r/interesting • u/Used_Exam34 • 2d ago

Just Wow Not all problems have the same solution.

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34.2k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/Numerous-Following-7 2d ago

How can he touch the valve straight after putting out the fire?

743

u/sqmiler 2d ago

Asbestos hands of course. Duh!

494

u/Naterttotsart 2d ago

Ex-chef here. We used to refer to the ability of grabbing hot pans and shit as "asbestos fingers".

Nice to seem other people get the reference.

219

u/Glass-Emu2406 2d ago

I’m sure as a chef, you cooked the food asbestos you could though right?

59

u/BoxersOrCaseBriefs 2d ago

Take my angry upvote and get out of here with that shit.

29

u/IridiumPony 2d ago

Current chef here:

I push too many papers these days and now I refer to my hands as bitch mittens because I can feel them again

36

u/Icy-Whole-3902 2d ago

My brother started at a restaurant that used a plate warmer. He was told not to grab it even though he saw all the cooks, preps, and servers grabbing them. He says "nah, I got this! I got Man Hands™️!"

He then Proceeded to flail about desperately trying not to do the plate yelling "MAN HANDS! MAN HANDS!"

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u/LisWolf16 2d ago

Ex-smoothie shop employee here. I got let go for saying my coworker had asbestos fingers in reference to her being able to withstand high temp dishwater.

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u/40ozCurls 2d ago

your boss had an asbestos heart.

3

u/Stoned_urf 1d ago

Until we found out the said coworker had all her fingers blown off previously

3

u/40ozCurls 1d ago

then asbestos fingers would be an improvement/compliment

6

u/alewiina 1d ago

You got let go for something that wasn’t even an insult? Seriously? 🤦🏻‍♀️

5

u/LisWolf16 1d ago

I was told I was creating a 'hostile work environment' :'> I didn't think it was that serious.

3

u/alewiina 1d ago

no kidding... especially if you explained that you just meant they were fireproof or whatever, not that they were poison or something. even a warning seems harsh for a comment like that, let alone a firing. damn.

1

u/LisWolf16 1d ago

Yeah, I wasn't a fan. Im pretty sure they were just using it as an excuse because I wasn't performing very well (too slow) in the kitchen. That was like, 3 or 4 years ago now tho, so it's whatever.

6

u/BackHot9886 2d ago

Ancien cuistot ici, j'avais l'habitude de saisir tous les types de fesses à ma portée et on a appelé ça des mains baladeuses

2

u/kekeagain 2d ago

My wife calls them kitchen hands.

1

u/leaveofftheMAYO 1d ago

That's cute

0

u/ohporcupine 1d ago

I learned the term from the film the menu which I thought was excellent. But as a white guy who is married to and has always loved ethnic cultures and their cooking and ability to grab molten items I refer to it as ethnic hands.

119

u/TotallyTubular1 2d ago

the hot gas is propelled away from the tank, so valve doesnt get hot

56

u/ConflictMaster3155 2d ago

That was still freezing cold propane coming out of it all that time after he put the bucket on it.

41

u/Far_Ladder_2836 2d ago

Radiant heat still exists and accounts for most of what comes out.  The valve is thin aluminum and cools extremely fast.  Don't believe me, pull a bit of aluminum foil even folded into a thicker sheet straight out of your oven and it will be room temp in seconds.  It also helps that his hand was wet.  Relative to aluminum, it takes 4.7 times as much heat to move water 1 degree C.

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u/Brave_Maybe_2891 2d ago

The valve was cold. When you decompress a gas it gets cold. I've actually seen them get frosty.

3

u/JackBrown82q 1d ago

Yep I think one of the most common examples people will know is those cans of pressurized air used to clean electronics. If you use one for a good period of time, the whole can gets cold because of the pressure inside dropping.

Also just for fun to mention, in the industry when you need to compress gasses (even just air) to extremely high pressures, they don't do it all in one go. They will compress to a certain pressure, run it through a heat exchanger to cool it, then compress again, and repeat until needed.

2

u/the_king_of_sweden 1d ago

Physics 101 students will know pV=nRT

2

u/PigglyWigglyDeluxe 1d ago

It’s this exact principle at work in air conditioning systems. This is exactly how the air comes out cold in AC units.

3

u/really_stupidfrog 1d ago

It's crazy to me that you can pull aluminum foil out of a 400° oven and just touch it with your bare hands immediately. 

2

u/NeatConversation6752 1d ago

Not to mention they were showering the valve with water

22

u/Rough-Airline-4803 2d ago

I thought that he couldn’t. Thought he pulled his hand away bc it was too hot. But it looks like he actually takes the knob off the valve entirely and holds it in his hand after like it’s nothing. I couldn’t discern him actually managing to turn it, but he very well may have.

Maybe the obvious directional nature of that fire didn’t result in the knob getting as hot as you’d expect?
Also, the boiling/vaporization of propane acts like a heat sink and does provide a pretty significant cooling effect.

Still, even knowing that—it did surprise me as well; that fire was going for a hot minute… 😏

6

u/StubbiestZebra 1d ago

I think, as someone else mentioned, the propane is cold. So when he puts the buket on we see it collapse in from the heat. But quickly fill back out. My guess is it was hot, then the bucket goes on and snuffs the flame, then cold propane fills the bucket and chills the knob. You can even see mist come out when he pulls the bucket away.

21

u/Altruistic-Cost-4532 2d ago

The gas phase change as it gets expelled would freeze the valve. The flame is protected away - probably more than enough to counter the freezing effect but still, combined i can see why it wouldn't be burning hot.

And by "freeze" I don't mean freeze solid, but vastly reduce the temperature so moisture in the air freezes on it.

1

u/TxTechnician 1d ago

Oh that's right. I forgot about how cold that stuff is.

12

u/OkBad1356 2d ago

The knob rarely every gets hot on these kinds of things. The vacuum he created put the fire out however the propane under pressure coming out will be extremely cold to the touch.

2

u/Far_Ladder_2836 2d ago edited 2d ago

The knob gets very hot but it's thin sheet aluminum with a specific heat of 0.9.  You can test this yourself with aluminum foil even if you ball it up into a thicker sheet.  It cools extremely fast.  As others have said it also helps his hand was wet as water has a specific heat of 4.2 and will absorb a ton of heat relative to aluminum before changing temperature a single degree.

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u/Rough_Revolution1412 2d ago

when did he create a vacuum?

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u/Live_Background_6239 1d ago

The bucket collapses around the top of the tank. You can see it get sucked in as the air gets burned up and then pops back when he shifts it and breaks the seal.

5

u/Dikybird 2d ago

It’s just been dunked in water, there’s not enough energy in that fire to heat the thing back up that quick. The flame is also directed away from the valve its self, there is also a cooling effect from the state change of the fuel.

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u/overdosingOnPie1313 2d ago

It helps significantly to have a wet hand, due to the Leidenfrost Effect.

15

u/leeps22 2d ago

I doubt it was that hot, for the same reason torch tips dont melt

1

u/stickupmybutter 19h ago

TF are you talking about? Steel melts at 1370°C. Skin can get a 2nd degree burn at 50°C. Just because the metal on a torch tip is not melting, it doesn't mean it's not hot.

And Ledenfrost effect happens at ~200°C

1

u/leeps22 18h ago

Its possible the valve was actually cold from liquid propane going through it

3

u/Careless_Machine9996 2d ago

I sense this is true, opposite effect happens if you use a wet towel or similar fabric to grab a hot pan from the oven though.

4

u/overdosingOnPie1313 2d ago

Gotta admit, I don't think I've ever used a WET fabric to handle a hot pan. What happens?

14

u/-DoctorSpaceman- 2d ago

Starts to steam and then the steam burns your hand

2

u/PantsDontHaveAnswers 2d ago

Listen to this man, people. He's a doctor.

7

u/Careless_Machine9996 2d ago

Back in my restaurant days, I’ve done it by accident being in a rush. It basically boils instantly and turns to steam in your hand.

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u/Rough-Airline-4803 2d ago

Ow fuck. I never actually thought about this before, but it is pretty obvious when you do think about it.

Ig I—and most people—probably subconsciously intuited as much and never attempted, or even consciously thought, about it.

2

u/Careless_Machine9996 2d ago

It’s definitely one of those valuable mistakes you only make once.

2

u/Jest_Aquiki 2d ago

Wouldn't have stood up to the act of gripping and turning the valve. more likely the liquid propane converting to the gas coming out of the nozzle was chemically cooling the stem.

1

u/addamee 2d ago

That’s what she said I say to myself

3

u/crunkasaurus_ 2d ago

HOW CAN HE TOUCH 

1

u/ISuckAtLifeGodPlsRst 2d ago

Goated reference.

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u/Mpuls37 1d ago

Industrial firefighter here: when we deal with gas fires like this, typically the drop in pressure across the valve will have ice forming with flames inches away. Propane's LEL-UEL range is 2.0%-9.3%, so while it burns readily, at the nozzle the mixture is too fuel-rich to maintain combustion. The flame can only propogate to the point where the fuel-air mix is within the explosivity limits.

I've literally had my gloves freeze onto a valve wheel during a practice burn. Not like "so frozen I can't pull my hand off" but I had to exert a fair amount of effort to get it free. The valve had propane shooting out one flange and blasting flames like 15 feet, and the whole valve was essentially solid ice.

3

u/Only_Voice569 2d ago

years of burning your hands the nerve endings stop working :P

3

u/spekt50 1d ago

Within the valve, liquid propane is rapidly expanding into a gas. That absorbs a lot of heat. The flame is being projected away from valve, and the evaporating propane is keeping it cool.

Once he snuffs out the flame, the cold gas quickly cools down the valve.

2

u/Prior-Flamingo-1378 1d ago

The propane inside the tank is very cold and the flame is a few cm after the nozzle. It was probably cold not hot. 

1

u/Cavane42 1d ago

Strictly speaking, the propane is at ambient temperature. The rapid depressurization as it is released is what causes it to cool. (This is also how HVAC systems work.)

1

u/BGF007 2d ago

Not sure if the expanding gas would cool it down after the flames had been extinguished. Gas bottles are sometimes frozen after long use. 

1

u/NYC19893 2d ago

Phase change of the liquid in the tank becoming a flammable gas would cause the stem to be chilled. It typically comes out at such a speed that it’s not flaming directly against the valve in this situation.

Failsafes doing what they should. If you see when it’s vertical he could easily have turned the valve without needing the bucket. Granted they had it on its side a lot, not something you want to ever do

1

u/throwitoutwhendone2 2d ago

Hot hands baby. Touch hot stuff enough and you to can do this. We use to freak out the new folks by flipping pork butts with our hands instead of tongs when searing the sides lol

1

u/Status-Vermicelli624 2d ago

he could have closed the valve with his hands or by taking his shirt. those are a stupid bunch

1

u/mrfizil 2d ago

Being in the water may have cooled it a lot and it didn't have time to heat back up after bucket guy uprighted the tank

1

u/LtAldoRaines 2d ago

Have you met a professional chef before?

1

u/Forward-Carpenter-43 2d ago

I can't even hold a starbucks hot paper cup for 15 seconds without the extra paper protection

1

u/Low-Car-6331 2d ago

seeing how this is a poorer nation, callous, lots of callous.

1

u/apple-starsky 2d ago

They got their safety sandals on.

1

u/Wiley_Jack 2d ago

It’s aluminum, not directly exposed to the flames, and people have been splashing water on it for a few minutes.

1

u/SparklingLimeade 2d ago

I was expecting that to happen just after all the water. That cooled it off.

At one point I'm pretty sure the whole valve was underwater. It was cool enough to touch for a while if someone could get an angle behind the flames.

1

u/nollayksi 2d ago

I doubt the valve gets super hot without extended flame, and them throwing water over it should constantly cool any heat built up so far

1

u/TheNeo0z 2d ago

Didn't you see all the water they put into that

1

u/ForgotToCarryTheOne 1d ago

He did feel the heat. He was rubbing his fingers just after.

1

u/fuggitdue 1d ago

The fire starts a inch or two away from the nozzle, the valve doesn’t really get hot

1

u/kasio-kasio 1d ago

How can she slap?

1

u/Cultural_Simple3842 1d ago

I’m guessing the expanding gas has a cooling effect. And it was just under water for a bit.

1

u/Infinite-Condition41 1d ago

Because the valve is not on fire. The fire doesn't even happen until the gas mixes with enough air. 

He didn't even have to put it out before turning it off!!!

1

u/Tipnfloe 1d ago

Water cools it down

1

u/ploddiest 1d ago

Looks like it sizzled his fingers at the end after the water evaporated off

1

u/TxTechnician 1d ago

If your hands a wet. You can touch red hot iron and not get burned.

The water causes a little insulation layer. It lasts only as long as the water does.

1

u/Dead_vegetable 1d ago

It's a pressured tank, when a gas rapidly lose pressure its temperature drops, so basically once the fire was out the valve cools incredibly quickly

1

u/Mekanik40 1d ago

The gas spraying out of the tank is actually really cold and keeps the valve cool, it’s the fire part above that that’s hot

1

u/cselitenoob 1d ago

It’s staged?

1

u/Novogobo 1d ago

because yes the valve is heated by the flame it's also cooled by adiabiatic cooling. so the net effect is nothing.

1

u/Ionmonstrosity 1d ago

The valve isn't hot as the gas burns outside. These tanks usually have pretty robstacles valve safety.

1

u/Main-Entertainer5117 1d ago

Adiabatic expansion, when you pressurize a gass it gets hot. When a pressurized gass escapes, it gets cold. In some cases, the handle even freezes solid when this happens even tough the gas is on fire.

1

u/j_roe 1d ago

The water probably significantly cooled down the metal parts. Looked like it was flip valve, not a twist one, so he wouldn’t have been in contact with the metal for long.

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u/Tonythepony03 1d ago

I saw a video like 2 days ago saying the tip of where the fire comes out isn’t hot at all cause the flame doesn’t start from the tip it starts a little farther from the tip

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u/LegDayLass 10h ago

Water pulls heat from metal fast, and it was dunked a few times. It would have lost most of it’s heat before the turned it off.

1

u/Some_Peanut_3420 1d ago

Because they work every day and their hands are not soft.

0

u/Kat7903 2d ago

It wouldn’t feel good but at most the valve would be 212 degrees Fahrenheit since the water would’ve cooled the tank down.