Dishwasher salt

TimSynths

Dishwasher salt. I've watched a youtube vid as in 20 years Ive never added any-I don't use it much, it looks dead simple but ive just opened the cap and its full of water- is it meant to be?

If not- I need to find a way to get the water out.

daveyjp

Its normal for it to be full of water.

TimSynths

Thank you!

NeverTooLate

Pour the salt in and it displaces the water.

Apodemus

If you've not needed dishwasher salt for 20 years, why start now?

If you are in a soft water area you don't need it.

TimSynths

Apodemus said:

If you've not needed dishwasher salt for 20 years, why start now?

If you are in a soft water area you don't need it.

All my friends and neighbours use it- id never heard of it. In 20 years Ive got through 1.5 boxes of dishwasher tabs- one box came free with the machine. I probably use it twice a year- mainly to wash the extractor fan filters. Ive ordered some now so will have a play this weekend. 

Apodemus

TimSynths said:

Apodemus said:

If you've not needed dishwasher salt for 20 years, why start now?

If you are in a soft water area you don't need it.

All my friends and neighbours use it- id never heard of it. In 20 years Ive got through 1.5 boxes of dishwasher tabs- one box came free with the machine. I probably use it twice a year- mainly to wash the extractor fan filters. Ive ordered some now so will have a play this weekend. 

I'm willing to bet that most of my friends and neighbours use dishwasher salt too...but that doesn't mean they are not wasting their money!  The industry doesn't really want people to know that there are places where it serves no useful function!

Glad you've found a use for the machine, though - a dishwasher is an incredibly useful tool for degreasing all sorts of mechanical bits'n'pieces!  

NeverTooLate

Your water company will have a page where you put in your postcode and it will tell you how hard your water is and therefore whether you need the salt. My dishwasher has a dial that you set depending on how hard the water is, it dispenses the correct amount of salt.
Don't know if all dishwashers have that.

MoneyMate

Apodemus said:

If you've not needed dishwasher salt for 20 years, why start now?

If you are in a soft water area you don't need it.

If there is no scale in the machine (not using Dishwasher Salt ) you are probably in a soft water area. https://www.scaleguard.co.uk/hard-water-areas.html

casper_gutman

Supermarkets will flog you all kinds of things you don't need. I live in a soft water area, but there are shelf-loads of dishwasher salt. They also do a roaring trade in food waste bin liners, even though the council gives away free ones and will even deliver them to your door for nothing if you click a button on their website!

thegreenone

casper_gutman said:

food waste bin liners, even though the council gives away free ones and will even deliver them to your door for nothing if you click a button on their website!

In my dreams.  Not this council.

When my glassware is looking murky, I know I need to top up the salt.