How to properly add salt to your dishwasher for the first time

Every dishwasher has not only a dispenser for detergent and rinse aid, but also a special container for salt. While the first two types of household chemicals are used to clean dirty dishes, salt is essential for restoring the ion exchange resin—a special component of the dishwasher that softens hard tap water.

If you use the machine with poor-quality water and don't add salt, the softening unit will fail within a month. To avoid paying for repairs, let's look at how to add salt for the first time and maintain the required level of salt granules in your "home helper."

First addition of salt

If this is your first time adding salt to your dishwasher, it's crucial to follow the instructions. Loading the salt incorrectly can damage the dishwasher instead of protecting it. Therefore, follow our instructions carefully:

• open the door of the washing chamber, remove the lower basket for dishes and find the lid of the salt container at the bottom;
• Unscrew it and pour about a liter of water inside. You only need to do this when you're adding salt for the first time;
• Using the special funnel that should be included with your dishwasher, add salt to the compartment. For your first attempt, a kilogram of large salt grains will be enough;

Be sure to use only specialized dishwasher salt, as it is coarser and purer than regular table salt, is consumed more slowly, and better restores the functions of the ion exchanger.

• Close the lid of the salt container. If you accidentally spill granules or salt solution during the process, you should wipe the bottom of the wash chamber, or even better, run a quick cycle to completely wash out any salt residue that could damage the wash chamber.

While the location of the salt compartment varies from dishwasher to dishwasher, it's still easy to find – most often, it's located on the bottom of the dishwasher, directly under the lower cutlery basket, to the left of the lower spray arm. The salt compartment lid is so large that it's hard to miss.

The required amount of salt

One of the most important questions regarding dishwasher salt is the amount required for proper operation. If this is your first time using the dishwasher, don't skimp on salt; you can safely pour it directly under the filler neck, even if this action displaces some water. Depending on the brand, the salt compartment holds approximately one kilogram of salt.

If you've already added a whole kilogram pack and suddenly realized that there's not enough product, there's nothing wrong with leaving it as is, and after a while, buying a new pack, and then adding the product to the brim. Under no circumstances should you add regular table salt, as it contains harmful impurities that can damage the ion exchanger.

Is salt used up quickly?

The hardness of your tap water directly affects salt consumption. The lower the quality of your water, the more calcium, magnesium, and other substances it contains, the greater the consumption of salt solution needed to combat water hardness. You can determine the salt consumption level yourself, but to do so, you first need to know the water's quality. You can test your tap water at home using special test strips. You can also find out about the quality of your tap water on the official website of your local water utility, where employees are required to post information about the water in a timely manner.

Once you have the water hardness data, you can adjust the water softener settings. If your dishwasher has this feature, you can do this on the control panel. If you don't have this additional option, don't worry—the machine will automatically use salt efficiently and conserve the ion exchanger's resources.

Tips for using salt

To ensure long-lasting service, it's important not only to add salt to the compartment correctly but also to follow a number of expert recommendations. Carefully review the following list to achieve maximum cleaning results.

• If your dishwasher has a function for changing the salt consumption, be sure to use it.

Salt is not needed in the machine only if you have very soft tap water in your city.

• Add additional portions of salt granules only after the dishwasher itself “asks” for it.
• Never add anything other than salt and water to the brine tank, otherwise you risk damaging your water softener, which will require costly repairs.

Ultimately, there aren't that many rules, and they're easy to follow. Load the salt correctly, monitor the amount, and everything will be fine, both with your dishwasher and your dishes.

   

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