How to Turn Your Tea Kettle Into a Whistling Tea Kettle

You can make your non-whistling tea kettle whistle

The whistle of a tea kettle is a simple reminder that your boiling water is ready to be removed from the stove. Most tea kettles come with a spout that whistles, but occasionally you may encounter a kettle that doesn't. You can turn your non-whistling tea kettle into one that whistles with a quick trip to the hardware store and a couple of minutes of your time.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber stopper with hole
• Drill

Instructions

1. Fill your tea kettle with water, making sure the water doesn't go higher than the bottom of the spout.

2. Insert a rubber stopper in the end of the spout. The stopper must fit snugly, so you will need to push it in firmly. When choosing the proper stopper, the small end must be 1/4-inch smaller in diameter than the diameter of the spout and the large end of the stopper must be about 1/4-inch larger in diameter than the spout. Select a stopper with a small hole in the center.

3. Turn the stove on to its highest setting for maximum heat. Once the water starts to boil, the small hole in the rubber stopper will create almost the same whistling noise as a standard whistling tea kettle.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't plug the stopper tightly into the kettle, too much steam will escape around the sides of the stopper and your kettle won't whistle.

• If your kettle is whistling too loudly, use a drill with a drill bit that is one size larger than the hole in the stopper and enlarged the hole. The larger hole will allow more steam to pass through, reducing the steam pressure and making the noise more quiet.

• Wear an oven mitt when removing the rubber stopper from the kettle. The stopper will be extremely hot once the water comes to a boil, and you could burn yourself.

References

• Answerbag: Why Does A Tea Kettle Whistle

Resources

• WidgetCO: Rubber Stoppers