Why is there a small hole on the top of spray can lids?

Published Oct 22, 2012, 9:47 PM

Many spray can lids have a tiny hole at the top. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more about spray cans, shipping and air pressure.

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Audible dot com is the leading provider of digital audio books and spoken word, with over one tho titles to choose from. Audible lets you listen to your favorite books anywhere, anytime. Go to audible podcast dot com slash stuff brain to get a free audio book download of your choice when you sign up today. Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com where smart Happens. I am Marshall Brain with today's question. Why is there a small hole on the top of many spray can lids? For example, if you have a can of PAM in the kitchen, the cap will have a hole in it. These little holes are a good example of a feature built into a product so that it can handle some kind of unusual or unexpected situation. We don't think about or see these situations in normal use of the product, but the feature is there to handle them when they pop up. With a can of PAM, the lid fits very tightly. If the manufacturer puts the caps on the cans in New Jersey and then ships the cans to Denver, which is called the mile High City for a reason, a funny thing happens. The air pressure inside the lid pops the lid right off, so the poor stock boy at the grocery store has to put the lids back on thirty cans before you can put them on the shelf. It's a total pain. By putting a small hole on the lid, the eric and exit through the hole and the lids stay on during shipping. For more on this and thousands of other topics because it how staff works dot com. Audible dot com is the leading provider of digital audio books and spoken word, with over one titles to choose from. Audible lets you listen to your favorite books anywhere, anytime. Go to audible podcast dot com slash stuff Brain to get a free audio book download of your choice when you sign up today.

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