Repairs
Dishwasher Salt and Dishwasher Detergent Do Different Jobs
Pouring detergent into the salt reservoir, or skipping salt because the detergent claims to be 'all-in-one,' leaves hard-water spotting uncured in most machines.
Dishwashers with a built-in softener use resin beads to strip calcium and magnesium from incoming water. Dishwasher salt (pure sodium chloride) periodically flushes and regenerates that resin. Detergent, even the multi-tablet kind marketed as replacing salt, has no ion-exchange function — it's a surfactant and enzyme blend for cleaning food residue.
In genuinely hard-water areas, skipping salt lets limescale build up on heating elements and glassware, showing up as cloudy glasses and a machine that runs less efficiently over time. 'All-in-one' tablets work fine in softer water but underperform once hardness rises above roughly 15-20 grains per gallon.
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