once per year by the homeowner to ensure it operates correctly. It should be piped to the ground or outside via gravity drain. I would have also like to see this test done on a gas water heater. I'm wondering if the explosion would be different. It was at the worst cause an explosion due to the gas line being ripped open.

[stclairsurfy]

@jasonisunavailable the only problem is that the cylinder blew apart from expansion pressure, there is no flame or spark hot enough to ignite the gas.

[Vikturus22]

MYTH CONFIRMED! I wanna do this Lol

[5hevek]

haha, love the American Beauty music.

[SubzeroRay]

Soon, water heaters will be used in war Water Heater Launchers for bunker busting! xD

[BrentAudi]

This is an awesome test.

Love the vintage videos!

I can be deadly!

Brent

[scnwpa]

They are building a lot of pressure- a water system typically runs about 50 psi. Unless there's some very stout pipes and faucets in the house I'd think you'd have a failure elsewhere before the tank went.

[nzholty]

You'd think so but no not all the time.

Most people see the TPR valve leaking and think they are wasting water so they plug it up, think of a kettle and then block all the outlets so no steam or water can get out, Boom!!

Most HWC failures are from people trying to do it themselves. If you think there's something wrong with it get a plumber or your house may look a lot like the one in the vid.

[stclairsurfy]

@nzholty I agree with you there mate, Myself, im a plumber and i have seen so complete idiots doing home handyman jobs.... Face it people if your not training in that field of work then you shouldnt be doing that job.

Also There should be a sould water expansion valve fitted, that saves power :)

[hisgoldeneyes24]

"what house? I dont see a house!"

lol

[columbustheslayer]

i see the next al qaida attk ...without a bomb

[columbustheslayer]

i hope it gives us the blow this time lol

[babyinblack]

ahaha so cool

[ambientkitty]

HO. Ly. Shit. I think I will be living in a tent from now on. I saw that one, but only up until the FIRST time they blew it up...not in the "house" (I had to go somewhere or feed my cats or something). Now I am scared...

[SonyPSProcks]

At the time the water heater landed on the ground after blowing the house , they laugh n also make me lough like crazy.

[hani273nhk]

"Look at the house!"

"What house?!"

LMAO!

[Brio9]

Best Mythbusters ever!

[omritoker]

DAMMIT I LOVE THAT EPISODE XDDD

[candieddragon]

wow. poor house. i would hate to live in that house. KABLOOIEE!

[alldressedcrispers]

lol i saw this one on tv and it was so sick

[iLuvRaiderRed]

We are having our hot water heater replaced right now. It turns out that our pressure release valve was broken (which we were completely unaware of) and the repairman asked us if we watched Myth Busters. MAN, I'm glad we are having it replaced!!!

[Helsayx]

You are a VERY smart person to change your water heater.

If mine went off like that, it would go straight through the basement ceiling and through my bed.

[ccraigd89]

@iLuvRaiderRed you couldve just got a new relief valve installed instead.

[MrSmartgunner]

@iLuvRaiderRed mythbusters saves the day ! :D hurray for mythbusters

[JoaoCastem]

Maaaan I'm just getting more and more obsessed with MythBusters... Everyone hails Jamie and Adam, kings of Discovery!!

[corydonald1]

OMFG Go and check your T&P valve Adam!!! lol

[Acegalaxi]

Song sounds like its out of American Beauty maybe?

This episode is the coolest, the power from steam is incredible.

[scelz]

anyone knows the song around 5:25?

[derekli1]

Idk but i want to do

[heinkelg]

cool

[thepumpenator]

look at the house!! what house!! lol

[Aurone]

I think what they should do is build a rig with mulltiple levels, 2 or even 3 floors and the roof and see how many it can go through, even at all possible, try having many floor levels and possibly see what would happen if it was inside say a large building or small skyscraper.

[MD2389]

And do it to scale. :)

[Dasyati]

5:22 : How can I think about tending to my third-degree burns......when there's so much beauty in the world......

[ostapslobodian]

My room is on the first floor and right under me is the water heater

[andre68977]

Working for a gas company since 29 years I was witness of a Hot water tank blowing up 3 floors and passing the roof !!!! the customer install a 3/4" to the exit of safety Relief valve .The temperature control of the tank was défective and not cutting the gaz to the main burner at the right temperature setting...The safety valve was leaking and the customer was upset by the water leak....responding to the emergency call with the fire dept ..........Big Surprise !!!!

[nmare198]

BOOM

[i8246i]

that is beautiful!

[arealplumber]

Yeah, I want the cheapest plumber to install mine next time! Price is everything!

[benwazhere]

ROFLMAO now lets see it with buster sitting on top of the water heater

[abclala1223]

"Do you know whats lurking in your basement?"

LOL!

[GodBlessNess]

KICKASS!

[zhaakon]

everyone that lives around a water heater should see this video!!!

[delfmeek]

this was one of my favorite episodes. I couldn't believe it.

[pdavi25]

As much as this video teaches something, the explosion was spectacular!

[pudah1]

Holy shit