Do I need to add salt if I use Finish dishwasher tablets?
Many users wonder if they need to add salt to the dishwasher when using Finish tablets? The packaging of the detergent indicates that the 3-in-1 capsules already contain both salt crystals and rinse aid. Let's figure out how reasonable such savings will be and whether it will harm the dishwasher.
Should I add additional salt to the PMM tank?
To answer this question, you need to understand why salt is needed in the first place. It is required to ensure resin regeneration in the dishwasher ion exchanger. Salt crystals soften tap water, protecting the machine from scale and limescale deposits.
The harder the water in the pipes, the more intensely the dishwasher’s ion exchanger works, and the more salt the machine will consume. You can find out the level of water hardness by calling the city water utility service. It is also easy to measure the indicator at home, using special test strips.
Salt consumption is manually adjusted by the PMM user. Having found out the water hardness coefficient, turn the mechanical switch on the machine to the desired position. The process of adjusting the softener is described in more detail in the equipment instructions.
There are several regions in Russia with soft tap water. The “lucky” people living there do not need to use salt at all. In this case, it is acceptable for the ion exchanger not to work. You don’t even have to spend money on multifunctional 3-in-1 tablets, but buy the cheapest detergent and rinse aid - it won’t make your machine any worse.
If the water is of medium hardness, it is enough to use 3 in 1 tablets containing salt. Additionally, there is no need to pour salt crystals into a special compartment of the dishwasher. Capsules will cope with maintaining the performance of the ion exchanger.
When the water has a high hardness coefficient, it is imperative to use special salt, in addition to 3 in 1 tablets. In this case, it is better not to skimp, otherwise the dishwasher will fail faster. Users need to properly configure the PMM softener and remember to periodically pour salt into the tray.
Avoid using salt in addition to 3 in 1 tablets in regions with low or medium water hardness.
If the water in the region is hard, then it is better not to skimp on salt. The salt granules contained in 3 in 1 tablets will not be enough to ensure normal operation of the ion exchanger. Then it will quickly fail and expensive dishwasher repairs will be required.
Inexpensive replacement for specialty salt
In principle, a special regenerating agent for PMM is inexpensive. One and a half kilograms of salt Finish can be purchased for $1-2. A package of this volume will last, on average, six months.
However, many users are looking for any way to save money, so they are trying to find an even cheaper substitute for special regenerating salt for PMM. As an analogue, housewives choose:
- regular table salt;
- sea salt;
- table salt tablets.
Regular table salt is not a good substitute. It contains impurities that are harmful to the dishwasher's ion exchanger. In addition, it does not dissolve well and cakes in the PMM tray.
You shouldn't choose sea salt either. It contains even more harmful impurities - about 80 minerals that should not enter the PMM ion exchanger.When a dishwasher softener passes only 1 kg of such crystals through itself, it will lose 90% of its functionality and simply stop working.
Table salt in tablets is also not the best, but an acceptable option for PMM. It is very cheap, a bag weighing 25 kg can be bought for pennies, it does not cake in the tank, and its harm to the ion exchanger has not been proven. Since regenerating salt is relatively inexpensive, it is better not to look for workarounds, but to buy a special product for dishwashers.
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Why is the composition of tableted salt dangerous for the PMM ion exchanger, if tableted salt is intended for water softening stations for the whole house, cottage, where it performs the same function - regenerates the ion exchange resin?
When writing the article, the author made a semantic error in the text. The error has been corrected. Indeed, salt in tablets for water softening stations in dishwashers is used and its harm to the ion exchanger of the dishwasher has not been proven by PMM manufacturers. Thank you for your attention!