Last Updated on February 2, 2022 by
Why Does My Kettle Not Stop Boiling? It’s easy to simply overlook the humble duties of an electric kettle. I mean, how hard can boiling a few cups of water get? The appliance faithfully boils water, brews coffee and warms other beverages without a hitch. When there’s a hitch though, things can get tiring fast. For example, people have complained about kettles that won’t stop boiling, and here’s what we think:
When a kettle cannot turn itself off, the most common explanation is a faulty thermostat. The thermostat senses the liquid’s temperature and triggers the switch mechanism on and off when required. When the thermostat misbehaves, the kettle cannot switch itself off when the water reaches boiling point.
Of course, other factors which can make an electric kettle go haywire, like a faulty switch, improperly lid closure and water trapped in the steam tube. If you’re in a fix with your electric kettle, this article answer the burning questions along with some quick DIY fixes. Please read on.
How Does a kettle Boil Water?
Every electric kettle has a heating element(or coil) whose sole job is to get hot, thereby heating any fluid in contact with it. The electric kettle does so in the in following way:
- When turned on, electricity enters into the coil.
- The coils offer enormous resistance to the flow of current, causing it to heat up. This is a property of electric resistance in current carrying conductors; the greater the resistance, the greater the heating effect.
- The hot coil comes in contact with the fluid in the kettle and heats it through conduction.
- Given enough time, the fluid reaches boiling temperature and starts to boil.
- The thermostat senses the temperature and switches the kettle off at the appropriate temperature.
How Long Does It Take To Boil Water In a Kettle?
The time it takes to boil water depends on the amount of water in the kettle, the starting temperature and the wattage of the heating element.
A typical electric kettle comes equipped with heating coils between 2,500 to 3,000 watts. All things being equal, a 2,500 kettle will get water to boiling in less than 3 minutes; a 3,000 watts kettle will do it in 2 minutes or less.
Generally speaking, it takes between 2 – 4 minutes to boil water in a kettle.
Why Does My Kettle Take So Long To Boil?
So what if your kettle chooses a better way to annoy you- boiling in slow motion? When a kettle takes about 5-10 minutes to boil water, you know something is wrong.
When a kettle takes it’s time to boil, it might be because of the starting temperature of the liquid; cold water would normally take longer to boil than room temperature water. However, there are other reasons your kettle could be taking its time to boil. They are as follows:
Open Or Badly Sealed Lid
A kettle’s lid might look fancy, but trust us, it does a lot to make water boil at a reasonable time. A well contained kettle implies that the lid is properly placed while the kettle is on. Proper lid placement helps to lock in the heat so that the water boils faster.
Have you noticed that your kettle takes longer to boil? Try placing the lid properly and notice the changes. Moreover, the lid helps to increase the pressure inside the kettle, thereby boiling the fluid faster.
However, if the kettle’s lid does not seal properly, it might be a design flaw which means that you might have to purchase a kettle with a better design.
Atmospheric Pressure
The atmosphere exerts its own pressure on everything on the earth’s surface, including your kettle and its content. The atmospheric pressure varies from place to place depending on altitude; it is greatest at sea level and decreases as you climb.
In essence, it is more difficult to boil water at sea level because of enormous air pressure on the water surface. If you recently changed location and it seems your kettle is taking longer to boil, you may be living at a lower altitude than usual.
However, the boiling time should not exceed 5-6 minutes; if it does, it means something else is wrong. You can check that your kettle is properly sealed or if it’s a limescale buildup problem.
Limescale Buildup
Lime scale is a leftover from boiling mineral-rich water repeatedly. Over time, these calcium carbonate compounds build up in water processing appliances and fixtures: kettles, boilers, washing machines, taps etc. With time, they begin to clog water systems and eventually render their functions useless.
Accordingly, when you boil mineral-rich water with the kettle, the leftover minerals tend to cling on the heating element, forming a kind of insulation. Overtime, limescale can insulate your kettle’s heating element enough to make water boil extremely slowly.
If you notice that formerly tasteless water develops a bad taste after boiling with the kettle, that’s a sign of lime scale buildup in your kettle.
You could also look inside your kettle to confirm; if you see chalky white deposits on the inside, that’s limescale. You would need to initiate cleaning procedures.
Fortunately, you can descale your kettle by using equal part vinegar and water solution. To do that, you need to boil the vinegar solution for about 10 minutes to remove the limescale. After that, rinse the kettle properly to eliminate the scales. Now with the obstruction gone, your kettle should boil water in reasonable time.
What Is The Best Kettle For Hard Water?
If you live in an area with hard water, you probably have had enough of tiny little impurities floating on your water or beverage. Worst still, they never fail to bestow a pungent taste to anything that enters the kettle.
As a result, kettles with features and functions that tackle limescale buildup have been developed. Check out our recommendation:
Cuisineart 1.7-Liter Stainless Steel Electric Kettle
[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”500″ identifier=”B07NY54WDZ” locale=”US” src=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41MUWucBHNL._SL500_.jpg” tag=”realkal-20″ width=”500″]
If you look past the $100 price tag, the Cuisineart 1.7-Liter electric kettle is one to have if you desire limescale-free water. It comes with a removable scale filtration system to guarantee clean boiled water. Every time.
This appliance is powered by a 1,500 watt element, which means you can get water to 100°C in no time. You can preset the temperature with six preset buttons so that the temperature is just right where you need it to be.
Features
- Durable stainless steel exterior.
- Removable scale filter(washable).
- Dry stop protection.
- 1,500 watts power rating for fast boiling.
- Concealed heating elements against limescale buildup.
- 6 preset temperature options.
- 30 minutes keep warm feature.
Note: It is nonelectric and should be used on the stovetop. [easyazon_link identifier=”B07NY54WDZ” locale=”US” tag=”realkal-20″]Click here to see on Amazon[/easyazon_link]
Why Won’t My Kettle Boil?
When you switch on your kettle, but after a while there’s no noticeable temperature increase, check if it’s plugged in properly. Sometimes, the plug might not sit comfortably in the socket when you put it in; a little push might help to bring it back to life.
However, things can get dicey if you have a solid connection but your kettle still doesn’t boil. Let’s take a look at some possible reasons for that:
Dead Fuse
Say you fix the kettle’s plug firmly in the socket and nothing changes, the culprit might be a blown fuse. If the plug has a removable fuse, you can open it with a screwdriver to check. A blown fuse can easily be identified; they have burn marks at points.
If the fuse is blown, replace it with another fuse with the same power rating and continue using your kettle.
Faulty Wires
If the fuse is working perfectly, check the wire. After rigorous use, wires can develop weak points due to mechanical damage. Scan the length of the wire for damages.
If you find that the wire is damaged at some points, it needs to be fixed immediately to get your kettle back in working order and to prevent electric shock.
Faulty Element
You can completely eliminate a dead fuse and faulty wires from your suspect list if your kettle light comes on but the water doesn’t get hot.
If you’re up to the task, you can check if any wires inside the kettle are faulty and fix it. If the wires are intact, you might have a faulty coil on your hands. You can seek the help of professionals to replace the faulty element.
Conclusion on Why Does My Kettle Not Stop Boiling?
The most basic function in the kitchen can quickly become a headache when your kettle decides to rebel against your rule. When your kettle just keeps on boiling, takes forever to boil or doesn’t boil at all, do not panic; all you need is to find out exactly what went wrong in order to fix it. We hope that you found this article helpful in that regard.
