How high is too high for bottled / canned beverages in a non-pressurized plane?

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
16,391
Display Name
Display name:
Sixer
This weekend, I am going to be doing some higher than normal for me flying up north.
In a non pressurized plane, is there an altitude at which one would recommend not having my many cans of RC Cola or bottles of IBC Root beer?
I love having a ice cold soda when I land after a hard day of flying and soda prices around large aviation events can be high and I have found at some of the bigger events, they don't even sell delicious ice cold Crystal Pepsi and other assorted beverages.

Just curious if I am going to experience explosive decompression of a soda can or bottle at 18,000 feet and then have to explain to someone the strong smell of soda in the plane and my clothes after landing.
That would be embarrassing.

TL;DR
If I get too high, will pop pop?
 
I agree with @Dana , this needs a video. Try multiple different sodas from different brands and find out which one explodes first and which one last! Do it. For science! Or, at least, the laughs.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
This weekend, I am going to be doing some higher than normal for me flying up north.
In a non pressurized plane, is there an altitude at which one would recommend not having my many cans of RC Cola or bottles of IBC Root beer?
I love having a ice cold soda when I land after a hard day of flying and soda prices around large aviation events can be high and I have found at some of the bigger events, they don't even sell delicious ice cold Crystal Pepsi and other assorted beverages.

Just curious if I am going to experience explosive decompression of a soda can or bottle at 18,000 feet and then have to explain to someone the strong smell of soda in the plane and my clothes after landing.
That would be embarrassing.

TL;DR
If I get too high, will pop pop?
Click to expand...

You'll be fine.

Google tells me that cans are at 30-50 psi. At 18000, air pressure is about 7 psi less than at sea level. So, your soda cans will be at 37-57 psi. Nothing to worry about.

And the colder the soda, the lower the pressure.
 
Cans are pressure vessels required to buckle the bottom of the can at a certain pressure which will prevent them from bursting (i.e the bottom indented portion will invert and become convex to prevent the can from exploding). This is required by the DOT as cans get left in hot trucks, and climb over mountain passes. Your cans and bottles will be just fine at any altitude you would take them to.

I also leave you with this.
 
Take some Pringles and see when the lids pop off. Years ago I stopped for gas a a high elevation somewhere, probably in the Rockies. In the convenience store there was a large Pringles section. The foil seals were all bowed out and had popped off almost all the lids.
 
Not much air in cans of drink. Seems only the air would be expanding?

The chip bags have a lot higher % of air. I’d think sealed beverages would go much higher than a bag of chips.
 
If a 50 psi soda will burst at 120 deg, that's about 75 psi. Quite a bit more than the 57psi mentioned above.

This is all based on google info, so it's worth about what you paid for it.
 
Last edited:
I know 12k range is fine as I’ve done that numerous times. I usually reach to upper teens eastbound for the winds but at that point the cans are gone. I can also confirm that a chip bag will in fact explode at 17k.
 
I do know that, if you open a squeeze bottle of sunscreen at altitude (thinking you're going to save time by sunscreening before arrival), it'll spray an impressive fountain of sloppiness all over the front seats.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Cans are pressure vessels required to buckle the bottom of the can at a certain pressure which will prevent them from bursting (i.e the bottom indented portion will invert and become convex to prevent the can from exploding). This is required by the DOT as cans get left in hot trucks, and climb over mountain passes. Your cans and bottles will be just fine at any altitude you would take them to. ...
Click to expand...
Yep. I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed intact when launched into the total vacuum of space. It's only an extra 14.7 PSI inside the can.

PS: that doesn't mean it's safe to pop the the can open at altitude!
 
We keep beer in a cooler in an unheated unpressurized baggage compartment of our Citation, been up to FL450, they have never blown. We keep them in a cooler so they do not freeze.
 
I have had bottles of water freeze instantly when opened at altitude.

Then again I have had a bottle of water in an inside pocket of my parka freeze up during the pre-flight.
 
Climbing through 7000 my processed popcorn bag opened with a bang.
 
Just rounding this one out - glass bottles capability will vary based on shape and wall thickness, but the glass fails before the bottle cap. TMYK
 
Charlie Golf said:
Carbon fiber cans would be a good choice. CF has a good track record of holding up to pressure.
Click to expand...
Regarding recent events in the news... CF is stronger in tension than in compression. A soda can holds back pressure from inside, which puts it in tension. A submarine holds back pressure from the outside, which puts it in compression.
 
MRC01 said:
Regarding recent events in the news... CF is stronger in tension than in compression. A soda can holds back pressure from inside, which puts it in tension. A submarine holds back pressure from the outside, which puts it in compression.
Click to expand...
Newton, Bernoulli. Potato, Potahto. Blah, blah, blah.







:)
 
Matthew said:
Take some Pringles and see when the lids pop off. Years ago I stopped for gas a a high elevation somewhere, probably in the Rockies. In the convenience store there was a large Pringles section. The foil seals were all bowed out and had popped off almost all the lids.
Click to expand...

I did learn that you should NEVER pack an opened Pringles can (with the foil seal removed) in your checked bag on an airline. Even with pressurization, you will have Pringles bits in ALL your clothes. Not only do they get out of the can, it seems they crawl into every space where they will fit. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top