HOW IT WORKS _ Whisky, Toilets, Cream Cheese, High Voltage Workers _ Free Documentary

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How it Works -  -High Voltage Workers -Toilets -Whisky -Cream Cheese

Transcript

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.

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