How much salt should I put in my Bosch dishwasher?

Using a Bosch dishwasher without salt is not recommended in areas with hard tap water. The crystals regenerate the resin in the ion exchanger, which in turn softens the water. Without adding granules to the special reservoir, the internal components of the dishwasher will quickly become coated with scale and limescale. This will also reduce dishwashing performance.

How much salt should I put in my dishwasher? Where is the salt compartment? How quickly are the crystals used up? Let's get into the details.

The required amount of salt

There's no single answer to this question. It all depends on the type of salt used and the tank capacity of your Bosch dishwasher. Both granular and tablet forms of the product are available.

The optimal dosage is indicated on the packaging of the regenerating salt.

The package usually states that the salt should be filled to the top of the dishwasher's special reservoir. The capacity of the reservoir depends on the Bosch dishwasher model. Most dishwashers hold 1 kg of crystals.

If you purchased regenerating salt tablets, you should also fill the dishwasher's reservoir to the brim. In fact, it's impossible to exceed the recommended dosage, so there's no need to worry. It's important to ensure that the granules are always present in the compartment; otherwise, the dishwasher's ion exchanger will quickly fail.

The Bosch dishwasher will automatically tell you when to add crystals. Almost all Bosch dishwasher models have a salt level indicator on the dashboard.If it starts to glow, it's time to add more granules.

We find the compartment for salt

The question of where to put the salt is usually straightforward. The regenerating agent reservoir is located at the bottom of the dishwasher's working chamber, under the lower basket. The machine comes with a special funnel that makes loading the granules easier.

The Bosch dishwasher manual explains how to add salt for the first time. You should first fill the compartment with water and only then add the granules. Excess liquid will be forced into the hopper under pressure and drained down the drain.

Some housewives prefer to use 3-in-1 dishwasher tablets containing salt. These capsules are placed in the detergent dispenser located on the inside of the door. This is only acceptable in areas with soft water.

Is salt being actively consumed?

Every Bosch dishwasher has an ion exchanger. It's filled with a special resin containing negative sodium chloride ions. These particles attract calcium and magnesium found in hard tap water, thereby softening it.

If hard water isn't softened, the minerals it contains will form scale. This deposit will build up on the dishwasher's internal components. The heating element suffers the most from this. First, the element begins to heat less efficiently, and then burns out completely.

During operation of the Bosch dishwasher, the resin loses its properties. To replenish chlorine ions, a special regenerating salt is required. It restores the number of negatively charged particles in the ion exchanger.

The harder the water, the more actively the dishwasher uses salt.

The first task facing the user is determining the hardness of the tap water. This will determine the softener settings, i.e., how much salt the machine will use per cycle. How is this done?

• purchase special test strips and measure the indicator, following the instructions on the package;
• call your local water utility and get more information;
• look up the level of hardness in special information tables compiled for each region of Russia;
• You can determine the water hardness yourself, by eye, using laundry soap. To do this, lather a small cotton cloth with it. If the soap bar and cloth don't lather well, your water is hard.

The next step for a Bosch dishwasher user is adjusting the water softener. This entire process is described in the appliance's manual. You can set the water hardness to one of seven levels. The lower the level, the more economical the dishwasher will be in using salt.

If the water in your region is soft, you don't need to use salt separately; you can use only 3-in-1 tablets. It's important to keep in mind that tap water hardness can vary seasonally, so add granules to the reservoir promptly.

Bosch dishwashers only allow the use of 3-in-1 tablets, without salt, for water hardness levels up to 210 dH. If the hardness is higher, regenerating granules must be added to the special compartment.

Hard water not only negatively impacts the internal components of your dishwasher, leading to premature failure. It also causes whitish stains on dishes and reduces cleaning performance. Therefore, don't skimp on salt—it's not harmful, it's purely beneficial.

The product isn't expensive. A 1.5-kilogram pack of salt can be purchased for $1.50–$2. This isn't such a significant expense that it's debatable whether using granules is worth it.

So, the amount of salt you add to your dishwasher isn't critical. The important thing is to ensure that the granules are always in the compartment. A special indicator on the dishwasher's control panel will help with this. It will light when the machine has used up almost all of its crystals.

   

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