Three Reasons Why You Need Salt in Your Dishwasher
High-quality salt optimises the dishwashing process. It not only affects the water, but also the powder or liquid you use. It lasts a long time and takes care of your machine, which means it lasts longer.
How do I refill my Dishwasher with salt and rinse aid
Three reasons to buy dishwasher salt:
- This salt removes calcium and magnesium ions from the water, replacing them with sodium ions. and these are harmless, soluble salts, in which the water is soft;
- Salt improves the action of detergents;
- Salt prevents the formation of limescale on the inner workings of appliances.
In short, you need to add salt not only to make more foam in the device, and the dishes easier to wash. The salt is also needed as a limescale preventative. It’s therefore a necessary “reconditioning” procedure, which prolongs the dishwasher’s working life.
How often to use?
Often Bosch dishwashers have several indicators that alert you when the washing process is running or has stopped. The icon looks like two reversed arrows, and on top there is a light that lights up when there is not enough detergent. This indicator light is usually sufficient to tell you that the salt has either run out or needs to be refilled soon. We recommend using the product the first time you start it. If there is no light, you can track the remainder of the component by how well the dishes are rinsed. If it leaves streaks or has lime on it, then it’s time to refill.
Every dishwasher is equipped with an ion exchanger that protects the appliance when the water is heating. It is no secret that the hard sludge is dangerous for the heating element, because it will not be able to give off heat, which will lead to burnout. There is resin in the ion exchanger, but the reserves of ions run out over time, so salt remedies restore this balance.
To understand how often to pour the component, first determine the hardness of the water. You can use laundry soap for this, and if it does not form foam, then the level is high, and the dishes will not rinse well. On the market you can find test strips that will help determine the hardness index.
It should be noted that it can vary depending on the season, so it is recommended to check every few months, you may need to adjust the dosage of the salt component.
How often to put salt in the dishwasher
How often you fill the salt reservoir depends on the Mg and Ca concentrations in the water, as well as how often you wash the dishes. According to reviews from owners, with an average hardness of tap water and turning on the dishwasher daily, it is necessary to fill the reservoir every 5-6 weeks.
How the water hardness level affects the salt consumption
The higher the concentration of Ca and Mg salts, the more often you need to add salt to the dishwasher. In soft water, it may not be necessary to use it at all. There are dishwashers in which the water hardness value is set manually. To find out this value you need to measure the hardness of the water. To obtain the most accurate reading, send a sample of the water to the lab. But it’s quite a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. It is easier to use test strips sold in pet stores and home appliance stores. The strip is placed in the water, and it changes the intensity of its color according to the concentration of Ca and Mg salts in the water.
How and where to put salt in the dishwasher to soften the water
Here’s where to put the salt in the dishwasher. It is not enough to use just any detergent in the dishwasher to wash cutlery properly. A white layer known as scale builds up on the dishwasher walls and heater; the high level of impurities in the water makes it hard. This will cause the appliance parts to fail quickly, so be sure to use a special salt to soften the water.
Setting the softener and water hardness
Before filling the compartment, you must set the amount of levatite to regenerate, t.е. adjust the softener. This is done according to the description in the manual to the device.
How to add Rinse Aid & Salt in BOSCH Dishwasher (demo # 4)
Personal opinion: The setting is most conveniently organized by Bosch, Gorenje. on the panel of the device, with buttons or with the program selector knob. In some firms, such as Krona, Hansa, the regulator is located inside the container and will need a screwdriver to turn it to the right value.
The machine is designed to operate at 7 levels of hardness, and each level will have a different degree of water softening. To set the correct parameter, it is necessary to determine the hardness of the tap water.
What to do if you don’t know what the water is?
The water quality is affected by the dissolved minerals calcium and magnesium. These are the hardness salts. the less of these impurities, the softer the water.
The most reliable way to find out the mineral composition is to take the water to the lab for analysis. But it is long, expensive, and the data is not static and changes by season. It’s easier to call your local water company, or find information on the Internet. Information is also found on regional Vodokanal websites.
How to find out the quality of water at home
Not to bother looking for data, you can determine the softness of approximately and on it set the ion exchanger. For this we will limit ourselves to 3 levels:
- Test strips. Sold online, in pet stores and home improvement stores. They are lowered into the water, and depending on the change in color, the softness is determined by a palette of shades. Sometimes such test strips are included with the latest models of Bosch, Ariston, and other premium dishwashers. The disadvantage of the method is that it will be approximate.
- Laundry soap. Soap it on a wet rag. If the foam is abundant, then most likely the water is soft. But when the foam is weak and badly washed under the stream from the faucet. it means that the hardness has increased. This method is also imprecise, but cheap.
- By eye. Remember how quickly limescale forms in the kettle. Look at the taps and walls in the bathroom. if they are covered with whitish sludge for a week, the water is hard.
Set up the water softener by rough estimation, and in the future change these values if the quality of washing is not satisfactory.
How much limescale??
Remember, how to refill the salt product, easy. always fill the compartment to the top. The tank can have different volumes, it depends on the dishwasher brand and model. You can usually fit about 1kg of regeneration agent in the tank. Tablets, as well as the powdered product, put all the way to the top.
Any package tells you how to add the product and how much product is needed for your particular water. The higher the hardness of the latter, the more salt you have to spend. The water quality is influenced by the region and seasonality. There are special tables that can be used to determine the hardness of the water in a particular region. How much salt to put in the water? The machine itself determines how much it needs. depending on the hardness level set.
Where and how much salt to put in the dishwasher?
The dishwasher is great at dealing with dirty dishes, but it requires different products, so be prepared to constantly buy them, spending a certain amount of money from your budget. All used products can be divided into two groups: those necessary to wash impurities and the second group is the hard water softener, or more precisely, the salt. About how much salt, where and how often you need to put salt in the dishwasher, the following narration will go.
Where and how much salt to put in the dishwasher
The water used for drinking and household purposes always contains salts of dissolved alkaline-earth metals. calcium and magnesium. The higher the concentration of these compounds, the harder the water gets, and vice versa.
Scale, limescale and sediments form during the operation of technical devices, whose operation is directly connected with water heating. They worsen the technical characteristics of the units, can lead to deformation and breakage of individual parts and components.
To avoid such troubles, manufacturers have provided a special compartment. an ion exchanger, which contains a synthetic ion-exchange resin. The purpose of this device is to soften water by attracting magnesium and calcium ions dissolved in the water.
How to add Salt to a Bosch Dishwasher to prevent Limescale build up
Passing through the ion exchanger, the water is completely cleaned of harmful impurities. But to resume the ion-exchange properties of resin it is necessary to have sodium chloride, of which 98% regenerating salt for the automatic dishwasher is composed. The remaining 2% are various chemical compounds intended for giving the product marketable appearance, disinfecting properties and flavor.
The salt softens the water, prevents leaks, limescale and scale formation on the parts of the appliance, extends the life of the appliance.
It facilitates the washing of difficult dirt from plates and glasses, ensures cleanliness and shine of washed dishes, on which there are no unsightly stains and streaks.
Where and what kind of salt to put in
Absolutely any dishwasher has a special compartment for salt. It is located at the bottom, under the bottom tray. That’s where you need to add dishwasher salt. For convenience, this should be done through a funnel. Many consumers claim that after they open the lid of the compartment to refill the salt reservoir, there is water. It is worth noting that this is the norm.
All necessary products are purchased in specialized stores in the appropriate departments for dishwashers.
The most popular dishwasher detergent is tablets, they are placed in a special compartment on the lid of the appliance. It includes not only powder and rinse aid, but also a small percentage of salt. The use of such a composition is acceptable, but not enough. Specialists recommend, even when using combined tablets, pouring regenerating or tablet salt, in the bottom tank. In this case, you can simply set the salt intake in the dishwasher to a minimum and pour as needed.
