Last Updated on February 2, 2022 by
Recently, a reader asked, “how can I make my electric kettle quiet?” When asked how loud it is, the reader’s response: so loud I cannot boil water or brew tea at night without waking the household.
Multiple reports claim a flat-plate electric kettle is quieter than a kettle where the element is exposed. Additionally, you can always descale or get a quieter replacement electric kettle to ensure quiet.
A noisy electric kettle is often due to coalescing microbubbles from the bottom collapsing at the surface during heating. So, when an electric kettle is heating, it dissolves gas that forms into implosive bubbles, keeping your electric kettle from being quiet.
In other cases, your problem could be the boiling whistle. But this is only a notification.
Why is My Electric Kettle So Noisy?
Your electric kettle is noisy because of the heat going to the water from the heating element. It forms into water bubbles that collapse quickly which is known as cavitation. This process also produces a crackling noise.
So, the noise your electric kettle produces is caused by collapsing bubbles. These bubbles develop from the heat from your kettle. They will abruptly collapse when they rise to the lower temperatures at the surface.
The water bubbles are typically numerous and small, thus, the crackling noise you get prevents your kettle from being quiet.
Electric kettle making a whistling noise
Apart from water bubbles causing your electric kettle to crackle, the whistling can also be noisy. When the water reaches its boiling level, your electric kettle begins to whistle.
The kettle will feature a whistling device on the spout. As the heat displaces water vapor, it enables the vibrations needed to cause a whistle.
The steam supply functions in the same manner until you turn off the kettle. Some contemporary kettles will automatically turn off.
Are Electric Kettles Supposed to Make Noise?
Unless your electric kettle is designed to prevent noise, it will not stop the water pops or even the whistling.
An electric kettle receives energy from the heating element to convert water into steam. This process makes bubbles grow from the bottom to the surface where they collapse due to lower temperatures.
Not all bubbles make it to the top since they have to collapse abruptly as they leave the heat source.
A louder electric kettle typically uses a smaller heating element, so water boils faster within the element. This causes a pop sound, sometimes described as kettling noise. Kettles with smaller heating elements rely on convection for heat distribution.
These bubbles are small, numerous, and coalesce very fast. However, when the water in the electric kettle boils evenly, the bubbles become larger and quieter.
Meanwhile, quieter electric kettles have a larger surface area between water and the heating element. This makes the water boil evenly, thus, reducing the number of bubbles.
Is There an Electric Kettle that is Quiet?
Yes, there are quieter electric kettles. If yours is not a quiet electric kettle, consider getting a replacement kettle. Again, most kettles with flat-plates perform quieter than kettles that use exposed elements.
Sometimes, you can descale your kettle to reduce the pops that will not allow it to be quiet.
An electric kettle is at its quietest when you do not plug it in. it makes no noise and does not also boil your water, except it switches to the ‘keep warm’ mode.
The electrical activity does not cause your kettle not to be quiet. The water heat level depends on the heating element. Therefore, a non-quiet electric kettle uses a less powerful heating element.
If your kettle uses a flat heat base, it can be quieter than if it uses an exposed element. This is because the heat is less concentrated in a flat heat base.
Perhaps, some kettles use sound-absorbing panels to reduce noise. Otherwise, you can install one to keep it quiet.
Which Electric Kettle is Quietest?
In this section, our concern is the electric kettles that boil quietly. An electric kettle may not be able to run entirely quietly but the electric kettles below are the quietest:
Chefman Digital Electric Kettle
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If brewing your favorite tea is your focus, the Chefman has you covered with its 1.8-liter electric glass kettle. It also features a stainless steel reusable tea infuser that makes it seamless without thinking about stain.
Chefman has a lot more to offer in this one, including the following:
- Boiling speed. With a unique rapid boiling capability, this kettle gets two cups of water to boil within 3 minutes. A full pot will reach boiling at just 7 mins, this means faster tea, instant oatmeal hot coffee, etc., for the household.
- User-friendly. This electric kettle is user-centric and designed so you can operate it even without a manual. You merely open the lid, fill in the water and let it heat to a boil. Moreover, the 360-degree swivel base handle gives perfect handling to right- and left-handed chefs.
- Presets and a steep timer. Chefman allows you to experience 7 precise presets suitable for your morning and evening beverages. It also features steep settings for your herbal, oolong, white, black and green tea. Explore the steep timer functionality to brew to perfection.
- Build. Not many affordable electric kettles are built with premium protective coatings. Here, Chefman coats the heater to keep off mineral stains. Click here to see on Amazon
Mueller Ultra Kettle M99S
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The Ultra Kettle M99S by Mueller is thoughtfully built at its finest. It does not only bring a superb water boiling experience to your modern home but also durability.
It uses 304 stainless steel and heat-resistant copolyester to deliver the freshest water. Speaking of quiet, Mueller’s M99S will not screech in your ears.
- Safety. Meuller takes the boil to a 160 Fahrenheit temperature where water boils enough for safe drinking, especially when you do not use a water filter pitcher. Meanwhile, Meuller recommends using BWT products for effectiveness.
- Auto shutoff. Mueller claims that water loses its flavor the longer it boils. For this reason, they have integrated the auto-shutoff technology to automatically stop the kettle from boiling.
- Speed. If faster boiling means taking away the noise quickly, then the M99S has it for you. According to Meuller, it is also more energy-efficient than a microwave or electric stove-top. It is time to not just save time but focus on other activities while your kettle boils. Click here to see on Amazon
How Do You Fix a Noisy Electric Kettle?
You cannot completely fix a noisy electric kettle. However, you can get another kettle that has a larger surface area between the heating element and water for quiet.
Meanwhile, a more common way to fix a noisy electric kettle is to descale it.
Experts think limescale build-up in kettles can cause loudness, so you get rid of it to reduce the noise.
To remove the limescale, you descale it. There are many methods you can use to descale your electric kettle but we consider the use of vinegar here.
All you have to do is give your electric kettle a boiled rinse with vinegar. Pour an equal amount of water and vinegar into your kettle and set it to a boil. Leave the boiled vinegar in the kettle for at least an hour or overnight.
Pour out the mixture and add only water to your kettle and bring it to boil to cleanse the vinegar taste. Rinse it thoroughly a few times to completely get rid of the limescale. Wash it with dish soap.
Alternatively, you can use cream of tartar as suggested by user communities to clean your electric kettle.
Add a teaspoon of cream of tartar and a cup of water to your electric kettle. Stir it and bring it to a boil. Rinse the kettle by boiling empty water. You do not have to scrub the kettle after the second boiling to clean the kettle.
You can also fix your noisy electric kettle by padding the bottom. This does not eliminate the sound but significantly reduces it. You can use a sound deadening mat or any thick material that reduces noise.
How Often to Clean Electric Kettle?
How often you clean your electric kettle depends on how often you use it. If you use your kettle for brewing beverages, then you clean it regularly. Perhaps, general cleaning will help reduce noise.
As for the interior, you can simply wipe it down to get rid of splatters and smudges. You can wipe weekly.
If you use your electric kettle daily which forms limescale faster, you should descale it often to get rid of hard water minerals. Follow the steps earlier mentioned above to descale your kettle.
Final Thoughts on How Can I Make My Electric Kettle Quiet?
The evolution towards a noiseless electric kettle is never-ending. Manchester University students, for example, have moved to build a quieter kettle that boils even faster.
The kettle has been dubbed the ‘stealth kettle’ which indicates there is more to come in the near future.
Many electrical manufacturers are picking interest in the stealth kettle which can revolutionize kettle designs and encourage enhancements to meet buyers’ expectations.
