How it Works -
-High Voltage Workers
-Toilets
-Whisky
-Cream Cheese
-High Voltage Workers
-Toilets
-Whisky
-Cream Cheese
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00The show that reveals how extraordinary items in our world are designed, constructed and produced.
00:07See the engineering, the technology and big ideas that make the world go round.
00:11Find out how it works.
00:30Coming up, producing scotch whisky.
00:40Why it takes over a decade to make everyone's favourite medicine.
00:47From curdled milk to delicious spread.
00:50Find out how cream cheese gets from the farm to the fridge.
00:55And making toilets.
00:57It may not be the most comfortable seat in the house, but it's definitely the most important.
01:09But first, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
01:14Working on high voltage cables is a risky business.
01:17The people who do it are handling cables that carry 345,000 volts whilst strapped to a helicopter.
01:24They can't just wear jeans and a t-shirt when they're doing this job.
01:30All of their clothes are lined with a special metal mesh, right down to the socks.
01:35Here's how it works.
01:46Electricity flows along the easiest path.
01:50As metal has a much lower resistance than flesh and bone, the electricity is conducted safely around the body rather than through it.
01:58Here in America, most of the jobs are done with a repairman strapped onto a platform, which is welded to a helicopter.
02:08They edge up to the power lines, which are attached to the tower.
02:17Since the helicopter is only touching the cable, the electricity flows around it in a loop and doesn't build up in any one place.
02:25Here, he's changing an isolator.
02:27The repairman obviously needs to have a pair of steady hands.
02:54Helicopters are notoriously hard to fly, even without someone hanging off the edge.
03:03If he were to lose control now, it would almost certainly be the end of both of them.
03:10To ease the pilot's load, a member of the crew remains on the ground to coordinate everything.
03:16Truck 12 to Alpha Whiskey. You've been out 40 minutes.
03:20The less the pilot has to think about whilst he's hovering, the better.
03:23Copy that art. We'll be in in 10 minutes. This is 369 Alpha Whiskey.
03:34With some jobs taking hours, it can mean several refueling trips.
03:38Because of the platform attached to the helicopter, they can't fill the tank all the way up.
03:53Or the total weight would upset the balance and the pilot wouldn't be able to keep the helicopter steady.
03:57If a job's next to a pylon, then the helicopter has to drop the repairman off and leave him to make his own way.
04:20Not only does he need the courage of a firefighter, now he also needs the skills of a tightrope walker.
04:34If you're scared of heights, then there is definitely no need to apply for this job.
04:39The electricity and winds make the lines vibrate, which can cause the bolts to loosen over time.
05:03This means that they have to be serviced and occasionally replaced by hand.
05:09With another exhausting job complete, he can shuffle back down the line to a place where it's safe to be picked up.
05:25As if that job wasn't tough enough, here he's only got two lines to move along.
05:39This is an unbelievably dangerous job, and most people wouldn't do it for all the money in the world.
05:57But for the power companies, it's well worth the hefty pay packets they hand out at the end of the month.
06:06These guys save them about $16 million a day.
06:10Back on the relative safety of the platform suspended beneath the helicopter, the repairman can head back to base to put his feet up.
06:37Knowing that his heroics have kept power flowing to thousands of homes.
06:42The average person will spend three whole years of their life on the loo.
06:54The average person will spend three whole years of their life on the loo.
07:00This is the story of how a factory makes the most essential piece of furniture in your house.
07:14A mould for the toilets is made inside this casing.
07:19They pour in a liquid compound that contains gypsum.
07:23It's a natural mineral that soaks up moisture.
07:27This will draw water out of the clay bowls so they'll dry quicker later on.
07:31The mould is made in four parts, which set in just 20 minutes.
07:47The gypsum can only draw out a certain amount of water before it's saturated.
07:51So these moulds can only be used to make about 100 toilets each.
08:11The ceramic for the toilet is mostly made out of clay.
08:14But a mixture of other natural minerals has been added to provide strength.
08:23It's all mixed together with water in a cauldron.
08:30These vibrating machines get rid of any lumps.
08:39And then, after a quick check to make sure the liquid is at the right consistency,
08:43it's ready to be poured into the gypsum moulds.
09:00One hour later, a quick blast from a pressure hose opens them up.
09:13The excess is cut away and will go off to be recycled.
09:28The toilet chute is added by hand.
09:43And then blended in using a wet sponge.
09:49The result is a fine sculpture with sweeping curves that would grace any bathroom.
10:08While it's still soft, they cut out the drainage hole.
10:18After that, it's given a quick wipe and then left to dry on a rack overnight.
10:27The next morning, it's dry, but it's still very absorbent.
10:31So they coat it with a glaze of powdered glass, chalk and water.
10:37This will form a waterproof layer when it's fired.
10:40The glazing on the outside of the toilet is sprayed on.
10:56When the factory is busy, the extra workload is done by hand.
11:05But most of the time, it's all done by robots.
11:11Either way, the end result is the same.
11:18The toilet is still brittle.
11:24So in the final stage, it's baked in a kiln.
11:27And this is one seriously big kiln.
11:31It's 120 meters long with three separate zones.
11:36In the first zone, it's gently warmed up.
11:39Too much heat too soon would distort the clay.
11:41Then in the second, it can be blasted with 1200 degrees Celsius, which turns it rock solid.
11:47As they pass through the final zone of the kiln, the toilets are cooled down.
11:52And then they're finished.
11:55The bowls are ready to be fitted with seats and plumbed into bathrooms across the country.
12:00On average, we pay about two and a half thousand visits to one every year.
12:04Despite the fact the humble loo is used so often, it's seldom appreciated.
12:17Coming up after the break, the oldest operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands.
12:28How a blazing barrel gives Scotch its unique flavour.
12:32And cream cheese.
12:34How a factory makes a not-so-creamy variety for Weight Watchers.
12:47No drinks cabinet would be complete without a fine bottle of Scotch whisky.
13:00Where better to see it being made than the Scottish Highlands?
13:05This is the Strathisle Distillery in Keefe.
13:10The main ingredient is barley.
13:13It's harvested and then taken to the distillery.
13:16The first step is malting.
13:24The barley's soaked in water for three to five days.
13:28During this time, starches turn into sugars.
13:31Then it's dried over burning peat.
13:34And the smoke adds flavour to the whisky.
13:37Once the barley's been malted, this machine grinds it down to a coarse flour.
13:42This huge vat is called the mash tun.
13:54It's used to mix the ground flour with hot water.
13:58Some yeast is added.
14:00And the mix starts to turn into alcohol.
14:04It's transferred to these giant copper distillery kettles.
14:08And heated to 86 degrees Celsius.
14:12The alcohol evaporates and travels up these pipes where it cools down and becomes a liquid again.
14:18After around half an hour of this process, the fluid coming out has reached between 20 and 40% alcohol.
14:27This is called low wine.
14:31The low wine goes through the process again in a second kettle.
14:35And what comes out then is seriously strong.
14:38Between 60 and 70% alcohol.
14:41This will be barreled and turned into whisky.
14:44Scotch is a serious business in Scotland.
14:49By law, distilleries can only store whisky in barrels made of oak.
14:54New barrels would give the whisky too much of a woody flavour.
15:00So they recycle old ones which are fixed up by a team of Coopers.
15:05These old barrels could have been previously used for bourbon, sherry or even another whisky.
15:12As well as providing a less woody flavour, they also impart a subtle character from their previous contents.
15:19First, the iron hoops are removed.
15:25The tops are knocked out.
15:32The wood is shaved.
15:38And finally, the hoops are tightened and replaced.
15:43Then, the barrels suffer trial by fire.
16:02The worker pops a cover on to cut off the supply of oxygen.
16:06Otherwise, the barrel would burn to a cinder instead of just getting toasted.
16:12A thin layer of charcoal has formed on the inside which will add flavour and colour to the whisky as it slowly matures.
16:29The cask is covered again, this time to seal in the smoke and enhance the flavour.
16:46The barrel is boarded up and is ready to be filled.
17:00Each barrel holds over 250 litres.
17:07Once the stopper is bashed into place, the whisky won't see the light of day for many years.
17:26It's stacked among hundreds of other barrels in a darkened warehouse.
17:33To be classified as scotch, the whisky has to mature for at least three years.
17:38But top single malts are left for much longer.
17:41Ours won't come out for another 12 years.
17:45Over that time, alcohol gradually evaporates through the oak barrel, reducing the alcohol content from over 60% to around 40%.
17:59Here's one they made earlier.
18:04The master taster tries a sample to check it's ready.
18:11Just a nod from him and it's off for bottling.
18:18After over a decade in the making, the bottle plant is the last stage before the whisky can hit the shelves.
18:29Distilleries like this one are vital to the UK's economy.
18:33The annual export of scotch is worth over £2 billion.
18:43From just barley, water and yeast to fine scotch whisky,
18:47it goes to show that the simple things in life really can be the best.
18:59Would you spread sour milk on your bread?
19:16You might not think so, but that's actually what cream cheese is.
19:24It's not as popular as cheddar in the UK, but it's catching on fast.
19:28At this German factory, they process 450,000 liters of milk a day.
19:35But before it can be turned into cream cheese, it's got to be cooled down.
19:42Next, it's separated into skimmed milk and cream.
19:46These are then blended back together in varying quantities
19:49to give cream cheeses with a range of different fat contents.
19:58The dairy mix needs to be pasteurized.
20:03It's heated for 20 seconds at 73 degrees to kill off any germs.
20:14Then lactic acid is added.
20:18When the mixture is heated, the lactic acid spreads through the milk,
20:21making it thicker and turning it sour.
20:23It's then poured into a separator to remove the excess liquid, which is called whey.
20:33If you remember Little Miss Muffet,
20:34you might be able to guess that what's left behind is the curd.
20:39This is what the cheese will be made out of,
20:41but it needs a little salt, or a little bucket of salt.
20:45Then it's heated again, just in case any germs made it through.
20:49When you think of cream cheese,
21:01smoked salmon and a bagel might come to mind.
21:04But this factory caters for a wide range of tastes.
21:07This cream cheese is going to be mixed with dried onions and chives.
21:11If you've got a date in the evening,
21:18you might want to think twice about having this for lunch.
21:26Cream cheese is different from other cheeses.
21:29It's not allowed time to mature, as it's meant to be eaten fresh.
21:34Despite its popularity in Europe,
21:36it was actually invented in the United States.
21:38In 1872, a New York farmer developed a richer cheese than ever before,
21:44and this became known as cream cheese.
21:50The final step is to whip up the cheese with some nitrogen gas.
21:54This helps to increase its volume and makes it easier to spread.
22:03The tubs are made out of the plastic on these two rolls.
22:08It's heated, and then a machine punches it into shape.
22:32Next, each pot gets a perfect portion.
22:35That includes the Weight Watcher variety.
22:52They're sealed, chilled for 12 hours,
23:07and then ready to hit the supermarkets.
23:09Good night.
23:13The heck withiz?
23:14Good night.
23:15Theentiary City.
23:18The Euniceies.
23:19ketry.com
23:21We're done.
23:22And we're done.
23:24We're done.
23:26And we're done.
23:28We're done.
23:29This is the week.
23:29It'll be done.
23:32We're done.
23:34It'll be right.
23:35It'll be right.
23:36Oh no.
23:37I'm done.
23:38It'll be right.