Poor quality tap water is dangerous not only for humans, but also for any household appliances with which it is in direct contact. A dishwasher, be it Bosch, Siemens or Ariston, is no exception. To protect expensive equipment from premature breakdowns and maintain the proper quality of washing dishes, you need to take care of improving the quality of the water itself. The installation of a special filtering device will help to solve the problem. What is a water supply filter for a dishwasher and how to choose the right one, we will describe in this article.
Do I need a water filter?
Most dishwashers have a partial cleaning system in their design. It includes:
- The filter of deep (rough) cleaning which is installed on the inlet valve. It cleans water from fine dirt, sand, and rust before it enters the machine.
- Built-in ion exchanger. It reduces its rigidity, thereby protecting the heating elements of the machine from scale formation, and also improves the quality of washing dishes.
Often these standard tools are not enough. The instantaneous cleaner is not able to cope with excessive amounts of heavy metals. The ion exchanger needs constant updating (regular replenishment of special softening salt, which is used in dishwashers). The volume of ionic material is small, so with increased stiffness it is consumed much faster.
A complete solution to this problem is the installation of filters that can both soften the water (with increased hardness) and clean it of various impurities.
How to determine which filter is needed? First of all, you need to know the quality of tap water in order to understand what impurities it contains. You can do this in the following ways:
- Conduct laboratory analysis. This method is the most reliable, but expensive. Based on the results obtained in the laboratory, the right tool is selected.
- Use special test strips. With their help, you can determine the stiffness, pH level and so on. Indications of such special devices are less reliable. But the data is enough to determine which particular cleaner is needed.
- Conduct your own observation. Watch how quickly limescale forms in the kettle. Take a look at the transparency of the water that runs from the tap. Perhaps you “catch” an odor in it. Sometimes such information is quite enough to pick up one or another cleaner.
Having clarified all the "water problems", you can safely go to buy additional protection for your equipment.
Softening Filters
The choice of softeners is quite large. Polyphosphate or salt devices are popular among users, as they are easy to install and operate.
The design is a plastic flask with a filler (food grade sodium polyphosphate) inside. Softening occurs due to a chemical reaction: polyphosphate salts dissolve in the fluid passing through it and form a protective film. It is she who binds hardness salts and prevents them from settling on the vulnerable parts of dishwashers.
Such softeners are installed in the inlet hose, immediately before the PMM. And their operation is the timely filling of a new reagent.
It is impossible to install polyphosphate softeners on a common water supply, since the liquid after salt treatment will become unfit for drinking.
Well-proven water purifiers for dishwashers, such as:
- Aquafor Stiron. Inexpensive and economical softener. One filling is enough for about 400 wash cycles.
- Prio® New Water B120. The resource of one filling before replacement is enough for six months (depends on the frequency of use of the equipment).
As an alternative to polyphosphate cleaners, a reagent-free softener with a magnetic principle can be used.
Under the influence of a magnetic field, the ions of hardness salts lose their properties, therefore, there is simply nothing to form of lime sediment from. Such devices have a long service life and high efficiency, but at the same time they are very expensive.
Coarse Filters
Such devices are intended exclusively for mechanical cleaning of water from impurities (sand, rust), but not for its softening. They are installed in the same place as salt ones - in front of the dishwasher.
They are also unpretentious in installation and operation. But they have a significant drawback: they have to be cleaned very often, since they are quickly clogged with garbage.
The coarse filter device integrated in the dishwasher performs a slightly different, but no less important function. It prevents clogging of the drain hose and the circulation pump, trapping the remnants of food, napkins and other small debris after washing the dishes.
The operation of many important PMM nodes depends on its proper functioning. In all dishwashers, whether they are Hans brand, Beko or Whirlpool appliances, it looks almost the same. But if you need to replace it, then you should select the original spare part from a specific manufacturer.
Do they put filters for different purposes at the same time? Definitely yes. Moreover, an integrated approach to solving this problem is recommended to be used both by specialists and manufacturers of household appliances themselves. Whether or not to install additional softeners and cleaners for the dishwasher is up to you. But if you are counting on the long and high-quality work of your equipment, you should not refuse it.