What happened with my water bottle

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on an unusual incident involving a water bottle that created a powerful suction effect when the cap was twisted open, leading to deformation of the bottle. Participants theorize that the vacuum was likely caused by the bottle being sealed at a higher temperature, resulting in a decrease in internal volume as it cooled. This phenomenon can occur when the bottle is filled with water and sealed in a high-altitude location, such as near Mount Shasta, California. The consensus is that the internal pressure dynamics and material properties of the bottle contributed to the unexpected behavior when attempting to open it.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vacuum physics and pressure differentials
  • Knowledge of material properties, particularly of plastic bottles
  • Familiarity with the effects of temperature on gas volume
  • Basic principles of canning and sealing processes
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  • Research the physics of vacuum formation in sealed containers
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This discussion is beneficial for physicists, food scientists, and anyone interested in the mechanics of pressure and vacuum in sealed containers, as well as those curious about the behavior of materials under varying conditions.

Pengwuino
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I had the oddest thing happen to me this morning. I was opening a water bottle... you know, bottled water that's $1 a bottle :smile: :smile: not really.. but yah, so i twisted open this bottle's cap about half a revolution and for some reason, it created a suction so poweful that it deformed the bottle and refused to open. I later had to just cut the little things attaching the cap and that ring to get it open.

Anyone have a clue what in the world happened here?

Is it possible that it was literally full of water and i was producing a vacuum in there and if so, how strong of a vacuum could really have existed in there? I got all wet because of it!
 
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Did you find any liquified air in the bottom of the container? That might have something to do with it.
 
Not that i remember. This was a simple bottle of water.
 
You could have had an issue like what is done, on purpose in canning. If the water was bottled and capped at a higher temperature, once the cap was in place, the water cools and volume decreases, causing a vacuum under the sealed cap.
 
Was it bottled in Colorado or someplace higher?
 
Pengwuino said:
... i twisted open this bottle's cap about half a revolution and for some reason, it created a suction so poweful that it deformed the bottle and refused to open...
Can you clarify?

Was the vacuum in there before you tried to open it, or are you saying that your attempt to open it caused the suction?

Did it simply begin to deform as soon as you broke the seal?

Or do you mean you twisted the cap ON?
 
My very first attempt to open the new bottle of water created the suction. No seal had broken or anything, it just started making the vacuum. It was bottled "Near California's Mount Shasta" at the "CG (crystal gyser) Roxane Source". Not sure how high it was but I've never had this happen to a bottle from them!
 
I've had this occassionaly happen with plastic cola-filled bottles, so, I know what you mean. As I start to un-twist the cap, the damn bottle collapses(squeezes in on it's own) and sprays me with cola.
 
Pengwuino said:
I got all wet because of it!
Wow ! Physics does excite you !

As for the weird bottle thing, some parts of the description are a bit confusing. If the air above the water was at a low pressure, cracking the cap will only cause air to rush in the tiny gaps and equilibrate the inside to atmosphere. I've often experienced this. A partially consumed bottle of water, after some refrigeration, will become wobbly. Cracking the cap fills it out and steadies it.

My best guess now is that cracking the cap caused air to seep in and increase the pressure inside the bottle. This increase in internal pressure resulted in a uniform outward stress on all parts of the bottle and cap. Now if the cap were made of stiffer or thicker material than the neck of the bottle (which I assume is plastic), the bottle-neck would want to expand more than the cap, but it can't. This causes the exerienced jamming.
 
  • #10
Gokul, the problem was that it deformed inwards, not outwards. It was weird because when i opened it at that half revolution or whatever, it became impossibly hard to continue opening. It's as if i tightened the bottle when i tried to untighten it. And no, I'm not stupid and wasn't trying ot close it :P
 
  • #11
On further thought, its happened to me before. With a pepsi in a freezer, and water bottles in the freezer. When I open it, they collapse. Not as violent as your situation Pengwuino, but it happens. Also, my waters tend to explode when I open them after they've been filled too much for freezing.
 
  • #12
My guess is, there was low pressure inside the bottle from cooling but not enough to pass some critical point to deform inward. When you were holding the bottle you put enough pressure to get past this critical point allowing the low pressure to keep it sucked in.
 
  • #13
Pengwuino said:
Gokul, the problem was that it deformed inwards, not outwards.
What part of the bottle deformed ?
Was it a regular plastic bottle ?
What happened when you did finally get it open ?
 

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