How to replace dishwasher salt

Shocked by the high cost of regenerating salt, which manufacturers recommend to use without fail? No one is against saving money, so PMM owners are often interested in choosing salt for a dishwasher – what to replace and whether cheap analogues can be used. You will find answers to questions below.

How salt works

In order to thoroughly understand how special granules can be replaced, it is worth knowing the principle of their action. The design of the PMM has an ion exchanger, in which hard water coming from the water supply system is softened. The tank initially contains a resin saturated with sodium ions, which attracts calcium and magnesium ions so that they do not turn into scale on the heating element.

Resin gradually wastes its resource, and salt helps it regenerate in order to cope with the task. The substance is poured into the designated compartment (located under the lower dish basket in the hopper – you can open it yourself). If the water is not too hard, it will last for several months, if it is too hard, for several washing cycles. When the salt supply is depleted, the control panel will notify the user with a lit red indicator.

So, it is impossible not to use salt at all, otherwise you will have to change the ion exchanger (it is not repaired). Is it possible to pour ordinary salt instead of special salt – this remains to be seen.

Salt for the dishwasher: what to replace

This is a substance created on the basis of the chemical compound NaCl (sodium-chlorine). In decryption, this is ordinary table salt. You can replace the special equipment with the following drugs:

  • tablets;
  • nautical;
  • capsules “3 in 1”.

Let’s consider each of the options separately.

Food

Ordinary edible salt (rock, table) is supplied to stores with a different composition, which can be judged by the appearance of the granules. In some packs, the granules are larger, in others – small, in one pack the substance may be white, in the other – with a gray tint. The content of grains of sand and impurities is not excluded. This does not change one truth: all table salt is 96-98% NaCl compound. It may contain trace elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and food additives, one of which is E563 (potassium ferrocyanide).

Judging by such a rich composition, experts came to the conclusion that the use of unrefined and untreated salt would be dangerous for the dishwasher. Impurities can remain inside the ion exchanger, which threatens to seriously damage the part.

Attention! If you decide to replace special granules, buy the best processed options – without additives (iodine, spices, etc.). One of these options is “Extra”.

The economical PMM users are divided into two camps – those who use the “Extra” and those who believe that only special substances should be used. Proponents of the cheap method claim that the machine can easily tolerate food-type NaCl, and the consumption is exactly the same. Opponents of savings believe that it is pointless to change the product, since a large pack lasts for a long time, and given this, we are talking about little money, and you should not put the dishwasher at risk.

There is a category of users who use sea salt, but it contains a lot of impurities, including more than 80 minerals. It is practically not processed in the factory, only packaged, so it is definitely not suitable for use in modern dishwashers.

Tablet preparations

This salt is not available in the usual granular form, but in tablets. By the way, edible salt can also be found in tablets – it is produced under the name “Mozyr Universal Salt”. The tablets are made from the Extra. Polissya”, in which there is no E563. A 25 kg package costs about 400 rubles – such a pack is enough for at least 2 years, so the savings are obvious.

Tablets “3 in 1”

This product cannot be called a substitute, because it contains a full range of substances necessary for optimal washing. A tablet is a complex of layers that alternately “reveal” their properties at different stages of the washing cycle:

  • the first two layers are dish detergent with NaCl, which work when the water is heated by a heating element;
  • the third layer is neutral type, activated during the first rinse.
  • the last layer works already during the final rinsing of dishes.

Capsules can be used instead of three products: detergent, rinse and salt. Nothing needs to be poured into the ion exchanger – all processes take place already inside the bunker of the machine. The only “but” worth mentioning is that on short cycles, the tablets do not always fully dissolve, and their components enter the water for the last rinse, which affects the quality of washing dishes (you have to rinse again).

Important! Do not push the three-in-one tablets – this activates the rinse aid during washing, and it does not reach the rinsing process.

They are good, but if you are looking for something to add to save money, they are not for you. When buying a product, read the label carefully: many capsules are effective only at a water hardness level of 21 dH. Otherwise, it is better to use all the tools separately.

Is it worth replacing with analogues

What to use instead of expensive specialized substances? The experts concluded that food tablets would be the best option. Three indisputable facts speak in their favor:

  1. The tablet shape provides long and uniform dissolution to maintain the optimal concentration of ions.
  2. A bag of 25 kg will last for several years.
  3. Convenient bookmark.

Important! If you replace a special tool with another analogue, there is a 99% chance that you will be denied warranty repairs in the event of a breakdown. Put experiments after the expiration of the warranty card.

The decision is yours: to comply with the instructions of the equipment manufacturers or not to “follow” the marketing policy and carry out a replacement. When making a decision, consider the hardness of the water entering the dishwasher.

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