R D S expressed precisely :
When we replace such small items, we keep the old version as a spare, unless it is completely dead. We have spare iron, toaster, kettle, coffee maker etc.. When a present item is due replacement, it will go in the spares cupboard, and the older version will be disposed of.
Dave Plowman (News) wrote on 07/05/2021 :
They were often rented, because they were so expensive and because there would then be a cost free ready repair option, when as they often did, they broke down or needed adjustment.
The kettle switch contacts... every time. The interlock pin in the kettle plug is designed to unlatch the switch before lifting the kettle off its base breaks the centre pin contact. :)
You got that right! :-< However, the base socket isn't the problem. It rarely ever is - we're now on our fourth such 3KW 1.7l kettle as of yesterday's Argos purchase to replace its almost identical Argos sourced predecessor, also a Cookware model as was the one before that - the first of these four kettles had been a virtually identical Tesco special.
Built in obsolescence is a seemingly guaranteed feature of all these Chinese manufactured 1.7l plastic 3KW jug kettles ime. Quite obviously, the nominated point of failure is _never_ _ever_ the heating element itself simply to avoid the risk of a potentially more dramatic failure mode (and possible bad press publicity) whilst there are many more points of virtually guaranteed 'silent failure modes' to choose from, favourite of which are those that offer the cheapest remedial costs in the event of miscalculation over the planned 18 to 24 month service lifetime optimised to avoid honouring a 12 month warranty whilst not cutting too much into the sales of replacement kettles.
Usually what fails is the rather 'poor' (by design), typically wishbone shaped, interior plastic lever which the external 'switch paddle' is push fitted onto. The first kettle (that Tesco special I think) had one such linkage that was obviously under-engineered to allow it to break, predictably enough, right where you'd expect it to, at a stress concentration point where it made a right angled deviation to clear an internal obstruction (there were another one or two such right angled deviations afaicr).
I managed to effect a reasonably strong repair by drilling 0.5mm holes into the broken ends and pinning them with SS spring wire splints and epoxy glue. It had seemed such an obscenity to junk a complete kettle for the sake of a ha'penny's worth of plastic that I felt it worth making an effort to mock the Chinese manufacturers' attempt at screwing the end user no matter the cost to the environment.
The second kettle, the first of the Cookware series, simply developed a slow leak and, since it was black and SWMBI was hankering after a white kettle, I simply purchased a replacement rather than try to effect any form of repair.
This last unit developed a very strange fault just a few days ago, starting by it taking to binding onto its base when trying to lift it up. At first, it seemed like a sticky liquid had contaminated the base and socket but giving it and the kettle a thorough clean made no difference.
A day or two later, it had suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, decided to not latch the power unless you held the switch paddle down for
20 seconds or so before letting it flick off to reset it again back to on, after which it would boil as normal (and even shut itself down after boiling for the 10 to 20 seconds it takes for the anti-boil dry mechanism shut off to kick in - not something I'd normally allow).It was only after completely emptying it out to take a closer look at the switch assembly and retensioning the bi-metal disk with horseshoe shaped cut-out that pushes the external lever into the off position and reassembling it that I noticed that the centre pin contact was slightly off centre. I used a pair of long nose pliers to straighten it out which immediately stopped it binding to the baseplate.
I returned it to the kitchen to successfully demonstrate to SWMBI my repair work. However, the next day saw the fault symptoms make a full and complete comeback. This time, I examined the centre pin contact and, you guessed it, it was once more out of alignment. I straightened it out once more, not only curing the binding issue but, mysteriously, the latching failure issue... at least for the next two or three brew ups at which point I could no longer Ignore the pressure from SWMBI to buy yet another replacement kettle after only seeing two years of service from this one which in every other respect had proved perfectly fitted to its task. :(
This time I decided, in view of the two years we had gotten out of a 15 quid kettle with only a 12 month manufacturer's warranty, to spend the extra £2.59 on an extended 3 year warranty for its 15 quid replacement. Fifteen quid for 24 months is effectively a monthly 'rental' of 62.5p whilst the £17.68 spent in total this time round would equate to just
49.1p per month over the next 36 months.One final note; what was mysterious about this failure was, in spite of similar stress concentration points in the clear plastic whishbone styled switch operating lever, there had not been any structural failure as witnessed in the Tesco Kettle. It seems that rather than mould it into an 'organic' stress concentration free design, they'd simply over-engineered it to get round the 'lego bricks' inspired design brief originated in the earlier design of that Tesco special.
The bit of this plug and switch mechanism assembly I need to examine remains hidden from view and whilst the heater element contacts with said assembly are via narrow lucar type push on spade connectors, those push on contacts are welded onto the heater element pins at an angle that makes disconnection just a little problematical - undoing the three screws holding this assembly to the base of the kettle isn't the problem this time.
However, now that we have replaced it with a new one, I can afford to have a go, even if it's merely to satisfy prurient curiosity over what cunning new trick of obsolescence the Chinese have gone for this time round.
Spot on! :)
Whilst the lid mechanism on these Cookware 1.7l 3KW jug kettles seem to be engineered well enough and have never been a point of failure (probably because we rarely pop the lids open on these models for filling), this last variant we purchased yesterday doesn't sport quite as wide a spout as its predecessors making it slightly more inclined to wet the outside when filling it through the spout.
Thankfully, a few extra drips don't represent an electrical safety issue with their docking stations, just a few extra drips on the kitchen worktop is all. The slightly smaller spout is more a minor irritation than any real nuisance.
Incidentally, like its predecessor, the lid on the new kettle only pops open by 45 degrees on the button release press, requiring the lid to be manually pushed into the full 85 degree up position which still leaves it a little awkward to fill. The swing up lid only comes into its own for replacing the seemingly unobtainable replacement filter, otherwise it's essentially just an ornamental feature in practice.
You're probably right about the real cause of premature element failure being too low a filling but ime, the elements of the last half dozen of these plastic jug kettles have proved to be the most reliable part, especially in the last three circular base 3KW types (I've just bought a fourth circular base 3KW kettle to replace the last one).
The Chinese manufacturer seems to have taken some care in making sure the element will outlast the other critical parts nominated to fail in much less potentially dramatic ways than a heating element, in order to perform the obsoleting role to maintain demand just beyond their basic one year warranty without lasting so long as to over-extend service life to the detriment of such lucrative demand.
Just had to replace my mum?s Morrison?s cheapo kettle. Element went open circuit.
Tim
At one time. my job provided me with a rented set. It started giving noisy pictures, so I complained. Someone came while I was at work, fiddled with tuning know sand said "nothing wrong with it". I was debating what to do next when I happened to deal with a call from the company's head office. At the end of his call I ssked how I could make a complaint - to which he said "tell me". Within an hour, I had the branch manager on the phone "You should have said you were a BBC customer. I've got a new tuner soak testing on the bench." and it was fited the next day. Every subsequent call out had the branch senior technician. I suspect they thought that if I complained seriously, they might loose the BBC Contract.
I have the usual set of security bits. However, I found that they weren't long enough to reach into the deep recess for screws on one kettle. I bodged it by half filling the recess in the screwdriver with suitably sized nuts.
I now have a nice Wera screwdriver set with long bits. I was given a Machine Mart voucher for Father's Day, and spent it on that.
Not exactly cheap, but I have this...
That's the sort of thing. Thanks.
My lid doesn't pop up. I just lift it up. Really, why make an expensive fragile mechanism just to lift a lid you can lift with your other hand? Marketing and 'creeping featurism'.
that's generally the thermal trip that never closes again...
China doesn't work like what? (please don't snip too much!)
That everything from China isn't made in the same factory? Clearly, obviously not
That a factory in China that makes quality branded goods, doesn't also make knock-offs of the same item?
Nope, I assure that this is exactly what does happen
tim
Yup. It's not fair your 5 year old can't get inside them with his Meccano screwdriver.
And the rental company supplying a social service, then? ;-)
No different from having a service contract on your heating system. Long term, the supplier always wins. And by a large margin.
Why name it "immersed kettle" if that means they then have to put a warning label on it saying "do not immerse in water"?
But he learned how to wipe a lead joint to become Time Served. A different skill is needed for heating sytems in my view. If it leaks ger a plumber - other stuff, get a ???????
Probably history. In the 50s (and earlier), plumbers were often also electricians. Steel conduit is pretty similar to working with plumbing iron barrel. In those days, the electrical side didn't take so much learning.
No but a friend told me that mine which seems to have the element as a kind of plate at the bottom is not only getting scaled up again, but bits actually look rusty, which could not be a very good omen for the future.
Brian
I have to say, I've not seen that effect at all, At least the base connectors seem to be standard as I just swapped my spare Morphy Richards with my main one of Tefal Design and they fit, albeit the smooth lines do not match up from one to the other!
Brian
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