Is electric kettle worth fixing ++

Woodcutting

My electric kettle won't boil as it should. I starts stops, I have to Press the switch again. On and off but it eventually boils. I got a new one, I'm wondering if the old one can be fixed given the intermittent nature of problem. I don't want to dump it if it could be fixed cheaply.

Anyone know what might be wrong with it?

drury..

Recycle it

Ezeoul

No. Buy a new one.

Jim_Hodge

But a new one and leave the old one in for recycling.

Water John

There are a lot of community repair shops in the UK, but don't think they have taken off here. They repair and/or show you how to do it. The three are reduce, reuse, recycle. So if possible we should reuse more.

Woodcutting

Ok, thanks all. Sorry about the ++ in the title. Don't know how I did that

JVince

I have a dualit toaster. It's over 25 years old. Elements are easy to replace. I don't think I'll ever need to buy a replacement unit.

Last year they brought out a new classic kettle that has a replaceable element. It cost €170. Expensive, but I expect it will outlast me and I reckon I'll be around for another 35+ years.

But the bog standard kettles simply are not worth fixing as the parts are probably more expensive than a replacement.

drury..

It was a thing repairing them years ago

Used to do it a lot if I recall

elperello

Don't recycle it yet.

Keep it as a backup for when the new one stops working.

It's a kind of sods law that they always give up the ghost at an inconvenient time.

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315436#Comment_122315436

Thats dodgy logic keeping broken equipment as a back-up

Tails142

I had a kettle with a faulty switch, was a bit loose but working fine otherwise. It nearly burnt my house down as it stayed on after use, was the thermal cut out that actually turned it off and made me think it had come to the boil. Once the thermal cutoff cooled a bit, it would boil again.

Boiled dry overnight and kept heating the whole time until I happened to be walking by and heard it click and I just happened to decide to investigate. Whole thing was red hot, base melting.

Dump anything that is faulty, that's my advice. Not worth the risk.

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315466#Comment_122315466

The smartest minds are generally brainless when it comes to electrical work

Something I've learnt over the years

JVince

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315436#Comment_122315436

A bog standard pot on a hob is the only backup you need - brilliant in a power cut if you have a gas hob.

Odelay

Does it almost boil and then stop? if so it could be limescale. remove by adding limescale remove, boiling and leaving overnight.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122317650#Comment_122317650

Vinegar eats the limescale in minutes. A quick rinse out and no funny anti-scale flavour from your tea.

orchidkey

Can the thermostat be replaced in kettles? It's a common fault where boiling kettle does not cut out. Seems a waste to throw out a whole kettle for something so trivial.

drury..

They used to be a simple fix back in the day

Replace the heater/stat unit

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122315463#Comment_122315463

Reminds me of my mam keeping backup things 'just in case'.

Harks back to a time where you couldn't just pop into Lidl and buy a kettle for the same price as a bag of potatoes.

drury..

Well hopefully the circle is turning back to repairable electronics and electrics

Big business would simply destroy the environment with disposable items