Dishwasher salt is a special substance designed to soften water. Hard water can make the dishes look dirty, streaked or as if covered with a film. In regions where the water is particularly hard (UK and most of Europe), most dishwashers are equipped with a built-in water softener that needs to be topped up with salt periodically. Dishwasher salt is easy to use and will keep your dishes clean and shiny!
Steps
Adding salt to the dishwasher
- After the first use, there will always be some water in the water softener, so you don't have to top it up.
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Only add dishwasher salt to your softener. You can buy this salt at grocery stores, stores household appliances or order online. The brand of salt doesn't matter, but never use table, sea, or kosher salt instead. These types of salts contain additives that can increase the hardness of the water. Moreover, such salt may be too fine and clog the device.
Pour the salt through the funnel until the tank is filled to the top. The volume of the water softener in each dishwasher is different and it can accommodate different amount salt. Continue adding salt until the tank is completely full. Since there is also water in the tank, the resulting brine will renew chemical processes arising in the built-in softener.
- The funnel will help keep the salt from spilling out when you pour it into the tank. Do not stick the funnel into the tank, but hold it above it. If the funnel gets wet, the salt will not pass through it well.
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Remove excess salt with a damp cloth. If you spilled salt in the dishwasher, clean it up with a damp cloth. The salt that you pour into the water softener will never actually touch the dishes, but will remain in the tank. But if you leave salt at the bottom of the dishwasher, it will mix with the water during the wash cycle. This will not harm the dishes, but after one wash cycle, the dishes will become slightly dirty (or salty).
- To remove spilled salt, run a rinse cycle without dishes.
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Screw the lid on tightly. Put the cap back in place and screw it tight. If the lid is unscrewed during washing and detergent enters the water softener, it may break. You don't want to pay for a new dishwasher just because you didn't tighten the lid, do you?
Put the bottom basket back in place and turn on the dishwasher. When you are sure the lid is tight, put the bottom basket back into the dishwasher. Put the dishes in the dishwasher and run the wash cycle. After you add salt, there is no need to run a wash cycle or rinse cycle without dishes.
Do I need to add salt
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Use salt only for dishwashers which are equipped with built-in water softeners. If you are unsure if your dishwasher has this device, contact the dishwasher manufacturer. If you can't find it at the bottom of the dishwasher, it's possible that it doesn't exist at all. Do not pour salt into other containers for conventional detergents or dishwasher cleaners. This can easily damage the machine.
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Remove the lower basket to expose the salt tank. Pull the lower basket completely out of the dishwasher and place it on kitchen counter or a table. Lift it up a little to remove it from the rollers. The tank should be at the bottom of the dishwasher, closer to one of its walls. If there is nothing there, your dishwasher may not have a built-in water softener.
Unscrew the cap and check for water. The water softener is closed with a lid, which must be tightly screwed each time. Unscrew this cover and put it aside. If you are using your dishwasher for the first time, you will need to fill the water softener all the way to the top.
The dishwasher has firmly entered our lives, becoming indispensable assistant on the kitchen. The machine has freed us from manual dishwashing, and it does an excellent job with any dirt. But to get good result it is necessary to use detergent and, of course, dishwasher salt. The latter have to be bought, and often the prices for these funds do not please us. In an effort to save money, many people ask themselves the question: Is it possible to fill up, for example, edible salt or industrial salt instead of special salt? In this article, we will try to figure out which salt for the dishwasher can and cannot be used, and we will also consider the question of how much salt should be poured into the dishwasher and where.
Why does the car need salt at all, and what function does it perform?
When heated, the water in the washing chamber of the machine releases metal ions (calcium, magnesium), which are deposited on the heating element ( heating element) machines and form scale. Scale impairs the heat transfer of the heating element and leads to its premature failure. In addition, the dishes are poorly washed if the water is hard. Therefore, to soften the water in the washing chamber, the machine is equipped with an ion exchanger. An ion exchanger is a container filled with a special compound called resin (contains chloride ions). When water passes through the ion exchanger, "harmful" impurities (magnesium and calcium) from it remain in the resin, and the water entering the chamber becomes soft. Over time, the resin becomes saturated with calcium and ceases to soften the water. And what to do, you ask? In order to restore the working properties of the resin, a special salt is used, which is a crystal chemical NaCL (sodium and chlorine). When we pour it into the ion exchanger, it restores the chlorine ions in the resin (restores the efficiency of the ion exchanger), and further softens the water.
Output : salt restores the ion exchanger and softens the water.
Where and how much salt to pour into the dishwasher, and how to set the hardness level?
There is a special reservoir at the bottom of the washing chamber. He has plastic cover, on which some manufacturers write the Latin letter S. This is the salt compartment in the dishwasher. To load, you must use a funnel, because it is impossible for the granules of the substance to wake up past. NaCl is a very active substance and quickly reacts with the metal. The washing chamber is made of stainless steel, but even this rusts when exposed to undissolved granules for a long time. Therefore, if you are going to leave for a long time, for example on vacation, make sure that there are no unwashed salt granules left in the washing chamber. 
In the event that you use salt in tablets (3 in 1), which I do not recommend, the tablet is loaded into the compartment for detergent. This compartment is in most cases located with inside doors. Now let's deal with the amount of loaded substance.
How much to pour in grams?
Everything is simple here. The instruction manual says that salt granules must be filled up to the neck of the container, the tank must be completely filled, and this is correct. The granules will be gradually consumed with each wash, and when they run out, the corresponding indicator will light up on the machine panel. You will understand, once the indicator lights up, then it's time to fill up.
There is one very popular request on the Internet: Should there be water in the salt compartment?
We answer: yes it should, it's ok
, feel free to pour the granules into the tank, and excess water it will spill out into the camera. And do not forget to set the water hardness level on the machine, because the consumption of salt granules depends on it. If you set it incorrectly, either scale will begin to form, or there will be an unreasonably large consumption of granules.
You can determine the hardness of your water using a special indicator, a test strip, which is sold at a pharmacy. And how to set the hardness level correctly, you can also read in the user manual of the dishwasher. On our site you can.
Is it possible to pour table (edible), technical salt into the car, or use 3 in 1 tablets containing salt, and limit this? What is the advantage of branded salt?
What is the advantage of branded salt?
Salt Finish is a granule of pure compressed salt without impurities. The granules have a certain size and do not contain a fine suspension, which ensures their gradual and uniform dissolution in the system. This is the whole secret. Is it possible to pour table salt (edible) into the car?
Interesting question, but is it worth it? Of course, this option is attractive with obvious benefits, because ordinary, edible (cooking) salt is much cheaper than specialized salt. But how will this affect the performance of the device? Edible salt is a fine powder, suspension. If you use it, then small salt particles will gradually accumulate in the tank, crystallize and create an obstruction in the system. Salt water from the reservoir will stop flowing into the ion exchanger and the resin will stop working. As a result, we get increased scale formation and breakdown of the apparatus.
Can technical salt be used?
Technical salt, like food salt, contains a fine suspension, as well as a huge amount of other unnecessary impurities, so its use is also unacceptable. There is also salt for industrial (professional) dishwashers. You can use it, but you won’t be able to save money, because its cost is identical to special salt for household dishwashers. Is it possible to use 3 in 1 tablets containing salt, and be limited to this?
Of course, salt is contained in tablets, but in a very small amount, which is not enough to soften the liquid in the chamber and to regenerate the resin (restor its function). Therefore, with this approach, the device will not last long. In particular, this applies to devices of the Bosch brand, which are equipped with flow heating elements. The flow-through heating element does not tolerate overheating, which causes scale and plaque. More about this. Output : the best option, at which the machine will properly perform its function, use a special branded Finish salt, for example, or another brand, but a specialized one.
How to make your own dishwasher salt? Free hack.
In order to make large granules without suspension, you will need pure edible salt (extra grade). Pour it into a large container (you can take a large cup or pan) and mix with a little water. You should get a thick mass. Now we need an ice mold or something similar, the main thing is that it can be used to create small granules. After that, put the mass into a mold and dry thoroughly. As a result, we received granules that can be used instead of expensive specialized salt.
In conclusion, I would like to say the following : if you want your home assistant to work properly long years and not broken, follow the manufacturer's recommendations and use proven detergents and softeners.
Dishwasher users have long been arguing about whether dishwasher salt is needed and why, is it possible to replace it with ordinary table salt or is it better not to use anything at all? We decided to express our opinion on this subject, having previously dealt with chemical composition salt and dishwasher.
Composition of special salt for PMM
Not many of us will remember chemistry lessons at school, and therefore we will try to explain as simply as possible the composition of dishwasher salt, which manufacturers strongly recommend using.
On packs of such well-known salt as Finish or Somat, it is written that sodium chloride is included in the composition, chemical formula which NaCl. And what is sodium chloride - it's sodium salt of hydrochloric acid. In the people, sodium chlorine is usually called table salt, the composition of which is 98% of it. On a pack of Ecover salt, the composition is indicated as follows: evaporated 100% rock salt, which is identical to the concept of "table salt".
However, it looks somewhat different from the usual cookery, if only in that its granules are much larger and more uniform. But we'll talk about this later.
How salt works
Why is it necessary to fill the dishwasher with specially treated sodium chlorine? This is primarily due to the device of the dishwasher and the hardness of the water. Everyone knows that tap water it can be very hard, as evidenced by lime deposits in the kettle, lime drips on taps, etc.
When water is heated to a high temperature, the calcium and magnesium salts included in its composition precipitate, which we call scale. Limescale will shorten the life of the dishwasher heating element. To do this, a special tank filled with ionized resin was inserted into the dishwasher device. Water passing through the resin becomes softer due to the fact that the positively charged calcium or magnesium ions are attracted to the negatively charged sodium ions in the resin. The water entering the dishwasher tank is already soft.
Over time, the ability of the resin to soften water decreases. To restore it, it is necessary to add sodium ions to the resin, which are just found in salt. If salt is not used, then soon the ion exchanger will fail, and the harder the water, the faster this will happen. Thus, salt is necessary:
- to soften water;
- prevent the appearance of scale on the heating element and inner surface tank;
- to better wash dishes, because it is known that in soft water everything is washed and washed much more efficiently.
Using salt in the dishwasher is a must, but there are many ways to do it. If the water in your area is soft enough, salt can be replaced with dishwashing tablets that already contain salt. But if the water is hard (you can find out using a special test strip), then you need to use salt separately. Indeed, if it is not poured into the ion exchanger, then it will become clogged with deposits and break, since water will constantly flow directly through it. As a result, repairs are indispensable.
For your information! In some models of dishwashers, when using tablets, water passes into the machine bypassing the ion exchanger, which will not affect its performance.
When there is not enough salt in the ion exchanger, the indicator on the dishwasher panel lights up. It is necessary to add salt to the tank, the question arises how much? You can immediately pour more, but so that the compartment is not too full. How much salt is enough depends on the quality of the water, the harder it is, the higher the consumption. Using tablets with salt content, the question of how much salt to pour does not arise, there is as much salt in it as it dissolves in one washing cycle. For such a tablet can be divided in half, but not crushed into powder.
Special or food: is there a difference?
The need for salt in the dishwasher is more than understandable, salt is needed and you can’t do without it, no matter what they say. But is it possible to replace special salt with ordinary table salt, if their composition is 98% the same, despite the fact that table salt is several times cheaper than special salt. But there are still differences between them.
If you change the regenerating salt to table salt, then only to the "Extra" salt, since it passes better processing. But even in this case, before pouring salt into the compartment, see if there are any obvious impurities and pebbles in it.
Important! Table salt does not need to be poured to the top of the salt compartment, otherwise it may not dissolve at all and stick together.
Thus, it is imperative to use salt for the dishwasher, and why and how much, we hope you figured it out. What kind of salt it will be, decide for yourself - the one that is more expensive, but probably without impurities, or the one that is cheaper, but with the risk of breakage for the dishwasher.
If you are one of those who have acquired a dishwasher, then you know that special tools are required for its proper operation: powder, rinse aid and salt. With the appointment of the first two means, everything is very clear, but the need for salt for the dishwasher remains to be dealt with.
The purpose of salt in the dishwasher
In fact, salt for PMM is the same table salt with the well-known formula NaCl. But why then it is impossible to use one product both for food and for domestic purposes? The fact is that salt is used for PMM high degree cleaning, without additional impurities and additives. Dishwashing salt granules are much larger than those of food salt. If you pour ordinary salt into the dishwasher, the filters will clog very quickly and the equipment will become faulty.
What is dishwasher salt for?
Have you noticed in plumbing and household appliances in contact with water (kettle or humidifier) scale and lime stains? They are formed due to the fact that the water that enters our apartments and houses is hard. The dishes inside the machine are washed with the same water. Salt is used to soften water.
How does salt soften water in PMM?
This process takes place as follows:
- salt enters a special compartment - an ion exchanger, where the resin is located;
- when water enters the machine, the resin beads remove calcium and magnesium ions from it;
- the removal process can only take place when there are enough sodium ions in the resin, which are taken from the salt;
- thus the water softens.
Why is it necessary to reduce the hardness of water?
It is known that in soft water the process of cleaning dishes is better. In addition, scale does not form on the heating element, which can lead to breakage.
When using salt on the dishes after washing, whitish stains and plaque will not remain.
Where and how much salt to pour into the dishwasher?
At the bottom of each PMM there is a special compartment for salt. This is a tank with a screw cap. Sprinkle salt into it as needed. In order not to scatter anything, it is better to do this with a funnel.
Most PMMs have a built-in sensor that lights up when the salt in the tank has run out.
Required amount salt depends on the degree of water hardness, and is usually from 500 g to 1 kg.
There are three ways to determine how hard water is:
- With the help of a special test strip.
- With the help of the host soaps and rags (if a wet rag lathers poorly, then the water is hard).
- View Results chemical analysis water by region.
If salt is poured into the PMM for the first time, then first you need to pour water into the compartment.
Each time you refill the tank with salt, it will already be filled with water. When pouring, excess water will go through the pipes.
The following video clearly demonstrates how, where and how much salt should be poured into the dishwasher:
Salt for PMM from the best manufacturers
Salts for dishwashers are produced by the same manufacturers that produce tablets and rinses. Ideally, it is advisable to buy all dishwashing detergents of the same brand. Let's take a look at some of the ones on the market.
Finish Calgonite
- pack weight - 1.5 kg
- price - 200-250 rubles.
- manufacturer - Austria
Coarse refined salt white color. Sold in a cardboard box. Salt in a bag inside.
Somat (Henkel)
- pack weight - 1.5 kg
- price - 90-120 rubles.
- manufacturer - Germany
Package - cardboard box It has a convenient retractable spout. Salt bright white, small in structure.
Sodasan
- pack weight - 2 kg
- price - 380-450 rubles.
- manufacturer - Germany
Sold in soft paper bundle. It contains only natural evaporated salt. Certified by EcoCert and EcoGarantee.
Kristall-fix (Oricont)
- pack weight - 1 kg
- price - 320-380 rubles.
- manufacturer - Germany
Produced in high plastic bottle with a neck through which it is convenient to pour the product into the PMM. Salt light, medium grinding.
Topperr
- pack weight - 1.5 kg
- price - 190-250 rubles.
- manufacturer - UK
Salt is sold both granular (coarsely ground) and in the form of tablets. Tablets cost 150-200 rubles. more expensive.
ecodoo
- pack weight - 2.5 kg
- price - 850-900 rubles.
- manufacturer - France
Concentrated white salt tablets. Free of dyes, fragrances and phosphates.
What can replace salt
The prices for most salts for PMM are not budgetary. Therefore, the question often arises whether it is possible to replace granulated special salt with something. Let's consider several options.
food salt
It is not recommended to use edible salt for PMM. Yes, its composition is almost identical to industrial salt, the same sodium and chlorine. But besides this, the salt that we eat contains various impurities: iodine, iron, calcium, etc. With constant use, these additives will settle in the ion exchanger and lead to a breakdown of the machine.
If you still decide to use edible salt instead of special salt, then the only possible variant- this is the "Extra" salt, which does not have additives.
Salt tablets
This is the same special salt, only in a different form of release - in the form of tablets. They are completely safe for PMM. Have small size and are also included in the special machine compartment.
3 layer tablets
3-in-1 tablets are a product that includes detergent components, rinse aid, and salt. Each layer dissolves at a certain stage of washing dishes. Salt dissolves in them at the very beginning at the stage of heating water. It is possible to use such tablets without pouring salt into the tank if the water hardness level is below average.
In order for the dishwasher to work properly and serve you for many years, be sure to use salt. One pack is enough for approximately 9-12 months of use, so you should not save on this product. Using good salt is not only a guarantee of no machine breakdowns, but clean dishes every day.
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What kind of salt to pour into the dishwasher: special or food? March 4th, 2015
To service the dishwasher, in addition to dishwashing detergent, salt and rinse aid are required. And salt and rinse aid are poured and poured into dishwasher seldom. We have hard water and it turns out like this: a kilogram of salt for a month, 500 ml of rinse aid for six months.
The stumbling block is the price.
An analogue of the rinse aid has not yet been invented. But the main component of special salt is NaCl, the same as that of edible salt. Only a kilogram of food salt "Extra" costs about $ 0.5, and a kilogram of special salt - from $ 1.5
The question is why pay more?
Answer
In fact, the difference between food and special regenerating salt for dishwashers is at first glance very insignificant and is as follows:
1) Edible salt "Extra" (the purest) is very fine, it dissolves quickly. Dishwasher salt is available in large granules or tablets and slowly dissolves in water over many wash cycles, maintaining a certain level of salinity in the water.
2) The degree of purification of salt for dishwashers is higher than that of table salt. Strange, but true.
The NaCl content of the special regenerating salt for dishwashers is 100%.
The content of NaCl in food salt "Extra" is 99.8%. In addition to NaCl, edible salt contains an anti-caking additive, not more than 0.001%, and some other substances that are in the salt during extraction and remain after cleaning.
In terms of NaCl content, I don't think dishwasher safe has a big difference 100% or 99.8%. So the question is, can salt containing E-536 (or similar) additive and unknown impurities be added? Does this tiny amount matter? Does it affect the condition of the dishwasher, the quality of washing and safety for humans?
I didn't like what I read. There is an opinion on the forums that the rules for food products should be stricter than for household chemicals, but in fact it turned out quite the opposite. Manufacturers, like the valiant state, care much less about the health of citizens than about the serviceability of equipment.
What happens to him when he is in the dishwasher is unknown. But there is (I hope) salt without this additive. So the next question is impurities.
To deal with impurities, you will have to figure out a little why salt is needed in the dishwasher at all.
Used in dishwashers ion exchange resin to soften water. Roughly speaking, resin pulls calcium ions out of the water and replaces them with sodium ions. Due to this, insoluble calcium salts are not deposited on the heating element and dishes. Salt challenge- restore the ion exchange resin, i.e. extract calcium ions from it, replacing them with sodium ions. The harder the water in the tap, the more salt is consumed. That is why the salt must be special, i.e. purified - the usual one will spoil the ion-exchange resin with its impurities.
The presence of impurities is very detrimental to her. Those who constantly use ordinary salt with the same success may no longer use it, because. the resin has long since died.
In addition to impurities in table salt (harmful to the ion exchange resin), its crystalline form does not correspond to that required for dishwashers.
When converting food salt into dishwasher salt, you will spend more than the difference in price between food salt and dishwasher salt.
To bring it back to normal, it will be necessary to dissolve edible salt in water and boil it at certain temperatures and mechanical agitation. Then it will be necessary to properly grind this resulting salt blank, or rather, to chop, to create breaks in the bonds of the crystal lattice. Only in this case, when poured into the dishwasher, this salt will create a very steep brine, and not a mixture of water and grains of salt (porridge) and will not clog the grid of the ion-exchange resin with salt crystals.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of reviews on the forums in the style of "I always pour ordinary salt, it has been working for ... years, nothing has broken and I am satisfied with the quality of washing."
So whether to use the information from this post or not is the personal choice of everyone.
In any case, let your equipment serve for a long time and never fail!