My 10 year old Simplex kettle stopped whistling. It now makes a sadly muffled croak, not the sharp piercing sound that makes it easy to hear from any room in the house. Online searches haven't gotten me very far. I did find an official looking use and care guide PDF that says nothing about fixing this issue, but does warn against what would have been my next step--boiling some vinegar in it:
Quote- Don’t use abrasive cleaners that may harm the exterior or interior finish of your kettle.
- Don’t use wire or other abrasive de-scaling products such as lemon or vinegar, which will cause damage to the pure tin or nickel plated lining of your kettle.
The ball in the spout rattles when I shake the empty kettle, so it's not completely stuck or jammed. I presume it's something to do with scale or rust or something keeping it from seating tightly enough to hold the steam in until whistle pressure is reached.
It's always and only been used with Los Angeles city tap water.
Suggestions for next steps?
I've already entered a query to the company here, but am asking the smart community here because I anticipate a long time before I get a reply from them due to life in COVID times.
