Hotpoint HDA497K - 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 automatically
heats the water in the wash cycle.
For good washing and drying, the
entering water must beat least
120°F. To prevent dish damage,
inlet water should not exceed
How to test water temperature:
Check the water temperature
inside your dishwasher with a
candy or meat thermometer.
Let the dishwasher run through
one fill and pump out cycle, then
let the dishwasher fill with water
the second time.
When you hear the water stop
filling, unlatch the door and slowly
open it.
Measure the temperature of the
water in the bottom of the tub this
way:
Remove the silverware basket and
place a candy or meat thermometer
the water the middle of
the tub. the temperature is less
than 120°F, you will not get good
washing results. Higher water
temperature is needed to dissolve
grease and activate powder
detergents.
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.
Help prevent spotting
with a rinse agent.
A rinse agent makes water flow off
dishes quicker than
This
lessens water spotting and makes
drying faster, too.
For best performance,
use of a rinse agent such as JET-DRY
brand is recommended.
Rinse agents come in either
or solid form. Your dishwasher
uses the solid form.
If you can’t find any rinse agent,
write:
CONSUMER
INC.
(“JET DRY”)
411 W. Putnam Ave.
Greenwich,
06830
How to choose and use
the right detergent.
First, use only powder or liquid
detergents specifically made for
use in dishwashers. Other types
will cause
Second, check the phosphate
content. Phosphate 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
or less), you’ll have to usc extra
detergent with hard water.
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 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,
“etching.” An outside layer 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. 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. 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.
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