Dishwasher Salt – what's the deal with it then?

So, we discovered it mightily improves our dishwasher's performance (only took four years 🙄 )

But what now? Do we add it with every wash…and if so, how much..cupful, spoonful? Or only once every few weeks?

Sorry…this is a flipping boring question. Every time we come across an insurmountable problem these days, mrs deadly says "Can't you ask on your forum?" 🙂

Depends on your water. We never need any.

Depends on your water

As hard as a [rude metaphor deleted] 🙂

There is normally a compartment in the bottom of the dishwasher for the salt. You should have got a funnel with the dishwasher.

There should be a hole in the bottom of the dishwasher with a vented lid , lift/unscrew the lid and add the salt to it(you can buy dishwasher salt at the supermarket) although I've been led to believe that many modern dishwasher tablets have salt added during manufacture.

Usually there's a light which comes on when it runs out. Fill it up at that point, then leave it till it lights up again. RTFM (-:

The dishwasher salt does not get into the water used for the wash, instead it is used to backflush the water softener element in the water inlet, and is then drained away. This is typically done right at the end of the wash cycle.

If you don't fill the salt compartment when it's indicated you run the real risk that the water softener element will clog up and then the dishwasher needs to be thrown away.

The all-in-one tablets that contain salt are just a marketing ploy. This salt addition doesn't backflush the element so you still need salt in the compartment.

PS – Cougar's right.
PPS – DeadlyDarcy – it's a simile, not a metaphor.

Cheers BJ…sounds right to me. We don't have a salt empty indicator but there is a compartment in there for salt. We fill it up and it just looks like a load of liquid (albeit very salty liquid…ooer) is in there. Is that right?

Darcy, just to recap… RTFM.

There will be a prescribed amount that needs to be poured in.

Thanks for the info BJ. I bought into the "no need for extra salt" tablets. "Ignore the warning light" says I to Mrs C., "the tablets have got salt in them, look at the packaging. It says so right there."

Darcy, just to recap… RTFM.

Grrr! If I had TFM I'd R it. The dishwasher was thrown in when we bought the house. There was no FM when we moved in 🙂

Oh, do they not have rinse aid any more?

Bob Geldof cancelled Rinse Aid last year.

Only on STW could a thread about dishwasher salt be even vaguely amusing! I salute you all…

BigJohn – Member
Bob Geldof cancelled Rinse Aid last year.

😆

deadlydarcy – Member

Grrr! If I had TFM I'd R it. The dishwasher was thrown in when we bought the house. There was no FM when we moved in

I tell you what – just post the make and model up here and I'll Google it for you and see whether there is an on line copy of the manual – you know, possibly on the manufacturers website? Who knows? The internet is full of amazing and wonderful things!

If dishwashers are too complex for you I suggest paper plates. I was going to suggest hand washing of dishes but the whole water / washing up liquid interface might be a step too far.

The salt is used to backflush ion exchange resin. The ion exchange resin is used to swap calcium ions for sodium ions. Over time it becomes depleted (the sodium ions in the resin swap places with calcium ions in the hard water). The dishwasher periodically used the salt to flush out the calcium ions and replace them with more sodium ions from the salt.

If you've got hard water, you need to keep the salt topped up unless you have a water softener in the house.

Put about 800g or so in the compartment in the bottom do this every 4-6 months. I ve never had a machine with a light for empty salt.

It might have a floting indicator though, ours has an orange thing that floats or sinks so you can see it or not.

'Ere TooTall matey, I'll let you have that one for free, on account of me being in such a good mood. I'm sure it wasn't your intention to sound like such a cock.

To the many others who have put up with my sheer stupidity, mrs deadly and I are forever grateful 🙂

So if you live in Scotland, as well as having freedom to ride your bike wherever you can, you also have freedom from the tyranny of dishwasher-salting thanks to the lovely soft water?

I offer to google a manual for you – since you'd not worked that out as a possible solution after four years – and that is the thanks I get?

Me sounding like a c**k compared to you asking the initial question? You'd already trumped me on that one.

[insert the relevant smiley here to avoid you being offended at my dry retort to your quite awful quandry]

Me sounding like a c**k compared to you asking the initial question? You'd already trumped me on that one.

Perhaps you'd like to take your arrogance elsewhere. I admitted it was a rather silly and boring question…but hey look at all the good natured and helpful responses it got. Hey, one person even said it was mildly amusing. Until you came along with your Tourettes fingers.

[insert the relevant smiley here to avoid you being offended at my dry retort to your quite awful quandAry*]

It didn't sound very "dry" to me. It sounded arrogant and ill-thought. And now you're just making it worse by sounding even more pig-headed about it. Why be like that about a bloody dishwasher salt question? Had you been having a bad day? The RTFM manual was "dry" and I appreciated the humour…yours wasn't funny.

* Fixed that for you

Blimey TT this is a high point of sanctimoney, even for you.

I'm a bigger eejit for biting…. 🙄