Hotpoint HDA850G - Manual (Page 6)

with water.
To get dishes clean and dry you
need hot water. To help you get
water of the proper temperature,
your
dishwasher has a
WATER BOOST feature
that automatically senses the
temperature of the water in the
wash cycle and heats it, if necessary,
to the proper temperature. This
water heating feature may allow
you to turn down your household
water heater and save energy if
you’re willing to let the dishwasher
run a little longer while it heats
water to the proper temperature.
For good washing and drying, the
entering water must least
To prevent dish damage,
inlet water not exceed
How to test water temperature:
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
adjust your water heater.
Helpful hints: If outside
temperatures are unusually low, or
if your water travels a long distance
from heater to dishwasher, you may
need to set your 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.
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
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
will probably work
better. If the phosphate content is
low (8.7% or less), you’ll have to
use extra detergent with hard water.
Your water department can tell
you how hard your water is. So
can your rural county agent. Or
your area’s water softener company.
Just call and ask them how many
“grains” of hardness is 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! 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. 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
or lumpy, throw it away. It won’t
wash well. 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 water.
6