Hotpoint HDA489 - Manual (Page 6)

Good starts
with HOT water.
To 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 be at least
To prevent dish damage,
inlet water should not exceed
How to test water temperature:
Higher water temperature is
needed to dissolve grease and
activate powder detergents. Check
your water temperature with a
candy or meat thermometer. Turn
on the hot water
nearest the
dishwasher. Put the thermometer in
a
and let the water run
continuously into the until
the temperature stops rising. the
water temperature is below
adjust your water heater.
Helpful outside
temperatures are unusually 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
and you
cannot adjust your water heater:
Select a longer cycle and fill both
detergent cups at least half-full
with detergent.
6
How to use a rinse agent...
A rinse agent makes water
dishes quicker than usual. 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 liquid
or
form. Your dishwasher
uses the liquid form.
How to fill the rinse agent
dispenser. Unscrew the cap. Add
the liquid rinse agent until it just
reaches the bottom of the inside
the dispenser opening. Replace the
cap. The dispenser automatically
releases the rinse agent into the
final rinse
If you accidentally 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:
CONSUMER
PRODUCTS, INC.
(“JET-DRY”)
41 W. Putnam Ave.
Greenwich, CT 06830
,
‘ /’
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
(8.7% or less), you’ll have to
use extra detergent with hard water.
Your water department can
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. 1s 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
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. 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.