A Crackling Kettle

For the past week our electric jug kettle has started making a very loud crackling sound as it starts to heat up.  It is so loud that I can hear it from the next room even without my hearing aids in.

I consulted Professor G and most online posts I found suggested that the heating element may be on its last legs.  P and I duly walked into town yesterday afternoon and I selected a replacement kettle which we purchased.

When we reached home P made a cup of tea, using the old kettle, as I started to unpack the new one.  From experience we found that our current stainless steel kettle needed to be boiled several times using clean water to remove the taint caused by the factory's protective coating on the inside, so I intended to do the same for the new one.

P stopped me from unpacking the new kettle as he said that he thought the current one didn't sound as bad and that perhaps we should take back the new one and get a refund.

Seriously??  I have boiled our kettle a couple of times now and it still sounds like it is going into orbit!

I think he just has second thoughts on spending the money and is desperate to get it back whilst the current kettle is still hanging on.  I think I need to point out to him that even if it lasts another month or so, we shall still need a new one at that point and the prices may well have risen  by then.






37 comments:

  1. It is easy to tell which character Lord Peregrine identifies with in "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens and it's not Tiny Tim.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I see a resemblance to another character.

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    2. Look out for "Ode to JayCee" by Lord Peregrine of Ramsey.

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    3. Of all the lasses, big and small
      You are the fairest of them all
      I'll never see one such as thee
      Now go indoors and get me tea!

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  2. We recently purchased a new kettle from Lidl for twenty five Euros me thinks. It really is a beauty! Perhaps I will post a photo of it some time?

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  3. It's a hard call. You are being preventative. The old one still boils water, albeit noisily. However for what £20 or £30, is there really a problem with retiring a kettle a little prematurely? Maybe this new kettle will see you out, haha or not really.

    You reminded me to look up Cadiz, as I said I would. It is an island but it isn't. Settled 1100 BC. That is seriously old.

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    1. Our old kettle is only around 10 years old, but we have used it a lot.
      Yep, Cadiz is definitely old!

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  4. Hello...New here! I think you're right...Keep the old one perking and just store away the new one. Prices rise daily! I hate to think what the new kettle will cost in another month...Prices are terrible here in the States.
    hugs
    Donna

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    1. Hello Donna. Thank you for visiting! I was going to do as you suggest but, in a fit of pique, P cut off the plug so it is now going to have to be taken to the tip. Men!

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  5. Maybe the new kettle will be more energy efficient and save you the purchase price on the power bill.

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  6. Hope you enjoy many, many cups of tea from your new kettle, JayCee! I have the tea kettle that I got in 1976 - it heats on the stove top. But then again, I don't drink tea so it hasn't gotten as much use as yours...

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  7. Honestly, men! Mine would be taking it to bits and fixing it with ugly wires and expect me to congratulate him. A nice new, silent kettle is a thing of beauty

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    1. Well, P's first thought was to try to take the base off and have a go but I wasn't too keen on being electrocuted.

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  8. Replies
    1. That your husband suggested taking the new one back. Unbelievable.

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    2. Oh I see. Yes he really did. He doesn't like to spend money unnecessarily but I convinced him otherwise on this occasion.

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    3. I assumed my comment was obvious.

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  9. My husband has a very high tolerance for malfunctioning vehicles. He will put up with all manner of strange noises or curious lights or odd little malfunctions. His take on things is invariably, 'Drive it. It will either go away or it will get worse.' He is a mechanic. I am not a mechanic, and vehicle issues make me nervous.

    Men are a strange and peculiar animal.

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  10. I rarely drink tea, but coffee is a daily must. I feel lucky if my coffee maker lasts a couple of years. Very hard water here gums it up. I just got a new one, the previous quit after 18 months. I buy the cheapest one I can find.

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    1. Do you ever try descaling your coffee pot? We have very mineral-ly water water at our retirement property.

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    2. I think we have had our coffee maker around 15 years now. It gets used two of three times per day, every day, so probably less than yours?

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    3. LOL. I have had mine probably the same amount of time. It replaced one that I had had for probably double the time.

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    4. I do try to descale it, but I'm averse to using toxic chemicals. Although that'd probably be better than throwing the maker out every couple of years!

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  11. I used to have one that sang perfect scales. It was like having an opera singer 'warming up' in the kitchen.

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  12. I feel I should put P and ' tight ' in a sentence but don't want to be rude ! Perhaps ' careful ' is kinder ! We will be having a hot tap in our new kitchen but, they can go wrong I guess and would be much more expensive to replace ! P would have to lie down in a dark room ! 🤣 XXXX

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  13. My kettle, which is only about five years old, is making quite a noise when it boils - probably the same as yours. It's always been noisy, so I haven't thought that the element might be packing up. As I'm not a tea drinker, I don't rely on it for a daily cuppa or two, so will carry on until it gives up!

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Although I am quite used to talking to myself, any comments on my posts are very welcome, provided they are not abusive. I do reply to them so please check back. It's good to talk (!)