Quiet Kettles!!

Hear hear (that is to say, I can't hear anything when mine is boiling)

Pretty much any background noise stops me hearing things these days but kettles are by far the worst.

You could boil water in the microwave though; a friend of mine always did that for a single cup of tea or coffee.

They are all noisy these days. We went on a quest a couple of years ago to find a quiet one, but they all seem to have this 'rapid boil' system which makes them noisier than of yore. I can't honestly say I've noticed them boiling any more rapidly than they used to, tbh

Ours makes more noise when it needs descaling - might be worth checking yours.

Mine can't often be heard above the roar of my washing machine so doesn't usually bother me . Heating water on the stove?

What you need is one with an old-style coiled element in, but I don't think there are any anymore. The new ones amplify the noise because the flat bottom acts like a drum skin.

"You could boil water in the microwave though"

Very dangerous. The water can become super-heated, and then boil explosively in your face when you touch it with a teaspoon.

We had a cheap plastic one that was quiet. When it died, we bought a decent metal one....... that sounds like a ruddy plane taking off !

Thanks everyone for all your comments, I can see it is a common problem. And I agree petitpois the washing machine is just as bad. Surely with all our scientific knowledge nowadays making quieter appliances can't be rocket science!!

Russell Hobbs quiet kettle - it's brilliant.

Interesting thread. I am getting increasingly deaf and have tinnitus, so some sounds are very painful. My kettle is noisy, but impossible when it needs descaling but my washing machine is so quiet that we barely notice it.

I have the same kettle as my daughter ( Russell Hobbs ) mine is quiet hers is so noisy! I think it has something to do with the quality of water and the build up of scale. I have very little and her kettle gets such a lot.

I think you're right kili. We live in a dreadfully hard water area.

Mine is a dualit. The round type rather than the tall ones. I don't notice it boiling at all. Dh descales it regularly which helps. In fact I seem to be buying more Dualit products as time goes by. We have the dualit architect toaster which even dh doesn't get cross with. Also the small dualit food processor. They seem to be working well at the moment (touch wood). We have had some disasters in the past!

We've just bought a Russell Hobbs and didn't realise how noisy our very old one was until this was switched on. I especially like the blue light ring around the base which lights up when on - makes me smile in the morning as it's like a little space ship about to take off (easily amused)..

my kettle is a breville one which lights up when it's heating/boiling. it's fairly quiet too which is good.

however, living in a hard water area, i NEVER use tap water in the kettle. i've got a filter jug beside the sink and every drop that goes into the kettle is first filtered. ok, so you have to descale it eventually - about once a year usually.

i also use filtered water in my tassimo coffee machine - i think in the three/four years i've owned it, it's only been descaled once!

We have recently had to buy a new kettle and I said to DH I wanted a plastic one, as living in a very hard water area these are easier to descale, and a quiet boiling one. Being someone not known to spend more than necessary on such things he came home with one from Asda which cost £5.00. It is a George home 1.7L cordless kettle with a 2 year guarantee and it is brilliant. Easy to clean and so quiet that we sometimes have to check we have switched it on. Not a really fast boil but that isn't a problem for us.

My kettle is so noisy I have an old plastic one in the garage which I put on when hubby is still in bed to avoid waking him. That one is really quiet so I think the metal base making the metal ones sound like a drum is a good point.

Ours is a Phillips , I sometimes think I have forgotten to turn it on !

When we had the kitchen upgraded a few years ago we had one of the boiling water taps installed. Great idea as you don't waste hot water and it seems to be economical to run. But the noise it makes is deafening and all conversation ceases while it's running!

I got the instant water boiler from the Coopers catalogue(£39.99) which delivers boiling water straight into your cup for tea or coffee and is very quiet.It's great for that, but not any use if you need a whole kettlefull.

crun is right. I went on this quest 18 months ago and it was pointed out to me that it is because the modern ones have the concealed element. It is a sort-of echo chamber, amplifying the noise.
Even the quietest of these seem noisy when compared to my old one... May search out the George one though - at a fiver it might be worth a go!

I have a duolite and it's very noisy! I do live in hard water area but descale it regularly.Id buy a new one if it was quieter!may give the George one at Asia a try for a fiver!

I have recently purchased the Morphy Richards Brita Filter Jug Kettle and it is the best I have ever had you do not even no it is on until you hear it click off when it has boiled. You can even just boil one cup.