Dishwasher salt - now a thing

[Perd Hapley]

We just moved, and the "new" house comes with a new, Bosch dishwasher. From time to time, apparently, the dishwasher needs salt. Not just any salt, supposedly, but extra-special dishwasher salt. At the stores we've checked around here (hardware stores, appliance stores, grocery stores) no one has even heard of "dishwasher salt."

Ordered this stuff from Amazon, which is specifically for the model in our kitchen.


Anybody else run into this issue?

[Kingcreek]

Can you use some of that if you run out of margarita salt?

[BobR]

What if you have a water  softener already, does it make it super soft?

bob

[bedlamite]

Can you use some of that if you run out of margarita salt?

In theory, yes.

https://fredsappliance.com/service/dishwasher-salt-use/

[K Frame]

I've heard that dishwashers connected to either soft or supersoft water have a problem with etching glassware.

[Brad Johnson]

Only works if the dishwasher has an integrated softener.

Brad

[K Frame]

I had no idea they were now making dishwashers with built in water softeners. Interesting.

[Perd Hapley]

I had no idea they were now making dishwashers with built in water softeners. Interesting.

It's my very first time being an early adopter.

[Jim147]

Nice like Bosch needed to add something else to go wrong.

[Brad Johnson]

I had no idea they were now making dishwashers with built in water softeners. Interesting.

It's a new thing but I'm not yet convinced it's a good thing. Lab glass washers have had internal softening systems for decades but it's just now making its way to residential units. To me it'd just be one more thing to service, or to leak over time, though I suppose it isn't much removed from having to refill the JetDry reservoir every so often. At the very least it'll make for nice clean dishes.

Also, resin beds eventually need replacing, though I'm guessing the resin bed lifespan is roughly equivalent to that of the average residential dishwasher so it may not be an issue.

As for the salt... I'd bet a good hamburger that water softener salt crystals (not pellets) are probably the same thing as "dishwasher salt" with the only difference being cost - fifty cents a pound versus three bucks.

Brad

[Pb]

Nice like Bosch needed to add something else to go wrong.

 

[AJ Dual]

Here's the stuff they took out of the dishwasher detergent a few years back. Adding a teaspoon or two of this to every load will get you much better results.

https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Tripolyphosphate-Super-Cleans-Grade/dp/B01JDX5ASQ/

[charby]

I've heard that dishwashers connected to either soft or supersoft water have a problem with etching glassware.

Not mine, off my softener, I have had hard water etching in the past.

[BobR]

Here's the stuff they took out of the dishwasher detergent a few years back. Adding a teaspoon or two of this to every load will get you much better results.

https://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Tripolyphosphate-Super-Cleans-Grade/dp/B01JDX5ASQ/

Before the removal was universal in the US we had it removed in WA but still available in ID so we would make trips to ID to buy dishwasher detergent on a regular basis. We went for other things but that was added to the list. Now it doesn't matter. :(