How to Test Water Temperature
Higher water temperature is needed to dissolve grease
and activate powder detergents. If the water temperature
is less than
140°F.,
use the WATER HEAT BOOST
option. See WATER HEAT BOOST section.
Check your water temperature with a candy or meat
thermometer. Turn on the hot water faucet nearest
the dishwasher. Put the thermometer in a glass and
let the water run continuously into the glass until the
temperature stops rising. If the water temperature is
below
120°F.,
adjust your water heater.
Helpful hints: If outside temperatures are unusually
low, or if your water travels a long distance from water
heater to dishwasher, you may need to set your water
heater’s thermostat up. If you have not used hot water
for some time, the water in the pipes will be cold. Turn
on the hot water faucet at the sink and allow it to run
until the water is hot. Then start the dishwasher. If
you’ve recently done laundry or run hot water for
showers, give your water heater time to recover before
operating the dishwasher.
To improve washability if the water is less than
120°F.
and you cannot adjust your water heater: Select a longer
cycle and
fill
both detergent cups at least half-full with
detergent.
How to Use a Rinse Agent
The rinse agent makes water flow off dishes
quicker than usual. This lessens water spotting
and makes drying faster, too.
For best
dishwashing
performance, use of a rinse
agent such as JET-DRY brand is recommended.
Rinse agents come in either liquid or solid form.
Your dishwasher uses the liquid form.
HOW to
fill
the rinse agent dispenser. .
‘“’~~
Unscrew the cap. Add liquid rinse agent
until it just reaches the bottom of the lip
inside the dispenser opening. Replace the
T
fk
cap. The dispenser automatically releases
FULL
the rinse
agent
into the final rinse water.
If you accidentally spill: Wipe up the rinse
agent with a damp cloth. Don’t leave the spill in the
dishwasher. It can keep your detergent from working.
If you can’t find any rinse agent, write:
BENCKISER CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
(“JET-DRY”)
Corporate Centre
1
55 Federal Road
P.O.
Box 1991
Danbury, CT 06813-1991
How to Choose and Use the Right Detergent
First, use only powder or liquid
detergent specifically made for
use in dishwashers. Other types
will cause oversudsing.
Second, check the phosphate
content.
Phosphate helps prevent
hard-water materials from forming
spots or film on your dishes. If your
water is hard (7 grains or more),
your detergent has to work harder.
Detergents with a higher phosphate
level
will
probably work better. If
the phosphate content is low
(8.7Yo
or less), you’ll have to use extra
detergent with hard water.
6
Your water department can tell
you how hard your water is. So
can your county extension agent or
your area’s water softener company.
Just
call
and ask them how many
“grains”
of hardness there are in
your water.
How much detergent
should
you
use?
That depends. Is your water
“hard” or “soft”? With hard water,
you need extra detergent to get
dishes clean. With soft water, you
need less detergent.
Too much detergent with soft water
not only wastes money, it can be
harmful. It can cause a permanent
cloudiness of glassware, called
“etching.” An outside layer of glass
is etched away! Of course, this takes
some time. But why take a chance
when it’s easy to find out the
hardness of your water.
Keep your detergent fresh and dry.
Under the sink isn’t a good place to
store detergent because there is too
much moisture. Don’t put powder
detergent into the dispenser until
you’re ready to wash dishes, either. (It
won’t be fresh OR dry.)
If your powder detergent gets old
or lumpy, throw it away.
Old
detergent often won’t dissolve. If you
use a liquid dishwasher detergent,
these precautions are not necessary
because liquid detergents don’t
“lump” as they age or come
in contact with moisture.
