Can Christmas Tree Lights Spark a Fire? | MythBusters
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- Опубліковано 11 гру 2019
- In Christmas Tree Lights, Adam and Jamie test a holiday humdinger. Is it really true that leaving some Christmas lights on your tree overnight could cause it to heat up so much that the tree bursts into a ball of flame?
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"are these not glass?"
smashes the bulb
"oh, they are"
dang I miss this show
I miss it to
I saw that part and immediately scrolled down to find the comments about it.
Emilio ovalle I really miss the old cast for this show, and I hate the new cast on the show now
same
Why miss it when u can watch and rewatch it all on here aka UA-cam
2:41 Are these Not Glass ? -- "SMASH" -- Oh they are. LOL.
That was the best part! XD
Reminds me of Uncle Buck lol
Paul Gentili Huh. Unbreakable. *SMASH*
@@galleryofrogues *sheeet
I came to the comments looking for this.
I'm not disappointed.
They finally made a note saying that the bulbs don't necessarily start fires, but overloaded PLUGS start fires.
They’ve also started using LED bulbs in these lights now, so it’s much safer.
The regular lights wouldn’t start a fire. But a broken bulb with an in-tact fillament that has not been turned on yet is a big hazard to cloth or jute ornaments that could touch the fillament and ignite when the tree is turned back on
What you mean, finally?
@@imalimabeanyay He means it like "in the finale".
if the tree is dry the bulbs are hot enough they can cause a fire especially the c7 bulbs
That's not a tree decorated with lights, those are lights decorated with a tree
Sephades I thought the exact same thing.
Idk but i lold
God I miss the old Mythbusters. My dad worked at the Alameda County Police Department and frequently saw them on the bomb range, until they got kicked off for shooting a cannonball into someone’s house by accident😂
A cannon ball into a house? It's been years since I (and we all) saw the show, so do you recall what myth they were testing? With all the safety protocols they followed how did they end up with the cannon ball in the house?
@@bikeny They were testing if a stone cannonball would break apart on impact so that enemies couldn't reuse it - the relevant episode is "Cannonball Chemistry" (though it doesn't have footage of the cannonball itself). To paraphrase Wikipedia, the cannonball flew over the target and "skipped up" a hill intended to be a safety barrier, leading it to fly through one house, hit the roof of another, and smash through the window of a parked car. The video "MythBusters' Worst Day Ever" on Discovery's UA-cam channel has the crew talking about it.
"Are these not glass"
*SHATTER*
Oh, they are
Exactly what I'd do. Adam is just everyone's inner kid
If you ever want to try this again, use the strings of lights that some people have stored in the basement or closet, that get used every year since 1985...🎄🔥🎄
“The fire department springs into action.” *crawls in on knees.
Thay crawl on thear knees cus smoke rizes
It was a joke @shadow god __gacha
*"Yea we see them every year!"*
(Gives example that happened 20 year's ago)
I'd say closer to 5-10 years given when this aired
@@SgtScorpious well it says they posted this a couple days ago soooooo....
@@michaelmcaleer59 but the initial clip is from an episode that aired years ago
2006 to be precise so yeah, closer to 10 at the time
I just looked it up, there was a fire in riverdale yesterday caused by a dry christmas tree
@@SgtScorpious Ion even much care tho...........
The Mythbusters used modern cool touch C9 bulbs though.
Have to wonder if they had access to the same amount of the 50s/60s 2 strand "third degree burns if you grab them" bulbs if they wouldn't have gotten ignition.
to be fair though those things are crazy hard to find working any more. so they probably did the best they could given what they had.
@@zebjensen4251 absolutely understand that completely. Some of the myths covered in the series can never get a satisfactory testing simply due to the fact the level of tech at the inception of the myth either has completely vanished, time has rendered key components to confirm or bust to such a state that it's impossible to discern if a catastrophic failure was due to inherent flaws in the material or age degradation or simply gathering sufficient quantities of materials are not possible or too time consuming.
Nerds
@@cottncorp320 takes one to know one.
I got outsider info
It would be interesting to know how much LEDs have helped to prevent fires since whenever this video was made.
Well these didn’t start a fire so lol
@@carry-hunt9710 But it does matter. The bulbs themselves are extremely unlikely to start a fire, but a damaged cord or plug easily can. However, that risk can be mitigated by keeping the current draw as low as is reasonable to do, and LEDs use a tiny fraction of the power of an incandescent bulb for the same light output. So, they're safer for that reason.
@@Lessinath a bigger deal is to keep the tree as wet as possible. The wetter the tree, the lower the likelihood of full ignition, the more time you have to save the house.
@@SeanWinters Also Avoiding extension cords as much as possible. Especially multiple plug ones. Pulling to much power heats the cord and melts the lining which causes that spark they got at the beginning. That was the bare wires touching after enough liner had melted off
"HAHA... Are these not glass? * smash * ᵒʰ, ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵃʳᵉ"
Teeny writing??? Teach us your mystical ways
@@JNewman1567 I cannot pass on my powers, as they are too powerful for you to handle.
"This is a straight-forward, uh, always-works way of gettin' a fire." LOL
Tip: LEDs are 80% more power efficient
They may seem expensive but they'll save on your power bill. They're also VERY bright and vibrant and can light up an entire room in some colors. Be careful though, LEDs blink hundreds of times a second and some brands can give you a headache.
@@twistercuber only on AC current. Most LEDs are on a circuit that has a small AC to DC converter so that they don't do that.
IIRC AC current from the wall in the U.S. runs at 60hz, so the LED would "blink" 30 times per second
@@ChristinaKilgore You'd think we could see it blink if it was 30 times a second.
@@ChristinaKilgore LEDs are insane in slow motion. For some reason I thought it was hundreds 😂
I would like to get LEDs but I like multi-colored lights and the incandescent mini bulb version has many more warm light colors. The LED version of multi colored lights has way too many blues. The great majority are blue. Definitely not the same effect.
When I saw this was uploaded 1 week ago I got excited cause I thought Mythbusters were back
That firefighter sounded like he was reading off of a script
He probably has given that speech quite a few times
The script in his brain
He's a firefighter, not an actor. Non-actors tend to be nervous when TV cameras are on them.
What else is there to say? This probably isn’t his first educational video or even training scenario for his department.
"All 2500 Christmas lights are on" *sees burnt out Christmas Light*
I miss this show...
I don't...
you and me both 😭
I Miss it too
@@pilarmorales7871 me three
Thundrex this show was my childhood. And by far one of if not the biggest influences on my love of science
Mythbusters was an awesome show
Yes it was
before I was born, My brother actually died in a fire from a Christmas tree that caught on fire. That is why as I was growing up my parents no longer but actual Christmas trees. I guess that sounds quite ridiculous as I don't know how it happened, but that's what I was told
:(
December 24, 2004 my nephew plugged in the Christmas tree lights and my father's house was gutted by fire so yeah...
I used to be an EMT and worked with quite a few fire fighters. Every one of them had an artificial Christmas tree.
Just remember, for some time, it was tradition to use candles with actual flame as the decoration.
This episode has haunted me most of my life lol, the details of how hard it was to start faded over time lol.
Best way to find out if something is glass is by throwing it at the floor 😂
Hank Jr
- well, it had bounced and Adam caught it before it hit the floor again. He just had to make sure.
Why not set up cameras for 24 hours see what happens?
Gotta pay for the firefighters time
Miss this show!
90% of comments "are these not glass"
*smash*
"Oh, they are."
This show is still a thing I haven’t seen it in years.
No It's been done for a while now....
@@JDtheEE it was discontinued in 2017
"We go to Christmas tree fires every year"
Doncha hate it when you have to bring something? I usually settle on candy or sodas, myself.
Dont fart near the Christmas tree it will start a fire LOL.
Man if they got along better we could have got many more seasons of Mythbusters
They wanted a sexual relationship but the producer wasnt havung it
Jaime wanted
They’re both married...
I've always loved these guys show👍👍
But the song says "the fire was so delightful." LOL
HaHa are these not glass? SMASH. Oh... they are.
That may just be one of the absolute funniest Adam Savage lines of all time
I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Should of started with a weeks old tree, probably.
I love how they go from carefull wrapping the tree to just cramming handfuls of lights into the branches. Just like my dad
"The firemen have the best toys."
Says the Mythbuster...
Omg yes please a Christmas special, I might be 14, but I’ve been watching you’re show since gosh I was a toddler or newborn, urs amazing when I saw this I screamed and I might show my dad this UA-cam video.
Abby Leonard no, need, for, any, of, these, commas
I think people exaggerate with their Christmas tree lights because companies want to make cash! The overall recommendation is 100 lights per foot of tree. I have a 7.5 foot artificial tree with only 350 multi colored lights and it looks GREAT! If I followed the recommendation it would be 750 lights! That's crazy! I also plug straight into the outlet and only have the tree lights on when I'm home.
I miss this show it's amazing glad I have the first 6 sesosns on iTunes...those are worth owning
My mom always told me to unplug the Christmas lights whenever we leave the house or whenever we go to bed because of the possibility that they'll catch on fire while nobody is around to tend the resultant fire.
Christmas will be *lit* this year!
Looking at this I would've never guess these 2 had heat with each other
My childhood was Mythbusters and BBC Top Gear. I miss this show.
Unplugging my tree now.
The new LED bulbs seem to be super-safe compared to the massive incandescent bulb we had when I was a kid.
Are these not glass? **glass shatters** *MYTH-BUSTED*
Oh I remeber this one
Also jeezuz lol the amount of lights they used
0:08 - That happened to me and I almost had a heart attack!
Be honest now, you didn’t search for this video
I was looking at a tree fire test video and somebody mentioned this episode. Considering it's one of the earlier seasons I never watched this episode before.
Arthritis to Athlete
- I had been searching for 'Christmas Music' and just HAD to watch it when the bots suggested it.
No I was just looking at Christmas light videos
I kinda did. For school
I love Myth Busters!!!
I want them baaaaaaaaack!!!
Same
And they used the parallel 120 volt bulbs instead of the mini plastic series circuit bulbs.
My brother and his friend lol 😂 my bro is just like this. He Tests everything.
What season and episode is this clip from??
That Christmas tree is lit 🔥
UA-cam algorithm keep sending me mythbusters
Would be interesting if they would have tested a fake tree too, to see if it would be any different or not. It would burn most likely but would it burn as fast or would you have more time to put it out possibly since it may not spread as fast? I know a lot of rentals do not allow real trees for this reason, but they will allow fake trees in some cases.
Hahaha, the part when he was like, are these not glass, and then he threw it in the floor and was like, nevermind, hahaha, idk why that made me laugh so much, it just sounds like something i would do😂
Christmas trees being a fire hazard in and of themselves has always been a myth, because they're no more likely to start a fire than any other paper or wood products in your home; in fact, it's less likely, if it's properly watered. If there are actual hazards in the home near any of those things, then they're just as likely to cause a fire. This is why people should always unplug things when they're gone for extended periods, never overload a socket, keep combustibles away from lamps, stoves, etc. Also, only a fool would keep a tree up that's dried out and dead.
Which is why I won't have real treez. I have an artificial one instead.
I miss this show
Firefighter: Yeah we respond to these every year, people die from this all the time
Mythbusters: Yeah myth busted tree no fire.
They explained that the myth they busted was the heat from the lights is enough to start a fire, not that Christmas tree fires happen
@@rileyworley7758 It depends on the type of light set.
Science Channel - what a bizarre test. My face hurts from smiling. And it was the spark, not the head.
Fail. The paper caught fire not the tree
Boo hoo.
This was such a horrible test.. Most people leave the tree lit for days on end.. So why test for just 1 hour...
Mine has been lit since Thanksgiving
if you think of what a fireman should look like in your head that’s exactly what that guy looks like
This reminds me of national lampoon's Christmas
this is one of the ways to ruin the holidays
they should have some reunion episode where they redo this but use lights with holes and such i the wires as if they were older lights that have maybe gotten chewed up by mice or something
Best.... show .... ever.
So the answer to can a tree catch fire is yes, if you set it on fire
I love when Jamie met the fire captain. The meeting of the stache's
"This happens all the time" firefighter tells one story from over 20 years ago 😂 like damn your just a book of information.
this aired in 2006 so it would’ve been 10 years
The Highschool I'm in has a Christmas decorating contest and the lights around one of the teachers door caught on fire and we had to evacuate to the middle school for 2 hours
I hate seeing Christmas lights wasted 😭 as a Christmas fanatic lol this is torture
I'm no expert but i do believe another factor is the wear and tear of untangling the light and setting them up over time i believe causes a slow short circuit and that could be the one of main contributing factor
I still burn my fingers on even the small bulbs. As quick as they burn I'm very surprised just the heat from bulbs alone didn't spark it. I still wouldn't chance it though lol
Does it make a difference if the lights are daisy plugged into a single outlet or individually like in the test?
That would only make a difference in where the Sparks happen. And depending on where the sparks happen, that could cause a fire, or it just spark like it did on the table early in the video. The power draw would be the same, but the cable that is first in the line, the one closest to the outlet, would receive a tremendous amount of electricity, as it would bare all the power of all the lights. Think of electricity kinda like water, the outlet is the source of your water. You need a large hose to get all the water you need to ask the devices attached. If you have many different hoses attached to that one source, they all receive the amount they need without beginning to go through the others.
I don't know if that is a great explanation, but.... Yeah
I HATE CHRISTMAS, so watching this reminds me that Christmas truly does become a holliday of death. Just like the whole season of winter! Snow, and Ice! Cold weather, sickness, and of course we can't forget all the cloudy and darkness of winter. IT ALL MEANS DEATH!!
Well, if you cut a few inches off the bottom of your tree and drill a few 1/4" holes in it before putting it in the stand and keep the water filled so it's always a few inches under water, your tree won't dry out until after January 1st and there's no reason to keep it up longer than that.
I like keeping my tree up year round. Any tips?
@@kolebuscher5733 the tree will dry eventually out no matter what you do since it's dead. You could cover it good with spray cans of polyurethane and coat the whole tree with it (don't spray that stuff inside the house though. Once it dries you you can bring it back in). That would seal the whole tree and probably keep it green and no needles will fall off.
I think old school bubble lights would have done it
Quick question were can I watch myth busters
Are these not glass? *throws glass ornament on floor and it shatters* oh..
THE BOYS ARE BACK AT IT!!!!!! YAAYYYYYYYYY
I remember this episode...
The MythBusters Holiday Special?
Yes.
@@Doggie1999 Ah, yes. When Adam and Jamie built a Rube Goldberg machine...
"Are these not glass?" **throws ornament down, it shatters** "... oh, they are."
😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣
Broken bulbs are basically electric matches since the element is exposed. They should try again with smashed bulbs.
Did they come back for this or was this from an episode they had already recorded from the original series
This was from original series.
Looks more like a Krampus Tree.
“Are these not glass?”
*smash*
-oh.
I knew the "are these not glass" was going to be everybody's favorite idiot genius, Adam.
Christmas lights burned my aunts house down this year. It was a live tree and it was new lights. Not. A myth it’s true. A fire extinguisher didn’t work, water didn’t work.
Well you need the proper extinguisher for different types of fire, which is why electrical fires are so terrifying
Water doesn't work on electrical fires. (in fact, they make it worse) You need a type ABC fire extinguisher.
Trainfan1055 I know that water isn’t good for it but they didn’t
Trainfan1055 they tried everything they could to put the fire out and it wouldn’t go out
@@zachbrown7543 electric fires are the worse. Especially since if the power's still on, it'll likely keep igniting.
Anyone else want the guys to say "it was an ugly tree anyways" and "at least it's out of its misery" with a cigar in hand?
Christmas tree fires are 100% user error. A. Nobody uses that many lights on a tree, B I don't know anyone who uses those old ass c9 bulbs on their tree and C this tree is alot drier than what a tree would be in someone's home. Most people use leds or even the small incandescent bulbs that do not get hot like these do. People who catch their house on fire with Christmas lights on a tree probably shouldn't have them to begin with.
And even then, it is short circuit or overloads that cause the fire. Or smoking, or candles.
Or, for a real tree, not watering it.
You would be surprised, it happens every year to responsible people... just saying..
@@InternationalStacker but how do you know they are responsible? I mean a short circuit would be user error, letting animals chew on wires is user error, not watering a tree is user error. I mean a tree doesn't just go up in flames for no reason. If you water the tree, use good lights that aren't frayed or damaged how could it possibly catch fire? I mean I can hold a lighter to a branch of my tree (snapped a branch off earlier and did it) and I held the lighter to the branch until I couldn't hold the lighter anymore and it did not catch fire. I mean sure if you are an idiot and load down a circuit with more than it was designed for (user error) didn't water the tree (user error) had a set of lights with bare wires (user error) then yes you might start a fire. I can't think of one instance that a tree fire wouldn't be user error. It's called being responsible and making sure all your equipment is safe and if someone can't do that they have no business having a tree. Kinda like the whole space heater thing where idiots put them too close to shit and it sets a fire. I can guarantee almost if not all those fires are due to being irresponsible.
trucker V I’m just saying not everyone that has a structure fire is an idiot, although being an idiot can definitely add to your risk 😂😂😂😂... I was a firefighter for years and plenty of responsible people had their houses burn down.... it’s easy to say a short circuit is user error but when is the last time you inspected all the electrical cables in your house lol I use a fake tree... way better piece of mind 🤓🤓🤓
What if the branches of the tree came into contact with the prongs on the electrical cord?
Next time: Add furniture and drapes! A fake house lol
Is there any mythbusters “mega merrython” running this year?
no
We want the myth busters mega merrython
If you coil the cables all over each other, the heat will melt the cable insulation AND that will cause a spark.
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS
Adam!!!