[MLUG - DISCUSSION] exploding thermos

[Mike Miller <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

We bought a nice little Thermos container for hot meals and it works 
pretty well.  My wife made some split pea soup and put some in the Thermos 
container this morning.  She was in her car for a while, then came home 
with the Thermos and told me she couldn't open it.  I tried and also could 
not open it.  The container was cold, on the outside, so I thought I 
should let it sit and warm up a bit, then try again.  I did that.  See, I 
was thinking that the inside cooled down and was sucking the top down onto 
the container.  I had it backwards.  This Thermos container holds heat 
very well, so it wasn't cool inside yet.  What was happening, I believe, 
was that the peas were putting out some gases that increased the pressure 
inside the container and held the top on by pressing the threads on the 
screw-top lid very tightly against the threads on the container.  Well, I 
put it down for a few minutes and the lid suddenly exploded off of the 
container and shot into the air and pea soup got all over the place.

Just thought I'd let you know that this can happen!

I should probably let Thermos know about it too.  They really need a way 
to relieve pressure from the container, but I guess it is tricky to 
equalize pressure between inside and outside of the container while 
maintaining a difference in temperature.  This seems to be the item:

http://www.thermosonline.com/products/JCG300.htm?id=g1

Mike

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