Kettles Boiling Over

[norfolkbird]

Hi guys
can anyone help.. I have tried 3 kettles in diff sockets, but they are all over boiling. Not clicking off and the water is spewing out . I have one in the kitchen which ( at mo} is ok
I need one for my mothers bedroom but its strange that one she has was ok till yesterday.. changed it and this ones doing the same... tried other sockets up and downstairs...
3rd one boiled ok last night, but today over boiled !
help please

[barry1010]

That's weird. Are they different makes?

[norfolkbird]

Yes , 2 same but 3rd different . it is weird ,

[barry1010]

Are you sure the lids are properly shut? Have you checked that the steam tubes aren't blocked with limescale? I can't see how three kettles can develop the same fault at the same time.
Are you overfilling the kettles?

[Etch]

If water really is "spewing out" then it sounds as if the kettle is overfilled: I would expect any kettle (automatic or otherwise) to just keep producing a lot of steam (actually water vapour, but that isn't important right now) until it boils dry.

[barry1010]

Etch, I would expect my electric kettle to automatically switch off long before it could boil dry. If it doesn't, it is faulty.
I don't think it is possible to buy an electric kettle these days that doesn't automatically shut off

[Etch]

barry1010 - yes, sorry, I mean't if an automatic kettle was failing to switch off properly...

[AuntPollyGrey]

If the lid is not on properly then an Electric kettle will boil until its dry. Its the trapped steam in the kettle that triggers the off button.Its happened a few times with my kettle in the Stables I use for heating the sugar beet, the tack room looked like a sauna. I reckon you are over-filling the kettle and the lid is not secure, either because you haven't secured it or the seal has a fault.

[Old_Geezer]

They can malfunction. Replaced my last one as it wasn't reliable regarding auto switch off. The newer one now has it's moments too. Thing to do is not to leave it, and definitely not to forget it.

[Atheist]

APG; I would presume that's it a thermostat which shuts off the kettle when 100 degrees c is reached, nothing to do with trapped steam.

[Atheist]

APG, I suspect it's overfilling that causes the problem. If the stat isn't quick enough, then the water continues to boil for a bit and there is an overspill. I think thermostats are easier, cheaper and more reliable than high pressure steam sensors.

[barry1010]

Very odd that the thermostat has gone on all three kettles. Atheist, it's the trapped steam that travels down the pipe and triggers the thermostat
"A channel within the kettle, typically inside the handle, carries steam from the top of the boiling interior down to the thermostat (often near the base), where the temperature rises very rapidly from around ambient to near 100°C as soon as boiling starts. This causes the disk to snap and disconnects the power. The thermostat can now be set to trip whenever the water boils, even if this occurs at different temperatures."
https://www.ingenia.org.uk/Ingenia/Articles/24531842-e997-4adb-b023-f19733793727#:~:text=A%20channel%20within%20the%20kettle,snap%20and%20disconnects%20the%20power.
The channel in my kettle is a plastic pipe on the inside of the kettle, it isn't in the handle