Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

[ChrisB]

I hope someone can help. I have the above appliance which has been great but recently it has been leaving crockery with white streaks. I noticed that the salt dispenser did not fill up when I put more salt in – just a small amount at the bottom. When I opened it up and felt inside, it was full with water! I assume water should not get into this area but it has. Presumably, at some stage, it did not close the salt door correctly.

Any idea on how I can dry it out – if this is what is required?

[eastlmark]

Re: Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

This is a table top dishwasher, in general you would expect to find water in the salt container, you do need to fill up with salt (which should displace the water) and monitor how quick it goes, if it all goes in one wash then that would indicate a problem. Assuming this is not the case, have you checked the spray arms are not blocked? If possible remove them and shake out any debris through the large centre hole and flush water through it to make sure that even the slightest thing is not blocking the jets and, once re- fitted, that they are free to spin. Check also that the rinse aid is kept topped up.

[admin]

Re: Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

Just to eliminate……… are you using 3 in 1 tablets thus giving twice the salt amount ?

[admin]

Re: Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

Thanks for your replies. It’s a relief to find that there SHOULD be water in the salt container! I know it sounds a bit dim but I’ve never bothered to check! I’ve been using this machine (2nd one) for several years and never realised.

However, the salt goes into a sort of cup (no tablets with this machine) which you insert into a hole, turn it and it empties the salt. There is a window where you can see how high/low the salt is and this normally fills with salt at this point. But this is not happening. I can see about half an inch of salt at the bottom and above that water (I assume), even when I fill the cup and put it in. So where is the salt going?

I cleaned it out this afternoon. Did find a bit of glass in the filter which I’ve removed.

I also removed as much salt as I could (not an easy task as the salt container is not really accessible) to see if it clears what must be a blockage somewhere.

I did run a wash and the glasses came up clean but the salt container definitely isn’t quite as it should be.

[clivejameson]

Re: Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

Hi
Firstly you need to establish what exactly is causing the white streaks.
If it wipes off easily and can be dissolved with lemon juice or vinegar then it is chalk that has been left in the water because it hasn’t been softened properly.
If the white deposit tastes of salt then you undoubtedly have a faulty softener which cannot be reapaired, just replaced.
If the deposits are difficult to remove with a DRY cloth then it is more likely that the wash water was not clean enough (blocked filter/spray arms usually)

It is possible that a little salt was left in the salt reservoir window leading you to believe there was sufficient, thus putting more in would not show in the window until you had put in more than one dose.

If the softener has a problem it is unlikely to be repairable, but should be replaceable…i’m sure others here can provide a price for you though obviously this sort of repair would need an engineer.

Clive

[admin]

Re: Bosch Compact Dishwasher SKT500 – Salt problem

It can be wiped off easily. In fact, my glasses came out very clean when I did them yesterday. I just noticed that the mugs were chalky. The salt container takes about one cup (once virtually empty) and the indicator goes up to the top immediately – usually. W

When it got low about a week ago, I put a cup full in but the indicator stayed as it was, although the salt went in. I have now taken out as much salt as I can and am currently running a cleaner through the machine to see if this helps. I have also removed a slight blockage in the filter which was the piece of glass.

Thanks for perservering with this – I realise it’s virtually impossible to analyse a problem remotely but wanted to try and get an idea before calling an engineer. These machines are not that costly and usually not worth repairing – although I have only had this one for about a y er and a half so it’s not quite ready for the scrapheap! I’ll keep you posted.

Chris

[Penguin45]

Softener unit is p/no 286906 @ £64.27 plus VAT etc. Only if required of course.

Regards,
Penguin45.

[Author]

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