I’m currently on a long-term sit for someone I’ve previously sat for and am scheduled to sit for them from now until February, with the exception of a few short breaks. A few weeks ago, the electric blanket stopped working (switches on but doesn’t heat up, difficult to know why but I’m certain I didn’t damage it) and informed the HO. Now their kettle has stopped working - again, it switches on but doesn’t heat up and I really don’t think I’ve damaged or misused it. If it was a bog standard kettle, I would just offer to replace it, but this particular model costs about £120 RRP (!). It’s a steep cost for a standard appliance and I’m currently low on funds.
I know I’ll have to tell the HO, but am unsure if I should offer to pay for a replacement, suggest a partial contribution, or just be clear that I didn’t damage it. Two broken items on one sit seems a bit much, though I’m confident it’s not down to anything I’ve done. On other hand, I get on well with the HO and their cat, and would really like them to continue offering repeat sits. Any advice on how to handle this?
Given 2 plug in appliances have stopped working, do you think the fuse might have tripped? Check your metre box. If all is OK, then tell the owner. They might have an electrical problem in their home that would be prudent to know about.
It’s a tricky one, I would say given you are there until Feb, just replace it, it’s once in a blue moon it happens, but at that price… no.
Two electrical faults in one sit is unlikely, two electrical faults on an appliance within a whole year in any home would be less likely, so maybe when the elec blanket went, it had an effect on the kettle. Check other plugged in things before you decide what to do.
Thanks for the advice! The first night I stayed, the fuse tripped and that was triggered by the same kettle. However, this time there’s no tripped fuse, the outlet works just fine when I plug in a different appliance, and the kettle itself turns on but doesn’t boil….I know nothing about household electrics, so I’m unsure if it’s an issue with the appliances and/or electrics but will flag it with the HO.
Yep, £120 is a wild price to pay for a kettle! I also don’t want to seem as if I don’t care about the HO’s belongings, but I’m currently unemployed and it would be a big stretch to cover either item.
“Hi xxxx” seems like the gremlins are at work. In the last few days the electric blanket and the kettle” have gone on the fritz. I have checked the fuses and the outlets and everything else seems ok” Any suggestions?
Things break and reasonable people will know that. Send this and see what happens. More than likely they will make an Amazon order and have it sent to you. On a long sit like that we would replace them and just see what the HO did but I do understand you are on a tight budget.
Has the kettle worked (boiled) at all since it first tripped the fuse?
It sounds like the heating elements in both the kettle and the electric blanket may have been overloaded, which could have caused the fuse to trip. That suggests there may be an electrical issue with the property.
If the electrics are overloaded and keep tripping, the same thing could happen even with a replacement kettle. You’ll need to find out what’s causing the overload—it could be that the electrics are only able to handle a limited number of appliances at once?
If so, the host will have encountered this issue before, so it’s best to ask for their advice to prevent any further problems.
On our first house sit the iron, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner all stopped working within an hour of each other ! We were mortified and had visions of having to fork out to replace all of these appliances!! The iron and the dishwasher were brand new . The vacuum cleaner started working again after it had cooled down (there was a safety mechanism that shut it off if it overloaded ).
We couldn’t get the dishwasher to work again during our stay. We told the host and she said it was under guarantee ( it was a brand new kitchen ) so not to worry about. When she returned she said it worked fine and there was no problem with it !!
It has indeed - the fuse tripped about five weeks ago and it’s been totally fine until now. Both the kettle and blanket have lights (each appliance is plugged into a different socket), which lets me know they are connected to the mains, but neither item actually works. For that reason, I’m inclined to think it’s an internal fault with both appliances, but perhaps this may have been caused by an electrical issue?
Either way, I’ll let the HO know and see what she comes back with. Thanks very much for the advice - sounds like you had quite a ‘mare with your previous sit, but very reassuring to hear the HO was cool about it!
It was probably on the way out, the heating coil shorted out and tripped the breaker.
One approach is to explain this to the host, and at the very least replace it with a cheap kettle so they’ve got something to use when they return, and you’ve got it for during the rest of your sit.
People die and appliances stop working. Everything gets old and stops functioning. You did not drop it or cause an accident. It’s just coincidental they both stopped working at the same time. I think it’s the electricity or they have reached the end of their work life. Once my hairdryer would not turn on. I went to the fuse box and shut off the switch and turned it back on and it started working again. It also happened a few months later. Only does this using the outlet in the bathroom. Try moving it somewhere else and see if it works. I would not feel responsible as you did nothing to cause this. I would just ask the PP if they have electrical problems and say because an appliance and the electric blanket stopped working. I hope they are concerned with you keeping warm and have solutions for you.
Tell the HO! They may have information for a quick fix.
I returned after a recent sit where one of my burners wasn’t working. I understood immediately that the coil didn’t connect correctly when I reinserted it during final cleaning pre-sit. I feel terrible that the sitter must have just accepted a dead burner when a quick message and I could have told them how to fix it in 30 seconds.
If the kettle is indeed dead and it’s something you want to use during the sit, just get an affordable one for yourself. I would hope this is the advice the HOs would give you as well - the fancy one is their hill to climb.
I’m guessing you’re English. Can any English survive long without an electric kettle? I hear not. And you’re on this sit for another month+? I’d suggest you go out and buy a cheap kettle for your own survival. You could then explain to the host that their kettle went on the fritz and, maybe, offer to leave the cheap replacement behind in the interests of their survival on return.
FWIW, we use electric blankets and they usually fail after a few years at most. We also have cats which probably explains why our electric blankets only last a few years. Cat claws and wash cycles are hard on electric blankets. I would suggest telling the host about the electric blanket. I do not think you have any obligation to offer to pay anything unless you were sleeping so hard that you broke a blanket? Hard to imagine that.
I’m sure your hosts will understand. Also consider that you need not tell your hosts about these problems until they’re closer to returning. It is not like the timing changes anything.
These things break, it’s not your fault and you shouldn’t be held responsible. That being said I probably wouldn’t expect the HO to run around and try replace a kettle or an electric blanket in the middle of their holiday (unless the electric banket is what is allowing the central heating to be on low).
Let them know and see if they offer to order some replacements. They may be under warranty. Check the fuses. See if the blanket will work on low (mine lasted years then started getting glitchy if I tried it on too high a setting but otherwise worked). The kettle may recover if it’s just a boil/steam sensor that got a little too wet from being overfilled.
@OnTheRoadAgain I’m British sitting for an American Anglophile It’s fair to say kettles are as necessary as front doors over here.
I’m definitely a hardcore sleeper but the electric blanket just randomly gave out a few weeks ago and I brought it up then. HO didn’t mention anything about replacing but fully encouraged me to make use of the central heating after I mentioned I was keeping an eye on usage and offered to chip in with bills if they turned out to be higher than usual. I don’t usually offer this, but figured it’s fair/polite and would rather not have to worry about using too much.
It’s a bit annoying for several appliances to give out over a relatively short period of time, but useful to be reminded this is normal and not a big stress. I’ll let her know and get a cheapish replacement. It’s a fancy scandy brand and seems to be a discontinued model anyway, so not one I can easily replace. I’ll let the HO and see how it goes - thanks very much for everyone’s advice, v useful!
It’s fair to say kettles are as necessary as front doors over here.