SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

THE DESIGN SCHOOL

FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: MUHAMMAD HAZIQ BIN HJ ZARIFUL

STUDENT ID NO: 0314131

TOOL SELECTED: WATER DISPENSER

WORD COUNT: 981 WORDS

ENGLISH 2 (ENGL 0205)

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: NARRATIVE ESSAY

LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA

SUBMISSION DATE: 14TH NOVEMBER 2013

In the modern era or even since the early ages, we have been using tools to perform some

of our daily action. Whether it is the kitchen, bathroom, classrooms, everywhere in the

world, there is an object that functions solely to help us. Since these objects are very

common nowadays, people don’t spend time wondering, thinking or analyze these

common tools. This is mainly because people are too busy to do such things, having

work, homework or housework to do. Hence a lot of people tend to think these objects

are simple, when actually once they observe them, they can discover many other uses &

find characteristics they never knew about them. An example of such wonders found in a

typical kitchen is a water boiler.

The water boiler, also called the hot water dispenser is a small electrical appliance that is

used, according to its name, boils water at 100 degrees Celsius. People including me,

would use them for instant noodles or tea. The boiler has a handle, a lid, a switch & most

importantly the heater. The lid on top of the water dispenser can be opened to allow water

to be put in so that it can be boiled & also has holes to allow heated water to flow out.

The exterior of the water boiler is made of plastic, about a third of that is a translucent

shade of grey so that the level of the water in the boiler can be seen, along with the

numbers on the side of it, of how much volume of water is inside, from 0.5 liters to 1.7

liters, this part of the exterior however, has a more rough texture. The other two thirds of

the plastic has a smooth white coat, however, there is also a red switch on the handle,

which turns the water heater on or off. On the other hand, the interior of the object consist

of a silver coloured heater which functions to boil the amount of water in the object to

100 degrees Celsius. The heater is made of metal & has a twisted coil shape going anti-

clockwise; this is so that the heat can be emitted in a large surface area. As any typical

metal found in tools these days, the metal part has a very smooth feel.

Specifically describing the uniqueness of my water dispenser, there is a mark printed on

one side of the boiler, that indicates the brand of the object, ’PENSONIC.’ On the same

side as the printed mark is a sticker which shows the functions of the tool that also gives

benefits not all dispensers have such as, ‘Saves 40% of energy’, ‘Coiled metal heater’ & ‘

20% less time to wait than average heater’, these texts are mainly what we would see in

their advertisements. Another visual appearance that makes it especially unique is the

large amount of dust found on the exterior. This is mainly because it is put in a dusty

place that is rarely cleaned, the kitchen. Other than that, the object is 3.5 kg in weight

when water isn’t inside. When water is inside the hollow object of course, the weight

increases as more water is added.

As stated before, the object is made of plastic, so plastic absorbs the heat of it’s

surroundings, hence, in a kitchen, it would normally have a room temperature of 37

degrees Celsius. However, plastic is also a conductor of heat so when water is boiled, the

exterior that touches the boiling water from the inside, would be hot, it’s temperature

would gradually increase until it reaches the same heat as the boiling water. The parts that

don’t touch boiling water, including the lid, would still be hot as there would be steam

coming out of the hot water then out of the object through the hole on the lid. While most

of the parts in the object are heated, the handle wouldn’t be, as it is distanced away from

boiling water or steam. This is so that it would be safe for us to hold the boiler by the

handle.

The heater makes the sound similar to that of an oven, a constant buzz sound, until the

sound of boiling water covers it up, being too loud to hear the buzz. I tapped the object on

every part, the handle, the base & the main body. It’s safe to say tapping the lid is the

loudest, while tapping the handle is the quietest. I then made a little experiment: adding

water & see the changes in the sound of the different parts of the object. Every 0.5 liters

added, I would tap the parts of the object I divided into, while making sure I release the

same amount of force as it also contributes to a change in the sound. Until it reaches 2

liters, I observed that the handle doesn’t make any change, while the lid & base became

quieter as water is added, then finally the main body increases in sound as more water is

in the boiler, making it the loudest. The plastic boiler of course, does not emit any smell

whatsoever, although, when water is boiling by it, it gives of the smell of steam through

the hole on the lid, which has a hot smell like ‘burnt moisture’ or like the smell in hot

spas.

Exploring, Observing & analyzing the water boiler have been an informative journey. It

makes me think how a simple object which, on my second paragraph, makes it sound like

a plain, unembellished tool, has so much detail & uniqueness.