World's Largest Jello Pool- Can you swim in Jello?
Summary
TLDRThe video documents the ambitious project of creating the world's first Jello pool, a childhood dream turned engineering challenge. Overcoming the difficulties of boiling and refrigerating a large volume of Jello, the creator, with the help of his brother, conducted experiments to determine the ideal gelatin mixture temperature. They utilized custom propane burners and spigots, along with natural night-time cooling, to achieve the desired firmness. The result was a successful Jello pool party featuring belly flops and neighborhood kids, proving that with creativity and persistence, even the most unusual ideas can be realized.
Takeaways
- 🍮 The video documents the first-ever attempt at creating a real pool of Jello, which is a significant engineering challenge.
- 🔍 The creator's childhood curiosity about belly flopping in a Jello pool inspired the project.
- 🕒 It took over six months of planning and experimentation to find the right conditions for creating a Jello pool.
- 🌡️ The Jello mixture needed to reach a temperature higher than 160 degrees Fahrenheit to set properly.
- 🔥 A custom setup with 55-gallon drums, propane burners, and spigots was used to heat the Jello mixture.
- ❄️ Refrigeration was achieved by leveraging natural outdoor temperatures during a specific time of the year.
- 🏊♂️ The Jello pool was filled layer by layer, with each layer needing time to cool and firm up.
- 🌞 Direct sunlight was found to soften the Jello, affecting its solidity, highlighting the importance of temperature control.
- 🎉 The successful Jello pool was celebrated with a neighborhood party and various activities, including belly flops.
- 🤔 The project was driven by the spirit of proving the feasibility of an idea, rather than practicality or necessity.
Q & A
What makes creating a pool of Jello a difficult engineering challenge?
-Creating a pool of Jello is challenging because it requires boiling large amounts of water, mixing it with gelatin powder, and refrigerating it to get firm, which is difficult on a large scale like a pool.
Why haven't previous attempts to create a Jello pool been successful?
-Previous attempts either relied on bad CGI or failed experiments due to the complexities of heating and cooling the Jello properly, making it hard to achieve the desired firmness.
What steps did the creators take to make the Jello pool a reality?
-The creators dug a pool in the backyard, experimented with small-scale batches to determine the ideal gelatin-to-water ratio and temperature, used custom propane burners to heat the mixture, and relied on cold weather and a swamp cooler for refrigeration.
How did the creators ensure the Jello mixture would firm up in the pool?
-They determined through experiments that the mixture needed to be heated to over 160°F and then cooled using cold night air and a swamp cooler to efficiently remove the heat.
Why did the creators choose a specific time of year for their project?
-They chose a time in April when night temperatures were cool enough to act as a natural refrigerator but not so cold that the Jello would freeze, based on historical temperature data.
How did the creators plan the process of filling the Jello pool?
-They planned to fill the pool over seven days, adding about 10 barrels of Jello mixture each day to allow each layer to cool and firm up before adding more.
What tools and techniques did they use to cool the Jello pool efficiently?
-They used cold night air, convection cooling with a swamp cooler, and placed the barrels above the pool to use gravity for easy transfer of the Jello mixture.
What was the effect of sunlight on the Jello pool?
-Direct sunlight over time began to soften the lower layers of the Jello, making it less firm and solid as the day went on.
How did the creators and their neighbors interact with the finished Jello pool?
-The creators invited their nephews and neighbors' kids to belly flop into the Jello pool, leading to a surreal experience of moving through a thick, slimy, and slippery substance.
What improvements would the creators make if they were to attempt the Jello pool again?
-They would consider adding a heat exchanger pipe system to keep the Jello cool longer and possibly use some sugar to improve the Jello’s consistency.
Outlines
🍮 Engineering the World's First Jello Pool
The script introduces the ambitious project of creating the world's first actual pool of Jello, which is presented as a significant engineering challenge. The narrator explains the difficulties in scaling up the process of making Jello from a small dish to an entire pool, including the issues of boiling water, mixing the gelatin powder, and refrigeration. The team's six-month preparation, starting with small-scale experiments to determine the ideal firmness and temperature for the Jello, is detailed. They utilized six 55-gallon drums with custom propane burners and spigots to heat the mixture and relied on natural refrigeration by tracking outdoor temperatures to ensure the Jello set without freezing. The goal was to host a Jello pool party in late April, and the process involved filling the pool with layers of Jello, using a swamp cooler for additional cooling. Despite the challenges and the uncertainty of the outcome, the team was determined to achieve their goal.
🎉 The Jello Pool Party Experience
This paragraph describes the experience of the Jello pool party. The narrator shares the sensation of being in the Jello pool, comparing it to swimming in snot but in a good way. They mention the discovery that direct sunlight could soften the lower layers of the Jello. The use of pool toys and the idea of hiding them under the Jello are also discussed. The narrator suggests potential improvements for future attempts, such as installing a heat exchanger pipe system and using sugar to maintain the Jello's solidity. The paragraph concludes with a philosophical question about the motivation behind such projects, comparing it to climbing Mount Everest or going to the moon, emphasizing the spirit of proving what is possible. The narrator then allows their nephews and neighborhood children to enjoy the Jello pool, culminating in a Jell-O pool slip and slide, despite the Jello being broken down by that point.
🔚 The Aftermath of the Jello Pool Adventure
The final paragraph is a brief closure with the sound of an object thud, suggesting the end of the Jello pool adventure without additional narrative details.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Jello
💡Engineering Challenge
💡Backyard Scientist
💡Orbeez
💡Gelatin Powder
💡Thermodynamics
💡Propane Burner
💡Convection Cooling
💡Food Coloring
💡Belly Flop
💡Heat Exchanger
Highlights
Creation of the world's first actual pool of Jello, a significant engineering challenge.
The process involved boiling water, mixing in gelatin powder, and refrigerating it, which is difficult to scale up to a pool size.
A six-month planning period and two months of small-scale experiments were conducted to determine the ideal firmness and temperature for the Jello.
Discovery that the Jello mixture needed to reach over 160 degrees Fahrenheit to set properly.
Innovation of using six 55-gallon drums with custom propane burners and spigots to heat the Jello mixture.
Utilization of the natural cold night air and a swamp cooler for refrigeration and convection cooling of the Jello.
The Jello pool was filled with water, gelatin powder, and food coloring without sugar to avoid waste.
A week-long effort was required to fill the pool with Jello, layer by layer, to allow for cooling.
Direct sunlight was found to soften the lower layers of the Jello, affecting its solidity.
The experience of belly flopping into the Jello pool was described as surreal and slimy, yet cool.
Pool toys were hidden underneath the Jello for a fun surprise.
The texture of the Jello was compared to swimming in snot, but in a good way.
Suggestions for future improvements included a heat exchanger pipe system and the addition of sugar.
The project was driven by curiosity and the desire to prove the concept, rather than practicality.
A neighborhood barbecue and Jell-O pool slip and slide were organized to celebrate the successful Jello pool.
Despite the Jello breaking down due to activities and sunlight, the fun continued with a slip and slide.
The project's success was measured by the joy and adventure it brought to the participants, especially the children.
Transcripts
- This is the world's first ever actual pool of Jello.
(upbeat music)
And while it may look simple,
it's actually a very difficult engineering challenge
to pull off.
As proof, if you google Jello pool,
you'll either find bad CGI
or a handful of videos of people who tried to do this,
but it really didn't work out.
So today, we're gonna answer possibly
the longest standing question from my childhood.
What would it be like
to actually belly flop in a pool of Jello?
But before we do that, I want to talk
about what we actually had (tape screeches)
to go through for the past six months to pull this off.
The idea of a Jello pool has been
on my bucket list (mellow music)
for over four years.
In fact, when Kevin from the Backyard Scientist
and I made the 25 million Orbeez pool,
our first idea was to do a pool of Jello.
But it's really hard because if you've ever made Jello,
you might recall, you first have to boil water,
then mix in the powder, and then you have to refrigerate it
for it to actually get firm.
And that's easy enough to do for a small dish,
but how do you boil and then refrigerate an entire pool?
This seemed like a very worthy engineering challenge.
So last year at Thanksgiving,
my brother and I came up with a plan,
and then in the middle of winter,
we started digging a hole in his backyard.
Then over the course of two months,
we set up a bunch of small-scale experiments
because we needed to answer questions like:
How much gelatin powder does it actually take
to get to the ideal firmness?
And how hot
and then cold, does the mixture actually need to get
for the Jello chemical reaction to take place
so it will actually get firm?
And from our experiments we learned
the Jello always got firm as long
as the mixture got hotter than 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
So we decided we could scale this up
by using six 55 gallon drums
with a custom propane burner underneath
and a spigot we welded to the sides, but more on that later.
So now we knew how we were going to heat it up,
but how do you refrigerate an entire pool?
For that, we teamed up with Mother Nature
and just picked the perfect location and time of year.
We installed a thermometer and starting in January,
we tracked the temperature
in his backyard every night. (chalk scratching)
We needed refrigerator temperatures
at night (bell dings)
but not freezer temperatures, (computer buzzes)
because that would freeze the Jello,
and our experiments showed that totally ruins it.
And so after looking at our data
plus historical temperature plots,
we knew we had about a three week sweet spot window
towards the end of April to pull this off.
Our goal was to have a Jello pool party
in his backyard that would make
even Phineas and Ferb jealous. (kids laughing)
So the plan was to start seven days
before the party (mellow music)
and fill the pool with an average of 10 barrels every day.
That would give each layer a chance to get exposed
to the cold night air
to more efficiently get rid of the heat.
And so with that, the first thing Saturday,
a full week before the party,
we got to work. (water splashing)
(upbeat music)
We didn't want to waste actual food,
so this is just water and gelatin powder
and food coloring, but there's no sugar.
We intentionally placed our barrels much higher
than the pool so when we were ready,
we could use the potential energy to move the Jello
from the barrels to the pool.
(Jello sloshing)
We had to tackle about a thousand other issues
that came up that I won't bore you with,
but day by day and layer by layer,
the pool began to fill up.
Because the Jello went in
with so much heat energy we needed to remove
before it could get firm
in addition to using the cold night air,
my brother's neighbor Nick happened to have
a spare swamp cooler in his shop,
so we kept that running over the top
of the pool pretty much the whole week.
This gave us convection cooling.
It's the equivalent of rolling down a car window
for the pool or like when you blow
on the top of a hot cup of soup.
This constantly replaces the boundary layer
of air right at the surface with fresh cold air
that will suck out the heat more efficiently.
And so, as we put in the final batch Friday night
with ominous weather threatening
to ruin the whole effort (upbeat music)
at this point we had done all we could.
We were exhausted after a week,
and I wasn't feeling super confident,
because my specialty is more (machinery whirring)
with mechanical things,
and this project was more about chemistry
and thermodynamics.
And I didn't want that lame Gelli Baff stuff people try
and pass off as Jello.
And so even if it didn't last long in the sun,
I wanted to at least have the experience
of seeing even a single belly flop
on a smooth pool of actual Jello.
If this was gonna be a total failure,
it wouldn't be from lack of effort.
And so we woke up Saturday morning
with a forecast for a warm sunny day,
and we pulled off the tarp
to find a pool filled with actual freaking Jello.
(pensive mellow music)
And by this point,
word in the neighborhood had definitely spread around
as to what we were up to,
and my brother asked if some
of their friends' kids could have first dibs.
And so with that, I'm happy to report,
this is what it looks like to belly flop
in a pool of Jello.
Not yet. - [Parent] Wait, wait Adam.
- I'm okay!
- [Parent] Careful! (laughs)
♪ I will be catching Pokémon ♪ (mellow music)
♪ In New York City ♪
♪ I wanna live the life ♪
♪ I will be catching Pokémon ♪
♪ In New York City ♪
♪ I wanna live the life ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't ♪
♪ I will be catching Pokémon ♪
♪ In New York City ♪
♪ I wanna live the life ♪
♪ I will be catching Pokémon ♪
♪ In New York City ♪
♪ I wanna live the life ♪
♪ I will be catching Pokémon ♪
♪ In New York City ♪
♪ I wanna live the life ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
♪ Come on chill, yo ♪
♪ I can't chill ♪
- When I first got in myself,
it was closer to the middle of the day,
and one of the things we discovered
was that direct sunlight over time had the effect
of undoing some of the solidness of the lower layers.
(Mark laughing)
When you go in, it just, like,
fills your nose and, like, ears.
It's a very surreal feeling of just being, like,
it's kind of hard to move,
but it's just slimy and slippery.
It actually feels really cool.
We have some pool toys (upbeat music)
hidden underneath.
(laughs) Got it!
Wow!
It's unlike anything.
I mean, it's like swimming in snot
(laughs) if that makes any sense.
But like a good snot. (upbeat music)
To keep it solid for even longer,
if we were to do it again,
we might put in a heat exchanger pipe system
beneath the surface,
sort of like how they freeze indoor ice skating rinks
and maybe use a little sugar.
That's disgusting!
Now at this point, you might be thinking,
why would anyone spend the effort of six months
of planning and then a solid week
of backbreaking effort just to make a stupid pool of Jello?
And to that I say,
"Why do people go (inspiring music)
through the effort of climbing Mount Everest?
Why did Neil Armstrong go through the effort
of stepping on the moon?
And why did Pam and Jim go through the effort
of convincing Dwight that Jim had always been Asian?"
- This is Jim!
- Sometimes you don't do a thing because you should,
but simply to prove that you can.
Now that my curiosity was fully satiated
and in my ongoing quest (upbeat music)
to be the favorite uncle,
I told my nephews they can invite some
of their friends over,
and my brother's family set up a neighborhood barbecue.
And at this point, after a lot of hours of belly flops
and bowling balls and direct sunlight
the Jell-O was pretty broken down,
but that didn't stop us (upbeat music)
from setting up a Jell-O pool slip and slide.
(singing in foreign language)
- Here I go!
- And I love their sense of adventure,
but it was a bit of an uncle fail moment,
because apparently,
none of them have ever used a slip and slide.
(singing in foreign language)
(Mark laughs) (Mark's nephew yells)
♪ And everybody starts to move ♪
♪ As soon as "Pata Pata" starts to play ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ Whoo whoo whoo whoo ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ Whoo whoo whoo whoo ♪
(singing in foreign language)
We didn't actually put any sugar in here,
so it's kind of disgusting,
so we've got some real juice.
(earth thudding)
(tense music) (creature roaring)
(dinosaur squeaking)
(object thuds)
(upbeat music)
(glass tinkering)
(car scraping)
(machinery whirring)
(kids yelling)
(snowballs swooshing)
(Jello gurgling)
(object thuds)
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