To think that filling the kettle isn't "a thing"?

[user1491572121]

At least one person agrees with me so I thought I'd see if more did!

DH keeps complaining "Only I fill the kettle up!"

He says "I fill it up and then later, I go to use it and it's all empty again!"

I'd not really reacted to these complaints though I had thought "Wtf?"

Then a mate of his heard him and said, "what are you talling about? People just fill it and boil it as they use it! You put in the amount you need and boil it!"

DH seemed to be under the impression that the kettle should be consistently full!

AIBU to think DH is wrong and his friend and I are right?

Ecureuil

Fine, then you'll never see eye to eye with me on this but most mornings you will find four or five cups lined up on the kitchen worktop, or people hanging around the kitchen for the kettle to boil. Generally the first person in has only filled it up for themselves and then drained it, leaving it bone dry even though every single day at least three of us will be going to make a drink a few minutes later. Common courtesy would be to fill it back up and switch it on so it's ready for that.

It's really wasteful to boil a full kettle when you don't need it all.

But also - presumably you don't live in a hard water area? We have rock-hard water and any water left in the kettle leaves masses of scale.

CointreauVersial has it (great username BTW) - there are different rules for office and home.

Office = Use water, fill and boil again. Someone will undoubtedly need it in the next 5-10 minutes, and even if it's not hot enough to use, they will only have to wait a few seconds for it.

Home = Boil only what you need. It will cost more and take longer to boil a full kettle and the hot water isn't that likely to get used before it cools down, so waste of time and energy.

BorpBorpBorp I fill the kettle up at night ready for the morning, but apart from that, no

Why? How long would it take to turn the tap on in the morning?
Stale (and here, limescaley) water sat round all night long is as bad as reboiled.

Fresh water every time and just boil enough for your needs

I put water in when I'm about to use it otherwise the water will go stale. I only put in the amount I need to save energy.

What does he do? go down to the bottom of the garden and fill it from the well using an ancient hand pump?

Flip lid, pour in as much water as you need and done. Not that anyone on here needs that explaining to them.

Possibly a generational thing here too? We had an old family saying "a good cook always has a full kettle" which made perfect sense before electric kettles as it took so long for a kettle on the hob to boil. Nowadays it makes much more sense just to boil what you need - which ranges from a full kettle if it's break time in a busy office to one cup if you'require on your own and just fancy a cuppa.

Office = Use water, fill and boil again. Someone will undoubtedly need it in the next 5-10 minutes, and even if it's not hot enough to use, they will only have to wait a few seconds for it.

You and I would get on!

As we are on the topic of poor kettle etiquette, when I was a student one of my housemates used to boil the kettle with the lid wide open. She was baffled when I suggested closing the lid might make the water boil faster. She just looked at me blankly. And then carried on doing it.

But 'muggins' means you are left to do other peoples chores/clearing up etc. But you aren't, you are just left to do your own. That doesn't make you muggins.

If of course there's that situation it's polite to ask the around you if they are wanting the kettle too. But if no one is there and there is no evidence of anyone else it seems bizarre to do that on the off chance someone will be along soon for a hot drink.

In the morning I put the minimum amount of water in the kettle so I can have my coffee quickly and therefore avoid killing anyone

I agree about the office etiquette although I quite enjoy standing around in the kitchen while avoiding doing any actual work

My dad stays with us sometimes for work (he lives several hundred miles away) and he fills the kettle up to the brim for his one cup of coffee, even though we specifically bought an energy efficient one as we like to be "green" where we can. It drives me insane. I mentioned it to him last time he was here and now of course he thinks I am slightly nuts for caring...

I only ever fill it for how ever much we need ... About a quarter full for me and DH. Not only is it a waste of electric and water to fill it with 3 to 4 times more than you need, but it takes a lot longer to boil too! Why wait 5 minutes when you can wait a minute and a half?! :P

I fill the kettle up at work

But thats onky because we use it to fill the steamer

At home i would check the amount and 'age' (limescale) of the water as the kettle doesn't get used often

Ahh OP, you clearly have a fab relationship, as it seems you are having to find things to disagree about!

His mate is right, you fill it as and when needed. Has to be fresh water.

AlwaysaNortherner (and others) My dad...fills the kettle up to the brim for his one cup of coffee

Where do these filler-uppers think all the extra hot water goes? They surely know you can't fit a whole kettle-full into a single cup, so...?

I tip any water in the kettle out and re-fill it before I boil it. I always have. I don't know why but I think limescale partly. I also have a vague and evidence free idea that frequently re-boiled water is somehow inferior.... but limescale is logical! :o

If he fills the kettle up, how much later is he going back to it so that a full kettle is now empty?

He's being really wasteful, I only fill the kettle and boil as much as I need!
Everyone in my house knows to fill the kettle up before they use it, now changing the toaster settings is a very contested issue....

DH is being stupid. You shouldn't boil more than you need.

My mother has a thing for filling the kettle as soon as you have made tea because we had a water main burst in the village and we were without water for 4 WHOLE HOURS. The panic bottled water buying made the national news ffs.....

My mother wasnt that bad but going without a cup of tea for 4 hours will go down in the Kipperbang Archives of Family Distasters :o

Perking you have made my day. That is my reasoning but I have never tested it - I also live in fear of boiling out the element having done so once in my youth.

I assume amusedbush means when 5 people all want boiled water for their tea immediately - so basically 5 cups need making at the same time. In that case it is selfish and pretty weird not to fill the kettle, but for each person in turn to boil just enough water for his or her own. That way the kettle is boiled 5 times instead of once, taking more time and electricity over all than boiling once and immediately making 5 cups of tea.

Must be a house share in which the house mates all get up for work at the same time but pretend not to notice the others are there in the mornings due to being in their own grumpy morning bubble... If its a family it reall is weird that the first one to the kettle doesn't make their parents and siblings who are standing right there a cup of tea if they know they want one every morning, or that they don't speak to one another about it...