Speaking Of the Hazards of Compressed Air Tanks

[Ed Harrow]

High-pressure gas bottles can be quite interesting. I wold not want to be that close in that 'experiment'.

[sonofswen]

I knew an idi..I mean a guy who used to shoot propane tanks and from what he said it was quite the flame/explosion..someplace in Arizona.oy

[Canoeyawl]

It's like vacuum bagging. It's not the pressure differential. It's pressure differential multiplied by the surface area. A 3x6 foot door has a surface area of 2,592 square inches. With a 3 PSI pressure differential, that's 3 PSI * 2,592 square inches, which is 7,776 pounds of force working on that 3x6 foot door.

The quick calcs for a 4 foot block wall with rainwater behind it will yield similar results, and the wall, maybe/probably the hill behind it will come down if those drain holes get plugged with mud.
Only .4 psi per foot of elevation... those "inches" add up quickly