Good drainage provides the best drying. It is not necessary to rinse items before loading them. • Place dinner plates, side plates, serving dishes and saucepans on the bottom rack. • Load crystal and glass so that it does not knock together during the wash cycle. Use the lowest wash temperature and shortest wash cycle possible. Do not heat dry crystal. • To minimize noise, do not allow pots and pans to touch. Also keep large items from touching the sides of your dishwasher. Operating Your Dishwasher Filling the Detergent Dispenser caution • • Do not use hand dish washing detergents. They will create excessive foaming that interferes with proper operation. Using too much dish washing detergent, can cause a permanent film called etching. important • • • Do not use detergent that is clumped or has been wet. Store dry detergent in a cool dry place to prevent caking. Fill the detergent dispenser just prior to starting your dishwasher. Detergent will harden if it sits too long. Also check the package for detergent that is expired. Dacor recommends granular (powdered) automatic dish washing detergent. “All-in-one”, “multi-purpose” or “complete” dish washing detergents are not recommended. • If the detergent dispenser lid is closed, press the release button to open it. Release button • The detergent dispenser has two compartments; the smaller pre-wash compartment, and the main wash compartment (see diagram at right). The pre-wash compartment empties into the dishwasher when the door is closed. The main wash compartment releases detergent automatically during the main wash cycle. NOTE: When running the Quick Wash cycle, Dacor recommends that you do not add detergent to the pre-wash compartment. • See the Water Hardness Table for the amount of detergent recommended. The recommended amounts shown are intended to provide properly cleaned dishes, free of film and spotting for the water hardness in your area. You may need to adjust the detergent by small amounts until you get the best results. Harder water requires more detergent. • Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). Contact your water company for the water hardness in your area. 12 gpg and higher is extremely hard water and detergent alone may not be enough. You may need to use a water softener to maximize the dishwasher performance at a water hardness above 12 gpg. Also, in areas with 9 gpg and higher water hardness, you may need to wash at a lower temperature to prevent hard water deposits from forming in the dishwasher. • Different brands of dishwasher detergent have different amounts of phosphorous for softening water. In some areas with hard water, you may need to use more detergent if it has less than an 8.7% phosphorous content or change to a detergent brand with more phosphorus. • After loading both compartments according to the table below, close the dispenser lid. Dispenser lid Main wash compartment Pre-wash compartment Water Harness Table Water Hardness (gpg) Amount of Detergent Soft (0-3) Pre-wash: 1 teaspoon Main wash: 1 - 1. tablespoons Medium (4-8) Pre-wash: 1 teaspoon Main wash: 1 - 2 tablespoons Hard (9 and over) Pre-wash: 1 teaspoon Main wash: 2 - 3 tablespoons. 8 Operating Your Dishwasher 2. Carefully pour the rinse agent into the filler holeFilling the Rinse Agent until the rinse agent level is even with the top of the hole. Do not overfill. Dispenser important • • Rinse agent is important to the drying process of the dishware. It also reduces spotting. Dacor recommends that you keep the rinse agent dispenser full at all times. However, some customers with soft water may not need rinse agent. If you have soft water, your dishes may dry better without rinse agent. If you use a dish washing detergent containing a rinse agent additive, do not fill the rinse agent dispenser to avoid a film on the dishes. • The rinse agent indicator on the dispenser turns clear when it is empty. Not empty Empty Rinse agent indicator • The rinse agent dispenser must be properly adjusted. Too little rinse agent will allow spotting and drying problems. Too much rinse agent will cause foaming and streaking. • When the water hardness exceeds 3 gpg, you should use rinse agent with citric acid (acid rinse agent). To refill the rinse agent dispenser: 1. Turn the rinse agent cap counter-clockwise to the open position and lift it out. ClosedOpen 634521MAXFiller hole 3. Wipe up any spillage. 4. Replace the rinse agent cap and turn it clockwise to the closed position. Adjusting the Rinse Agent Dispenser The rinse agent setting is located under the rinse agent cap. To change the setting: 1. Remove the rinse agent cap. 2. If you have spotty or improperly dried dishes, move the arrow to the next higher number. If you have streaks on your dishes, move the arrow to the next lower number. The harder the water, the more rinse agent required for acceptable results. 634521MAXMove arrow to adjust 3. Replace the cap. 4. Check the dishes after the next wash load. Continue adj...