spokewrench
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I learned three lessons this morning. The first is that only a fool would store an immersion heater in an empty mug. Before your first cup of coffee in the morning, can you always tell the difference between an empty mug and a mug full of water? What's to keep a fool from putting a mug of water beside the empty one, turning on the timer, and walking away without noticing that the heater is in the empty mug?
The second lesson is that I'm as much a fool as ever. This morning when I came back to be ready for Bob Dylan to blow his siren whistle, I wondered why there was no heater in the coffee water. Then I saw it in the empty mug. The lesson was to store the heater on a ceramic saucer, not in a ceramic mug. That way, a sophisticated fool like me can spot the difference.
The third lesson is that UL-certified heaters are for fools. I bought a 300-watt heater and noticed that the part of the element that wasn't submerged, glowed and ended up discolored. Something like that could cause a fire, so I switched to a 180-watt UL-certified heater that I found in a drawer. After being left on in an empty mug, it would no longer work but had never gotten hot enough to discolor the chrome-like surface.
I ordered another immediately. If you're smart, you'll buy one that's not certified. It will cost less and heat your water faster. I'm not smart. I'll look for UL certification.
The second lesson is that I'm as much a fool as ever. This morning when I came back to be ready for Bob Dylan to blow his siren whistle, I wondered why there was no heater in the coffee water. Then I saw it in the empty mug. The lesson was to store the heater on a ceramic saucer, not in a ceramic mug. That way, a sophisticated fool like me can spot the difference.
The third lesson is that UL-certified heaters are for fools. I bought a 300-watt heater and noticed that the part of the element that wasn't submerged, glowed and ended up discolored. Something like that could cause a fire, so I switched to a 180-watt UL-certified heater that I found in a drawer. After being left on in an empty mug, it would no longer work but had never gotten hot enough to discolor the chrome-like surface.
I ordered another immediately. If you're smart, you'll buy one that's not certified. It will cost less and heat your water faster. I'm not smart. I'll look for UL certification.
