Electric Kettle Suggestions?

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Morticia

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We have an electric kettle guests can use to make hot water for tea. It has a small on switch which makes no noise when pushed. The switch itself is effortless to push. Therefore, Guests assume they haven't pushed hard enough. No noise + no effort = no hot water is the assumption. Which leads to guests cranking on the switch and telling us it doens't work (even tho there is a light that shows when it is on/off).
So, I need a suggestion for a NOISY, hard to turn on electric kettle. (Seriously, this one will be broken soon enough with all the rough handling it gets!)
This one is a Melitta.
 
Can you see me shaking me head from here? Sometimes you just can't win for trying...
We keep a carafe of hot water out that we refill as needed. The air pot holds about 8 servings, so we usually fill it up two or three times per day, and it keeps the water hot for 8 hours. Our guests would definitely burn the house down if I trusted them with something they needed to remember to turn off.
As a backup (in case the airpot is empty) we also have a Crystal Springs dispenser that does both hot and cold water.
 
Can you see me shaking me head from here? Sometimes you just can't win for trying...
We keep a carafe of hot water out that we refill as needed. The air pot holds about 8 servings, so we usually fill it up two or three times per day, and it keeps the water hot for 8 hours. Our guests would definitely burn the house down if I trusted them with something they needed to remember to turn off.
As a backup (in case the airpot is empty) we also have a Crystal Springs dispenser that does both hot and cold water..
We looked at a dispenser, but no room for it. The electric kettle turns itself off, so that's not a problem.
 
I like my pumpot...holds a whole pot of coffee or same amount of hot water for 12 hours.
 
I would get out the trusty label maker and put a sign on the existing kettle, something like "Press lever to turn kettle on, kettle will turn itself off" or "Kettle is on when red light is glowing"...would that work?
 
I would get out the trusty label maker and put a sign on the existing kettle, something like "Press lever to turn kettle on, kettle will turn itself off" or "Kettle is on when red light is glowing"...would that work?.
InnsiderInfo said:
I would get out the trusty label maker and put a sign on the existing kettle, something like "Press lever to turn kettle on, kettle will turn itself off" or "Kettle is on when red light is glowing"...would that work?
I might try that, but the kettle is actually the one 'major' appliance that we show to the guests with a complete show of how to turn it on and that it turns itself off. This couple had JUST been shown and they still couldn't do it. And yet, hundreds of other guests (mostly Europeans who have seen these before) can do it with no trouble at all!
I may need a tent card...the label would be getting wet quite often when the pot is filled or wiped down.
This is the 3rd or 4th pot we've had. It's lasted the longest so that's good, but it's too quiet!
 
These are great! It keeps the water hot all the time and you don't have to bother about refilling those pump pots several times a day.
www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/elepots/electricpots.html.
NW BB said:
These are great! It keeps the water hot all the time and you don't have to bother about refilling those pump pots several times a day.
www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/elepots/electricpots.html
So it is on all the time, is that what you mean? What about when it is empty, does it sense the water level and turn off?
 
I would get out the trusty label maker and put a sign on the existing kettle, something like "Press lever to turn kettle on, kettle will turn itself off" or "Kettle is on when red light is glowing"...would that work?.
InnsiderInfo said:
I would get out the trusty label maker and put a sign on the existing kettle, something like "Press lever to turn kettle on, kettle will turn itself off" or "Kettle is on when red light is glowing"...would that work?
I might try that, but the kettle is actually the one 'major' appliance that we show to the guests with a complete show of how to turn it on and that it turns itself off. This couple had JUST been shown and they still couldn't do it. And yet, hundreds of other guests (mostly Europeans who have seen these before) can do it with no trouble at all!
I may need a tent card...the label would be getting wet quite often when the pot is filled or wiped down.
This is the 3rd or 4th pot we've had. It's lasted the longest so that's good, but it's too quiet!
.
Little tent card next to it might do the trick. Our labels are laminated so they can get wet and they still stick.
 
That still requires the guest to DO something, tho! I bet some of my guests have stayed with you as I've had some of them stand there and look at the pot and think it is going to magically turn itself on. They must have seen the ones where it is heating when it is on the base!
 
These are great! It keeps the water hot all the time and you don't have to bother about refilling those pump pots several times a day.
www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/elepots/electricpots.html.
NW BB said:
These are great! It keeps the water hot all the time and you don't have to bother about refilling those pump pots several times a day.
www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/elepots/electricpots.html
So it is on all the time, is that what you mean? What about when it is empty, does it sense the water level and turn off?
.
Yes, it's on all the time. The model we had carried about 3 liters. If the water level gets too low, it turns itself off. There is also a button on it that allows you to bring it to a boil again. Some of our guests liked that feature because they liked really hot water.
We sold our to a neighboring B&B after we got a Flavia coffee/water machine since it not only makes coffee, but it also dispenses hot water. We've had the Flavia now for about 5 years and love it.
 
Ours is a Black and Decker and has no switch at all and earned one of the highest CR ratings for safety and speed to boil.
The base is the power unit, and all one needs to do is place the kettle on the base and in 2.5 minutes, boiling hot water. If someone forgets to remove it from the base, the safety feature kicks in once it boils itself dry and turns itself off.
I'll snap a picture of it and post it next.
B%26D_Kettle.jpg
 
That still requires the guest to DO something, tho! I bet some of my guests have stayed with you as I've had some of them stand there and look at the pot and think it is going to magically turn itself on. They must have seen the ones where it is heating when it is on the base!.
"That still requires the guest to DO something, tho! I bet some of my guests have stayed with you as I've had some of them stand there and look at the pot and think it is going to magically turn itself on. They must have seen the ones where it is heating when it is on the base!"
Our guests are welcome to enjoy a hot beverage any time, so they do have to do something to utilize that amentity.
This seemed like the safest, most energy efficient and simple way of providing hot water on demand for our individual scenario. We try our best to limit the "phantom" drains of electricity around here, and I'm sure the base draws a little when not in use, but for our individual situation, this works great. We mostly get coffee lovers, so the kettle can go days between uses.
As part of the check in tour, I show them the tea and coffee selection, the baked goodies, tea kettle, the french press and how to use them.
Takes about two minutes and folks seem to grasp the concept fairly quickly.
In the morning while we're putting out jam and butter, etc. we'll put the kettle on for a minute or so to pre-heat the water and once guests come to the dining room, it then only takes another minute or so for hot water.
For the really hardcore tea drinkers I'm hoping the two Bergamot (sp?) bushes I'm growing will make it and folks could even in the yard and go pick their own tea leaves. Or use up some of our peppermint which grows like a weed here.
 
These are great! It keeps the water hot all the time and you don't have to bother about refilling those pump pots several times a day.
www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/elepots/electricpots.html.
NW BB said:
That is on my wish list for when our electric kettle goes kaput the next time. And then I want one for my own kitchen.
.
muirford said:
NW BB said:
That is on my wish list for when our electric kettle goes kaput the next time. And then I want one for my own kitchen.
These look great but I don't see prices or how to order?
RIki
 
That still requires the guest to DO something, tho! I bet some of my guests have stayed with you as I've had some of them stand there and look at the pot and think it is going to magically turn itself on. They must have seen the ones where it is heating when it is on the base!.
"That still requires the guest to DO something, tho! I bet some of my guests have stayed with you as I've had some of them stand there and look at the pot and think it is going to magically turn itself on. They must have seen the ones where it is heating when it is on the base!"
Our guests are welcome to enjoy a hot beverage any time, so they do have to do something to utilize that amentity.
This seemed like the safest, most energy efficient and simple way of providing hot water on demand for our individual scenario. We try our best to limit the "phantom" drains of electricity around here, and I'm sure the base draws a little when not in use, but for our individual situation, this works great. We mostly get coffee lovers, so the kettle can go days between uses.
As part of the check in tour, I show them the tea and coffee selection, the baked goodies, tea kettle, the french press and how to use them.
Takes about two minutes and folks seem to grasp the concept fairly quickly.
In the morning while we're putting out jam and butter, etc. we'll put the kettle on for a minute or so to pre-heat the water and once guests come to the dining room, it then only takes another minute or so for hot water.
For the really hardcore tea drinkers I'm hoping the two Bergamot (sp?) bushes I'm growing will make it and folks could even in the yard and go pick their own tea leaves. Or use up some of our peppermint which grows like a weed here.
.
All good points. We turn the kettle on in the morning as well. And then we get guests who pick it up and pour hot water into their cups thinking that coffee is going to come out. Why would coffee come out in the morning if it was a hot water pot last night?
Ours pretty much gets used everyday because we also have coffee bags for the desperate who don't want to walk 2 blocks to Starbucks but need caffeine anyway. And we have hot cocoa and cider mixes as well.
I guess we just have to go more slowly on that particular part of the tour.
We've also had guests tell us that they turned the pot on but it turned right back off. Well, yes, it will do that if the water is hot already or if the pot is totally empty.
 
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