Non-motoring > How to fix a kettle leak	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Dulwich Estate	Replies: 31

New Thu 8 May 14 13:07   How to fix a kettle leak - Dulwich Estate

We have a shiny stainless steel kettle which has developed a leak at the point the spout is welded to the kettle body. If it wasn't a kettle I'd clean up the area on the inside and dob in a spot of araldite - job done. But araldite or any epoxy adhesive doesn't like hot temperatures. Maybe a dab of solder ? But what about contamination of the water ? I've only got a roll of 100 year old (well, pretty old anyway) solder in the house and don't know if I can use it with drinking water. Would it stick anyway ? If I was a dentist I'd think about amalgam - I'm not so I won't. £20 - £30 for a new kettle isn't a tragedy, but a free fix would be nicer. What does the panel think ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 13:12   How to fix a kettle leak - Alanovich

>> What does the panel think ? >> You're either stony or tight. Buy a new one. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 13:18   How to fix a kettle leak - Bromptonaut

Old solder may contain lead, most modern stuff does not though there may be other toxic items in the alloy or flux. Very little contact with water though if only a pinhole. Older houses still have lead pipes too. Your call on the risk. Practically, you might struggle to get enough localised heating bearing in mind there's a whole kettle to act as a heat sink. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 13:17   How to fix a kettle leak - VxFan

>> What does the panel think ? High temperature silicone rubber. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 13:23   How to fix a kettle leak - madf

JB Weld - good to 300C.. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 13:25   How to fix a kettle leak - Manatee

1. Write to the manufacturer, tell them you don't mind mending it even though it is clearly a defect, and ask them to confirm that solder will not be a problem (thinking mailnly about your young children). 2. Await arrival of new kettle, or voucher towards a new one. Meanwhile, buy a Tesco Value kettle for £5 - it's cordless, even though it doesn't say so. Our stopgap one is still going about 5 years on... www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-jk12-17l-value-jug-kettle-white/379-3813.prd Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Sat 10 May 14 22:42   How to fix a kettle leak - Stuartli

>>Meanwhile, buy a Tesco Value kettle for £5 - it's cordless, even though it doesn't say so. Our stopgap one is still going about 5 years on...>> I've been robbed...:-( Bought one of these about three months ago when a stainless steel Breville model began switching itself off long before the water boiled. I paid £6 in a Tesco Extra. It's only drawback is a stupidly short cord of about 10 to 12 inches long. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 14:00   How to fix a kettle leak - Dog

Just had my borehole water analysed and it contains: TVC (bacteria) Ph. 6 =acid Aluminium Iron Manganese arsenic Ammonium Nitrate Nitrite So I wouldn't chicken curry about a little bit of solder in my kettle but: www.bing.com/search?q=How%20to%20fix%20a%20kettle%20leak&FORM=MNMTLB&PC=MANM&QS=n Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 8 May 14 at 14:01 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 14:17   How to fix a kettle leak - Manatee

Don't forget the radon. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 14:23   How to fix a kettle leak - Dog

There is probably lead in there as well, copper too, I might filter it one day, and stick a ph. corrector on. I boil all water (teatotal) Milo looks well on it though @ 14 years young. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 14:37   How to fix a kettle leak - Gromit

You're unlikely to get a good join to stainless steel with solder, or most household adhesives come to that. Sugru is a sort of silicone adhesive putty that's supposed to stick to most surfaces and be foof safe. Have a look at sugru.com. Haven't used it yet, but I've just ordered some to try on my Hotpoint fridge door handle - they crack at the edge of the door, and the replacement one (which cost SWMBO €50 from Hotpoint!) is just beginning to go after less than a year... Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 15:21   How to fix a kettle leak - Slidingpillar

Silver solder is needed with stainless steel along with an aggressive flux. You'll need propane in your blowtorch I think, butane won't get hot enough. It is possible you could get lead/tin solder to stick, but I'd not advise the lead on a kettle! Modern lead free solder would be ok from a poisoning point of view, but it doesn't stick as well as old fashioned 60/40 which by now may be hard to get. (I bought rather a lot to keep the vintage car going). JB Weld (mentioned earlier) has the highest temperature resistance of any epoxy resin I've found but I don't know about its use on food utensils. Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Thu 8 May 14 at 15:23 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 8 May 14 21:22   How to fix a kettle leak - devonite

Drill the hole bigger slot in a nut an bolt with a rubber washer and nip it up!! ;-) or stick it in the hedge-bottom for the Robins. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Thu 8 May 14 23:32   How to fix a kettle leak - Dulwich Estate

Thanks for all the observations. Most are helpful, but I absolutely guarantee you I'm not tight - I just hate waste and always try to save things from going to the tip. I enjoy the challenge too and I'm a keen up-cycler having rescued and upgraded all manner of stuff in my time. * Plastic kettles are not my style - I think they look cheap and nasty. But I accept they do the job. I've just bought a new stainless steel one today from JL but will persevere trying to fix the old one. My current thought is to make the hole a bit bigger and maybe melt some plastic into it so that I get a full depth plug. * e.g. a table light from a 1920s electric bowl fire and about 40 years ago, also salvaged oil contaminated brake shoes by setting fire to them in a tray of petrol. They worked fine after that ! Last edited by: Dulwich Estate on Thu 8 May 14 at 23:33 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 07:28   How to fix a kettle leak - Skip

>> and about 40 years >> ago, also salvaged oil contaminated brake shoes by setting fire to them in a tray >> of petrol. They worked fine after that ! >> Better than boiling them up in washing powder ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 09:29   How to fix a kettle leak - Slidingpillar

I actually remember my father doing that. I put them in the bin and buy new... Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 17:01   How to fix a kettle leak - Aretas

Depending on the flatness of the surface maybe you could put in a self-tapping stainless steel screw? Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 17:14   How to fix a kettle leak - No FM2R

If you really want to bother, then braze it with a blow torch. Just don't burn a hole in it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 17:26   How to fix a kettle leak - Dulwich Estate

I've not started on the repair yet, but I do have the new one now. Big disappointment. Supposedly the same brand and style of kettle but it's not a patch on the earlier one in terms of quality. The steel is thinner, the plastic parts rougher and it does not sit in its base with a satisfying clunk as it actually rocks a bit. You pay decent money for a decent brand and they let you down. Maybe I should have listened and got a £5 Tesco basics one instead. This downgrading of quality in so many things is getting me down and it's getting more common. Time for a cuppa me thinks. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 18:13   How to fix a kettle leak - Alastairw

In the office we buy whatever is cheapest, and typically they last from 6 months to a year- we drink a lot of tea. However, the current Tesco value kettle has now passed 18 months and is still working fine. Brand/price is no guarantee of quality these days. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 18:27   How to fix a kettle leak - Cliff Pope

Done that. JB Weld as someone said. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 18:46   How to fix a kettle leak - CGNorwich

Electric kettles are a very British thing aren't they? The Americans tend to use a kettle on the hob as their their system doesn' t carry enough power to boil a kettle full of water quickly and in Europe they tend to be happy with a coffee maker and if they want hot water they simply use a pan on the hob. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 19:44   How to fix a kettle leak - bathtub tom

Very surprised at the last Spanish apartment I rented. It had a kettle and a toaster! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 22:04   How to fix a kettle leak - Ted

We have a poncy metallic grey and black cordless keckle. It has to match the worktops, biscuit tin and spaghetti jar...of course ! It does it's job fine, and has done since 2009...when I put the new kitchen in. BUT.....oh, what a racket it makes ! You can't maintain a conversation with it on. It's like having a B29 in the room with you. It seems to be getting some rust on the base inside above the element now so noises are being made about a new one ! Meine Fuhrerette won't entertain a cheap white placky one. I'm going to ask for a road test in the store and see what they say ! Last edited by: Horace Ontaltwin on Fri 9 May 14 at 22:04 Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 22:21   How to fix a kettle leak - CGNorwich

Kettles are a bit last year as far as state of the art kitchens a concerned. What you really need is a boiling water tap. You can get a very nice one for less that £2,500 which will dispense chilled water as well. Would your wife like a brochure? www.e-tradecounter.co.uk/p-976-hydrotap-compact.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=product&variant=11502&gclid=CL-2gd7hn74CFc6WtAoddx8ADg Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 22:34   How to fix a kettle leak - No FM2R

>>You can get a very nice one for less that £2,500 A lot lot lot less. We didn't pay anything like that. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 22:36   How to fix a kettle leak - Slidingpillar

Reboiling water is noisy, fill anew each time if you are bothered. Boiled water has much less air dissolved in it and consequently, reboiling causes the water to 'bump'. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 23:20   How to fix a kettle leak - Dulwich Estate

"JB Weld as someone said" Maybe, but I'm not paying a tenner for it. Also re: fancy boiling taps - how long until we hear the first story of little Johnny going to the kitchen tap to get a drink of cold water but ends up in hospital with 100C burns. Whatever the safety device - it will fail somewhere sometime. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 9 May 14 23:31   How to fix a kettle leak - Bromptonaut

>> Also re: fancy boiling taps - how long until we hear the first story of >> little Johnny going to the kitchen tap to get a drink of cold water but >> ends up in hospital with 100C burns. Whatever the safety device - it will fail >> somewhere sometime. We had them at work and even if the safety interlock was operative overriding it was simple. Very easy to find yourself with either tea bag + iced water or a tumbler full just off the boil. OTOH there was no way of getting water hot enough for proper leaf tea in a pot. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 10 May 14 09:25   How to fix a kettle leak - Slidingpillar

Maybe, but I'm not paying a tenner for it. Then don't: www.amazon.co.uk/J-B-Weld-Original-Epoxy-Adhesive/dp/B0006O1ICE Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 11 May 14 17:39   How to fix a kettle leak - Cliff Pope

>> www.amazon.co.uk/J-B-Weld-Original-Epoxy-Adhesive/dp/B0006O1ICE >> It will only take a tiny blob about the size of a pea. Being fairly expensive means you only mix up very small quantities. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 10 May 14 07:08   How to fix a kettle leak - MD

OK Professor, carry on. :-) Reply to this message | Report message