Toilet bombs

[sobrique]

Has anyone ever tried putting a firecracker down a toilet?

Having just had the discussion at work, I now really want to know what happens.

You see, I figure you're either going to have blown up toilet bowl, or just a mini water spout all over the cubicle.

How much 'explosive force' is necessary to blow a toilet up?

Enquring minds need to know.

Alternatively, if you have a toilet that you wouldn't mind overly getting blown up, please let me know. All in the interests of science of course...

(Oh, and whilst I remember, go read this. It's a quality rant from a Maths professor who's grading papers.)

Comments

[eithnepdb.livejournal.com]

M-80.

Or so I've heard

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

http://fireworksland.com/html/m80.html

Nice :)

[nuala.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Wouldn't the fuse just go out as a result of water + fire = not mixing?

My cousin once set a toilet on fire, so the family legend goes. I'm not entirely sure how this happened, or indeed, what the damage was. I can only guess it was a loo roll that she lit. Your guess is as good as mine.

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

It's quite easy to waterproof an explosive. Well, at least long enough for the few seconds it needs to detonate. (stick in a plastic bag with _some_ air for example).
Also some gunpowder varients will burn underwater, with appropriate mix of oxidants.

Setting fire to a toilet sounds ... amusing. Bog roll fires are easy enough, but I guess you could pour petroleum spirit or similar and have a 'surface' fire on the water.

I mean, if you did that whilst someone was on the crapper, I reckon they'd shit themselves ;p

water + fire = not mixing?

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

actually water will burn quiet happily given the right incentive,.. water proof fuse has a bit f magnesium powder in the mix once burning it will exract the oxygen from the water freeing hydrogen wich burns nicely in its own rite, so it is a easy task to accomplish,.:)
boom!

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

maybe some of your pals from over the pond can confirm it. But on tv they show a flushed cherry bomb can make all the toilets connected to the same outflow pipe gush water.

I've never Actually seen it happen but when i was at Junior school there was rumors that some of the lads did put a firework down the sink drain with similar results... but i have no eye witness accounts of the said act as all were Shtum after the headmaster went on a rampage over it:)

M-80

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

which approximates a quarter stick of tnt, will shatter a toilet most of the damage is done through the hydrostatic pressure of the water,..quiet messy,..:)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Not very much force is needed to break them. They are ceramics after all. They're also quite easy to burn if you can get the glaze or plastic pipes to catch - and of course if there's a big bubble of methane back there somewhere, it explodes with a big "whoop" noise.

Needless to say, if you ever do this in my immediate vicinity I will tear your balls off.

[jambon-gris.livejournal.com]

moder toilets are made of resin and are quite quite flamable. I burnt one on a bonfire once. It had an argument with a dropped screwdriver and broke so after it was replaced it was cremated. I was curious to see if it burned. It did generate lots of some (which probably contained cyanide)

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Don't worry. I'm not going to blow up your toilet without permission :)

'explosive force'

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

off the toilet subject but still pertinent,..
i worked a forge where we did hydrostatic forming
a pattern was made to the shape of the needed piece and put in the bottom of an earthen pit this was filled with ordinary pond water a 1/2 inch thick steel plate was lain on top of the mold and then a charge (usually about three sticks) of tnt was suspended half way above the plate and the surface of the water( about 4 feet either direction) a cheap poly tarp was placed on the waters surface and the charge was set off, the resulting force formed the steel plate as a perfect fit to the pattern, it also blew the tarp ten feet into the air, the water amplified the force of the explosion the same way a hydraulic jack works, thought you might find that interesting,..:)

Re: 'explosive force'

[sobrique.livejournal.com]

Now that's a cool trick. I wonder how difficult it is to improvise...

[jambon-gris.livejournal.com]

fear me fear my rubidium

[cerberic.livejournal.com]

I believe we still have on tape the Brainiac episode where they blow up baths with various alkali metals. It's worth watching just to see Jon Tickle in protective gear trying to run...

[jambon-gris.livejournal.com]

i get to put water on rubidium on a regular basis its fun. i also get to distill rubidium this no fun

CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO WATER

[(Anonymous)]

My DAUGHTER HAS HAD A SCIENCE QUESTION ASKING"WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MIX 'RUBIDIUM', 'SODIUM' AND 'POTASSIUM' WITH WATER.
hAVE YOU GOT ANY GOOD LINKS TO EXPLAIN THE REACTIONS ?

mANY THANKS

Steve

Re: CHEMICAL REACTIONS TO WATER

[jambon-gris.livejournal.com]

Hi Steve
I havnt looked for any web sites but with rubidium you get a chemical reaction like
Rb + H(2)O -> RbOH + H

or the water is cracked releasing hydrogen and leaving rubidium hydroxide. You get a similar reaction with all alkali metals, the heavier the alkali metal the more violent. In order of activity lithium, sodium, potasium, rubidium and ceasium. Since all Alkali metals are less dense than water and float and the reaction generates lots of heat you often get flames. This is because the hydrogen starts to burn, often the metal catches fire too.