Maytag MEC7430W dimensions Water hardness and dishwashing, What is water hardness?

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Water hardness and dishwashing

What is water hardness?

Hard water is water with a high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. In soft water, this concentration is low. Water hardness varies by geographical location.

How does water hardness affect dishwashing?

Hard water can be detrimental to the peformance of your DishDrawer. Over time, glassware washed in hard water will become opaque and dishes will become spotted or covered in a white film. Using very hard water can cause DishDrawer parts to fail over time.

Naturally soft or softened water has no detrimental effects if used with the correct amount of detergent. However, excess detergent combined with hot, soft water may cause irreversible etching on glassware. Etching first appears as a rainbow-coloured film and—if allowed to continue—can make glassware permanently opaque.

What can I do to minimise any detrimental effects?

Contact your local water company to find out about water hardness in your area.

If your home has hard water and your DishDrawer has no built-in water softener… Follow the detergent quantity recommendations on the following page.

Use a detergent with high phosphate content. Phosphate softens the water and this improves wash results.

Use rinse aid. We recommend you turn the rinse aid setting to 5 to help improve wash performance.

Use a dishwasher cleaner/descaler regularly, or whenever you notice a build-up of limescale deposits in your DishDrawer.

Important!

We recommend fitting a water softener to the household water supply. If the water hardness in your home is above 250 ppm/14.6 gpg, a water softener has to be fitted to maintain the performance of your DishDrawer.

If your home has naturally soft or softened water…

Avoid using too much detergent. Follow the quantity recommendations on the following page. Ensure the DishDrawer is not overloaded and water can reach all the dishes.