Why Is My Electric Water Kettle Making Funny Noises

June 29, 2022 Post a Comment

When Hobart resident Matthew Nicholas' kettle started making popping sounds, he did what many of us do in these moments. He turned to the internet.

"I had a brief search and thought it may be water quality, so I thought I'd put some feelers out in my local community group on Facebook, and was surprised by the response I got!" Matthew says.

"Anyone else's kettle sound like it's making popcorn when it starts boiling?" he asked.

A man smiles at the camera — Hobart resident Matthew Nicholas thought he was the only one with a dodgy kettle.( Supplied )

Approximately 30–40 people living in the Hobart suburb of Lindisfarne commented on Matthew's post, sharing that they had been experiencing the same thing.

Another resident shared: "Yes! Mine has. I just assumed my kettle was on the way out and time for a new one. Is that not the case?"

So, what is actually going on here?

ABC Radio Hobart checked in with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki to find out.

The kettle or the water?

Dr Karl says if you have this issue in your home, the first thing to do is to work out if it is indeed the kettle, or the water.

He recommends buying deionised water from the supermarket, which is water that has had all (or most) of its ions removed.

Dr Karl scientific analysis Unearthed — Dr Karl says there are some easy ways to test whether you have hard water at your place.( ABC: Unearthed )

"Try heating up their water to see if the problem still happens, if it doesn't happen with the deionised water then you know that the water is causing the problem — not the kettle!"

So, what's going on?

Matthew's local water authority, TasWater, were asked about the popping kettles.

They say that they've had a close look at the data in the area and can't find any issues.

"Hobart generally experiences a relatively soft water supply, and there is no evidence of hardness in that area," TasWater's representative says.

They also added that the water is safe for customers, like Matthew, to drink.

But what do they mean by "water hardness"?

Professor Stuart Khan, a water expert from the University of New South Wales, says popping kettles are a common phenomenon associated with water hardness.

Professor Stuart Khan looks at a glass of water — Professor Stuart Khan says hardness in your water supply is quite common.( Supplied. )

He says this does two things: more gas is formed from the carbon dioxide, and the precipitated calcium carbonate creates more aeration in the water for the gas to form quicker.

"I expect the combination of these two things leads to the more violent bubble-collapsing process," Professor Khan says.

coffee pourover water — Many of us enjoy boiling some water and settling in with a hot drink, but we don't expect loud popping noises when we do.( Unsplash )

He says the popping noise is likely caused by bubbles forming and collapsing before they rise to the surface.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki adds that it also comes down to hard water's impact on the appliance.

"The reason why this happens more in areas where there is hard water is not because of the calcium or magnesium causing the popping — but rather they cause a build-up of scale on the inside of the kettle.

"The scale is brittle, and the tiny particles break off and those are now aerating the water more," Dr Karl says.

He adds that if your water supply is hard, it can even make showering tricky.

A hard answer

Now we know what's likely causing Matthew Nicholas' kettle to pop, what can you do if you notice it in your home?

Top tips:

You can buy hard water testing kits from pool stores, which will give you a clearer idea if you are dealing with water hardness.
Another good way to test your kettle would be to boil the water for a while, let it cool, then re-boil it. The popping noise should now be significantly reduced.
Try filling your kettle with water and some bicarb soda, vinegar or lemon juice — then let it sit (sometimes up to an hour), then boil and rinse.
Clean the inside of your kettle gently with a non-abrasive brush, this will help remove some of the scale build-up.

Professor Khan says variable water hardness is quite common in our homes.

"There is no strong evidence for serious public health impacts from moderately hard water." he says.

"It's more of a nuisance than an actual public health problem."

This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.