When buying a dishwasher, many expect that detergent will be enough for its proper operation. However, having carefully read the instructions, you will notice that this is not so. To extend the service life of the dishwasher, to avoid breakdowns and malfunctions, you need to use special special salt for dishwashers. Now let's figure out why this salt is needed, how often to fill it up, what it gives, how much and where to put it.
The composition of the factory salt for dishwashers
If you think that dishwasher salt and kitchen salt are the same thing, then you are mistaken, these are two completely different things. Visually, salt for dishwashers has larger and more uniform particles. This salt pitch undergoes a thorough purification process in several stages, which eliminates the possibility of harmful impurities. Each manufacturer adds its own components to the tool, here are some of them:
- sodium citrate, which kills microbes;
- sodium percarbonate;
- various flavoring substances;
- disilicate and sodium bicarbonate;
- sodium polyaspartinate as the basis for the conservation of ions and thickener.
The principle of salt for dishwashers
Why, then, salt in the dishwasher? The dishwasher has a built-in compartment with ionized resin. As water passes through it, positively charged magnesium and calcium ions are attracted to negatively charged sodium ions in the resin. To make up for the lack of sodium in the resin compartment, it is necessary to rinse it with water and sodium chloride as the final stage of washing. After this procedure, the "ion exchanger" can again replace calcium with sodium during the subsequent washing of dishes.
Therefore, manufacturers of dishwashers in relation to salt choose the dry “regenerating”, that is, restoring. This procedure significantly softens the water, so the already cleaned liquid enters the tank. If you neglect the instructions created by the manufacturers and do not use special salt for the dishwasher, the ion exchanger will quickly scale and become defective. All this can lead to the failure of the equipment.
Salt Frequently Asked Questions
Where to put salt before adding it to the dishwasher
Together with the equipment, there is a special department for falling asleep salt substance. To load sodium chloride, you need to unscrew the lid and pour the product into the tank before starting the program, so you will avoid the corrosion process. Required before starting the dishwasher for the first time read the instructions carefully.
How much salt to pour into the tank in the dishwasher
So, how do you measure the required amount of salt in the dishwasher? Before turning on the machine for the first time, fill the salt compartment with approximately a liter of water. Then add as much to fill the tank (approximately 101.3 kg). Then close the hole, removing excess material.It is more convenient by the way to use tableted sodium chloride, because in one dose there is the necessary amount of a means for a one-time washing.
Why put salt in the dishwasher
The main advantages of using sodium chloride for a dishwasher:
- helps soften hard tap water, which is saturated with various impurities and particles;
- helps to restore the sodium that was used during the washing process from the ion exchanger;
- favors leaching of complex contaminants from dishes;
- prevents the wear of parts of the dishwasher, because it prevents the appearance of scale, which leads to various breakdowns;
- prevents the formation of limescale inside the dishwasher;
- increases the life of the ion exchanger.
In addition, most often thanks to the use of a special salt substance for the dishwasher, you can extend its service life and forget about what it repairs. And sodium chloride, thanks to the purification of water and the dishes themselves, helps to protect the human body from various harmful substances, which are full in dirty tap water. Processing dishes with sodium chloride helps to remove scale, which can adversely affect the human body. So, scale can contribute to the formation of stones in the urinary system, from which it will be very difficult to recover in the future.
What salt should be used
First of all, it is important to understand that you need to use sodium chloride, designed specifically for dishwashers, and not a cooked mixture. After all, the ordinary kitchen contains in its composition particles and impurities that can clog the details of the dishwasher and lead to its breakdown. Finding salt for dishwashers is not difficult; it is made by the same manufacturers as chemicals. It looks like a large crystal. In addition, a fairly large selection of different brands of sodium chloride is on the Internet. Here everyone can find a tool to their taste and in their wallet.
What is better to use for Bosch dishwashers
In fact, the dishwasher of this German manufacturer requires the same means as other models. These are the tips given by the manufacturer:
- ask the water utility for information about water hardness;
- in accordance with the instructions, set the operation of the softener, according to the parameters of water hardness according to the table;
- in general, the flow rate of liquid for one dishwashing cycle consumes 0-4 liters of water.
How to replace salt
Sometimes, in order to save money, people try to replace a specialized salt substance with an ordinary cooked, kitchen mixture. However, this will not only save you money, but, on the contrary, you can even provide yourself with an additional item of expenditure, since kitchen salt contains impurities that can settle the internal mechanisms and parts of the dishwasher, which will lead to its breakdown. Compared to repairs, sodium chloride for dishwashers is not that expensive. Means for dishwashers go through several stages of cleaning, and its large particles are convenient to use. Table salt of finely ground does not at all have the properties that are so necessary when operating the dishwasher.
Regeneration Salt Tips
- Adjust the operation of the softener according to the water hardness level. In more modern and expensive models, this function is automatically configured, some models have special strips for testing the level of stiffness on their own.
- The tool can be filled up if the value 2-3 appears on the indicator, but not 0.
- If the indicator on the control panel flashes lack of salt, you should add a remedy. If this symbol is not on the panel, you need to top up the substance when the color marking on the tank for the water softener is not visible.
Be careful! It is not possible to fill the washing liquid into the sodium chloride tank. Otherwise, this can lead to breakdown of the water softener, which can only be fixed by repair.
The most popular and sought-after salt brands
- Our domestic manufacturer of various detergents “Finish” has long established itself as a quality and efficiency of manufactured products. Thousands of buyers using the products of this brand respond only positively about its means. Including, on the market there is also salt dishwasher cleaner this manufacturer. The funds are enough for 25-30 dishwashing processes. The product is affordable and effective in use. Among the advantages are the prevention of scale formation on mechanisms and elements of technology and the softening of the hardness of tap water. Due to the fact that the salt foams well, no stains or stains remain on the dishes. A one and a half kilogram pack costs about 200-230 rubles.
- One of the most affordable and affordable grades of salt is Magic Power. Despite the rather low cost, salt performs its functions properly. In addition to salt, the manufacturer makes tableted dishwasher rinses, detergents and salt with a soothing effect. For proper and effective use of salt, the manufacturer recommends reading the instructions on the packaging. A pack of such a tool costs about 140 rubles.
- Another effective and efficient remedy is Topperr. It is available in the form of tablets or large crystals. The composition is selected in such a way that this salt helps to soften the water, making the dishes very clean and shiny. For one and a half kilogram packs or for 167 tablets, you will give about 450 rubles.
Do not underestimate the importance of sodium chloride for dishwashers, because its effect is really priceless. It is thanks to this tool that your dishwasher will serve you faithfully for many years, because salt saves parts and machinery from the harmful effects of scale and impurities in dirty tap water. In addition, it is salt that helps clean dishes from corrosive dirt, providing it with a beautiful shine and whiteness.
Today in the market of chemical detergents, a huge selection of different brands and manufacturers of specialized salts for dishwashers is presented, so you can choose anything according to your wallet and to your taste. Do not save on this tool, because in the future, repairs can come to you much more. It's not for nothing that they say that the avaricious pays twice. Careful dishwasher care it’s not so complicated, but in the future it will pay you back in full.
