0:00:03 > 0:00:07# There are lots of things All around us
0:00:07 > 0:00:10# Exciting things that surround us
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- #- But how does it work?- Do you know?
0:00:13 > 0:00:17- #- How is it made?- Do you know?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20# Things that go up Things that go down
0:00:20 > 0:00:23# Things that go pop Things that go round
0:00:23 > 0:00:27# With special cameras To show you inside
0:00:27 > 0:00:30# It's going to be a big surprise
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- #- But how does it work?- Do you know?
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- #- How is it made?- Do you know?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- # Do you know?- Let's find out!- #
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Hello, I'm Maddie, and guess what?
0:00:45 > 0:00:50I bet that you've been to the toilet today.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55I know I have, and a lot of other people will have too.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57We've all got toilets in our homes,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00and yours probably looks a lot like this one.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Toilets are everywhere, because we all need to use them.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07But do you know how a toilet works?
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Let's find out.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19There are two parts to a toilet.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24This big square part is called the cistern, and it's full of water,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and then this bit underneath is called the bowl.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Have you ever wondered how your poo and wee disappear
0:01:32 > 0:01:34when you press this button?
0:01:34 > 0:01:39Well, to find out, we need to look deeper inside the toilet.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45When you press the flush button, it moves a lever,
0:01:45 > 0:01:50which pulls a plug out of a hole at the bottom of the cistern.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Fresh water flushes out of the cistern into the toilet bowl below.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00The water is so powerful that it pushes through the old water,
0:02:00 > 0:02:01and your wee or poo,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05out through the pipe at the bottom of the toilet bowl.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10When the water has left the cistern, air travels up the pipe,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and it makes a funny gurgly noise.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15So that's how a flush works.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Have you heard that gurgly sound before?
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Let's listen out for it, shall we? Ready?
0:02:21 > 0:02:24WATER FLUSHES
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Here comes the gurgle.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28TOILET GURGLES
0:02:29 > 0:02:32So now you know that that noise is the sound of air
0:02:32 > 0:02:35travelling up the pipe to stop the flush.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40But I want to see inside the cistern when the toilet is being flushed.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Let's open it up and have a look.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I'm going to show you inside,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49but you mustn't play with a toilet or cistern yourself.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53So you can see inside the cistern is full of water.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I've got my special underwater camera with me.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Let's put it inside the cistern,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02so we can see what happens when we flush the toilet.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But you shouldn't put things in the toilet at home.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07I'll pop my rubber gloves on first.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18There are lots of different parts inside the cistern.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22You have rods and pipes and bits that float.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26If you look here at the top, these are the buttons which you
0:03:26 > 0:03:29press when you want to make the flush work.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33And if you follow the buttons all the way to the bottom of the
0:03:33 > 0:03:38cistern, you can see the plug, and the plug is the bit
0:03:38 > 0:03:42that lets the water out when you flush the toilet.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44So, let's see that in action.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54You can see that the cistern completely empties of water.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57But look what's happening.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02The cistern is filling back up with water.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Why is that happening?
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Can you see that white plastic block, just here?
0:04:11 > 0:04:15That is called the float, and it's called the float because it floats
0:04:15 > 0:04:17on the water in the cistern,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and it's connected to this white plastic arm.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Now, watch what happens when I flush the toilet.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32This float drops, and that means the plastic arm opens up a tap,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36which starts filling the cistern back up with water.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39But the really clever bit is that, when the cistern is full,
0:04:39 > 0:04:44the float rises and the plastic arm shuts the tap off,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46so the water stops filling the cistern
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and you don't flood your bathroom.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Let's see it again.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54When I press the flush, the plug is released and the water drains
0:04:54 > 0:04:57out of the cistern into the toilet bowl.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00When the cistern is empty, the plug goes back in,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05the float drops and the water fills up again.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09The cistern fills back up again pretty quick, which is great,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12because it means, the next time someone else
0:05:12 > 0:05:15wants to use the toilet, the flush is ready to go.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I think toilets are really clever.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27What was your favourite bit about seeing how a toilet flush worked?
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Can you remember the name of the top part of the toilet
0:05:31 > 0:05:33that holds the water?
0:05:33 > 0:05:35That's right, it's the cistern,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39and it empties out the water when you flush the toilet.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48Did you hear the gurgling sound the toilet made after it was flushed?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Here it comes.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52TOILET GURGLES
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Did you see how the cistern filled up again
0:05:55 > 0:05:58straight after it was flushed?
0:06:05 > 0:06:10So the next time you flush the toilet, you'll know how it works.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15But do you know how a toilet is made?
0:06:15 > 0:06:16Let's find out.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28We'll start here, in an enormous toilet factory.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33This busy factory makes over 1,500 toilets a day.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Toilets are made from this - it's called clay.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42But it's not like the stuff you play with, this is a runny liquid.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Clay comes from the ground,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and it's used to make lots of different things,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50like a bowl you can eat your breakfast from,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52a plant pot
0:06:52 > 0:06:54or a piggy bank.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59It's being poured through this pipe into this huge tank,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and it's being swirled around to stop any lumpy bits.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07Looks a bit like a muddy shower, doesn't it?
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Next, it goes into another tank, where it's bounced around.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16This bouncing around is called vibration.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20The clay is shaken around so much it smoothes out
0:07:20 > 0:07:23any small lumps and bumps.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I've got my special camera with me,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29so I can get up close to the clay and show you what it looks like.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Here goes.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38The vibrating tank is very noisy.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I love the sound the clay makes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45RIPPLING PLOPS
0:07:48 > 0:07:54And look how the clay is jumping around as it's being shaken up.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Let's see it in slow-motion.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Look at all the funny shapes the clay makes.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I'm getting quite messy here, ha-ha!
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Sorry, special camera.
0:08:12 > 0:08:19When the clay is ready, it's pumped through pipes into these moulds.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21The mould will give the toilet its shape,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25it's a bit like a jelly mould or a cake mould.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And, when it's completely full of clay, air is pushed in,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34and this will dry the clay out and make it firm.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40And now, that robot is lifting the clay toilet out of its mould,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42ready to go on to the next stage.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Can you hear the sound of the robot as it's working?
0:08:46 > 0:08:48WHOOSH!
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Listen to the whooshes and zooms as it kicks into action.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54ZOOM!
0:08:54 > 0:08:58I love how the orange robot knows just where it's going.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It very gently lifts the clay toilet out of its mould
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and places it on the conveyer belt.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11The toilets aren't quite finished yet.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16They move along the conveyer belt to the next stage of the process.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Now the clay has come out of the mould,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23you can see they really look like toilet bowls, don't they?
0:09:23 > 0:09:29But the clay is still wet and soft, so what do you think happens next?
0:09:29 > 0:09:33That's right, the clay needs to be dried out.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36The toilets now travel along the conveyer belt,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38to go inside this noisy machine.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42It's hot inside, and it's called a dryer.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45As the clay gets hot, the water inside dries out,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48which makes the toilet go hard.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52The toilets take 12 hours to dry.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56When the toilet comes out of the dryer,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00it looks lighter in colour as the clay is now dry.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Now they're ready to be checked.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The toilets have to be in perfect condition.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10These workers make sure the toilets are really clean before
0:10:10 > 0:10:15they're painted, otherwise the paint won't stick.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19They also check to make sure there's nothing wrong with them.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23If there's any bumps or cracks, they go to another place.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31And here are just some of them.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34All of these toilets had something wrong with them,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and they're called rejects.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40But it's not all bad news, because all of this clay can be
0:10:40 > 0:10:45reused and recycled, so they will become toilet bowls after all.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Back to the factory and our perfect toilets,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55and they're getting some finishing touches.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59This robot is spraying a special paint on to the toilet bowl.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01It's called a glaze.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Look at how the robot sprays every nook and cranny.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It doesn't miss a bit.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14The glaze is waterproof, which is a good thing when you think
0:11:14 > 0:11:19how much water is going to flush through the toilet bowl.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27A finished glaze is like a hard, shiny shell,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31but these toilets still look a bit wet and sticky to me.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Let's see where they go next.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36ALARM BEEPS And that alarm means we're off.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Next, these toilets get carried on this cart to
0:11:40 > 0:11:45a massive oven called a kiln, and a kiln gets really, really hot.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Can you see that glowing light down there?
0:11:55 > 0:12:00That's the kiln, and that's where our toilets are going.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03As the toilet bowls heat up inside the kiln,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07the clay and the glaze get hard and shiny.
0:12:07 > 0:12:14And, after 17 hours - that's nearly a day and a night -
0:12:14 > 0:12:16the toilet bowls are finished.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18And here they are.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22They're waterproof and shiny, ready to be used at home.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29What was your favourite bit about seeing how a toilet was made?
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Do you remember the name of the special paint
0:12:32 > 0:12:34that makes the toilets waterproof?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37That's right, it's called a glaze,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and it goes hard and shiny when it's cooked in a kiln.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Did you hear the sounds of the robots whooshes and zooms
0:12:44 > 0:12:50as it kicked into action? WHOOSH!
0:12:50 > 0:12:52ZOOM ZOOM!
0:12:55 > 0:12:57And did you see the way the clay moved
0:12:57 > 0:13:00with my special slow-motion camera?
0:13:00 > 0:13:02It looked like it was dancing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11So the next time you go the toilet, you know just how it was made,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and you can think of those robots taking the clay toilet bowls
0:13:15 > 0:13:18out of the mould. And, when you flush it,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21you know how the cistern empties and fills with water.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I'll see you next time.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30# There are lots of things All around us
0:13:30 > 0:13:34# Exciting things that surround us
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- #- But how does it work?- Do you know?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- #- How is it made?- Do you know?
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- # Do you know?- Let's find out!- #