Can a flame really travel up a stream of bug spray into the container?

Question

Has this ever actually happened? Where you spray a flame with bug spay and the flame ignites the stream of fluid and follows into the bottle and explodes inside? It sounds plausible but has it ever actually happened?

Answer 1

it can but there is no real explosion, the heat may however make the gasses inside expand rapidly causing the can/bottle to rupture. if the flame touches that area the gas and the oxygen will cause an explosion then. the chances of all thos things happening at the same time are slim. but dont risk it.

Answer 2

I have not heard of this happening and I don't think it could actually happen. I'm not sure that there is a high enough concentration of combustible ingredients in bug spray to cause the spray to ignite when near an open flame.

I assume that if you sprayed it in a very small and completely air tight container and then lit a match it might explode. That would require some "Mythbusters" type experimentation.

Answer 3

It Really depends

Answer 4

You may spray bug spray around a gas burner with a pilot light, or around a camp fire camping.

You could be spraying around an electrical socket, that sparks when wet.

But, while the "spray" itself could be combustible, it's not likely to explode the can, as the hole in the sprayer is too small, and not enough oxygen would be inside the can to cause a problem.

More likely that heat of a car in the sun, would explode the can, and then it may explode inside a car when fumes hit the battery, or fuse box.

Answer 5

If the propellant is a hydrocarbon such as butane then, no the flame cannot go inside the can. There must be oxygen for the combustion. If the propellant is a mixture with fuel and oxygen then, yes! Manufacturers do not use fuels and oxygen. If you have a container with a mixture, it was homemade.