[Shop-talk] Mythbusters sucks! [rant] (was: water heater (grand finale?))

[Wayne]

On 1/26/2010 11:19 PM, Doug Braun wrote:
> Maybe we should end this thread with a bang.
> Here is the classic MythBusters exploding water heater experiment:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q

Anyone else loathe Mythbusters as much as me?!  Don't get me wrong -- I 
like "watching shit blow up" as much as the next guy and Kari is an 
extreme babe.  But it really ticks me off that they present their 
garbage as "science".  Testing everything brute-fore empirically may 
make for nice TV, but please don't try to pass it off as legit science.

C'mon -- how much welding did they do on that water heater tank to 
sustain over 300psi?  Even if the pressure relief valve was stuck (or 
welded over) any number of other weak points in the tank or home 
plumbing system would have blown out and vented it with much less drama.

And how did that tank launch itself so perfectly straight up?  Should 
have blown at a weld on the end caps or fittings and gone sideways-ish. 
  Did they create a weak spot right on the bottom center to blow out and 
launch it vertically?

Oh well -- it dun blowed up real good!

-Wayne