20 Most Recent Braun WK200 AquaExpress Electric Water Kettle White Electric Kettle Questions & Answers

I have the same problem. It started about a week ago and I have to keep flicking the on switch to get it finally working. I think there's a problem with the contact with the base. Not sure if it's worth getting a replacement part for it. It worked well for 4+ yrs!

This is the solution for the BLACK Braun electic water heater, so you must adjust the color to fit if yours is another color.
First take the 3 pieces that go inside the top. Two look like a "Z", and the other is the square, white doo-dad. Take the square piece and slip it into the slot with lid open. YOU CANT PUT IT IN FLAT UNLESS THE LID IS OPEN! Make sure that you can put it in FLAT. Once it is in flat, take it back out. Now you have the 2 "Z" pieces. Fiddle around with these pieces until you learn how to put them in together so they will fit together. This may take several tries. There is a piece that acts like a pivot. Now take all 3 pieces out. The trick is not to put the 2 "Z" pieces in together. You have to figure out what Z-piece to put in first. Then put the rectangular white piece in, and then the other Z-piece. This all must be done with the lid OPEN, otherwise the rectangular piece will not lie flat. Make sure the little spring inside this rectangular piece it put in properly - it should be against the little black doo-dad on the lid. If everything is sitting happily together, you should be able to snap the other black part onto the lid, and close it successfully.

Not worth repairing. A new one would be cheaper!

I was successful at fixing my Krups Electric Kettle for $4. In my case the water was leaking from bottom somewhere close to the heating area. I think that a small hole was created in the seal around the heating area in the bottom of the inside of the kettle. One can try to find the general location of the leak by putting a small amount of water in the kettle, place the kettle in a larger pan, and tilt the kettle so that the water is slightly higher than the heating area in one area only noting the position where the water level is above the heating area. Leave it for a while and check for leakage. If there is none, rotate the kettle a few degrees so that you have a new high point and look again for leakage from the new area until you find the area where it is leaking. Alternatively you may wish to put a sealant around the entire area, 360 degrees, around the top of the heating area. You mayl have to remove the strainer first to get your hand in the kettle to apply the sealant.

I went to my local hardware store and looked for sealants that were:
1. Potable (ie safe since you will be using the water for coffee, tea, and other applications that you ingest).
2. That will withstand heat up to at least 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember that water boils at 212 degrees.
I found epoxies that required mixing two compounds but decided that this would be difficult to deal with and apply. In the end I bought "PC Plumbing Epoxy Putty" from PC-Products. This met both requirements and was easy yo use. You take the putty and roll it between your finger just like you did in kindergarten with the clay and make a thin string that you could position in the crevice around the top of the heating area. You may either cover the area where you found the leak or the entire 360 degrees. You will note a somewhat foul smell of the putty. The manufacturers says that it will cure in 3 hours. I found that the smell went away when it completely dried and hardened after 3 weeks!.
I will assume that the same solution is applicable to leaks in other areas of the kettle. I have also found that there are equivalent electric kettles much cheaper than Krups. I would certainly check the construction to see if there is one with less of a chance to develop a leak.
But the bottom line is that it cost me $4. I just finished testing the Electric Kettle and it is fine, not leaking, and the instant coffee did not have any bad smell.

Meir Elazar