Hardwater accumulations in dishwasher beyond repair?

[nonsense]

I had posted earlier about a dishwasher that was leaving cloudy residue in everything. Plus it was not cleaning properly either. The excellent replies said to clean it out with vinegar. So I tried several applications of vinegar and stronger citric acids and baking soda to no avail. Here are some pictures that show the problem. The glass on the left was dried in dish rack while the one in the right is from the dishwasher.

Could it be the hardwater deposits have accumulated so much that they are beyond repair? The dishwasher was only used for a year ( it is rental property ). What is confusing is if there is hard water problem , then how did the glass that was dried outside have no spots on it? I recall the property used to have very hard water, but could it be now it doesn't? Does city water change with time?

[Kenneth]

Howdy,

I would suggest a different approach...

What sort of DW detergent are you using?

Is it a powder, a gel, something else?

Do you measure it out, or is it pre-measured?

I ask because you may be looking at residue from the detergent.

Particularly if you are not doing full loads, I would suggest that you cut back on the amount of detergent you are using. You also might want to experiment with other brands.

All the best,

[nonsense]

We tried lemi-shine and gel. For the picture of the cloudy glass I used the gel to fill the cup and put vinegar in the rinse. The dishwasher only had a few glasses in it, so probably there was too much detergent for the quantity of dishes. But should that matter much?

[SteveBell]

Have you tried using more dishwasher detergent? A large part of what's in there is stuff to counteract hard water. It could be as simple as a ton of table salt. I used to put in just a little detergent when I only had a few dishes, and they came out cloudier than if I used a full dose. Be sure to fill both cups.

I just noticed in your photos that you're using a liquid detergent. Try switching to a powered one. I use Electrosol--it's the cheapest 'round here, and it works.

You might also try just adding a few tablespoons of salt to the wash as an experiment.

[ransley]

I dont see an issue except the wrong dishwasher detergent

[nonsense]

The tenant's tried lemi-shine and electrosol with the same result.

[Norminn]

I switched to Cascade liquid from their powder and get no cloudy dishes. Hubby fills the cup with deterg. but I generally use about 2/3 or so. Clean, no spots.

[hallerb]

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if the water isnt hot enough the detergent doesnt dissolve properly....

i fixed it by turning up my water heater alittle

[nonsense]

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I'll look into that, but I am fairly sure the water heater is set to the normal setting and is working correctly. Should it be set to high?

[Kenneth]

Hello again,

Yes, it might...

My understanding is that the "blue haze" sort of problem is often due to using too much detergent too frequently. It etches the surface of the glass producing the haze.

My guess is that you have no mineral problem...

All the best,

[hallerb]

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at least 130 degrees, mine was set a bit lower after a 4 year old visited:( yucky washing till i realized what happened

[daszkiew2000]

ts.- Hide quoted text -

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Change DW detergent from Value Time to some better brand. It will work. Guaranteed.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

This is a rental unit, right? Be careful setting it up as there is a code for maximum temperature. Most DW have a booster that will heat the water to the proper temperature.

That glass sis nasty looking. I'd check the temperature, the water hardness, and I'd also check to see that the unit is operating properly. The spray arms may be clogged or not spinning, thus the residue on the dishes. Could be the pump is on the way out.

[hallerb]

looking at photo its a low end unit, at 6.2 amps it probably wasnt designed to heat water......

might be better to just replace the unit.

[nonsense]

Thanks for all the replies. I think my next step is to run it without any soap. If there is still the same white residue on the dishes then it means it must be coming from the inside. Otherwise it is a problem with the soap/temperature/rinse agent.

[Larry]

Google this: haze on glasses dishwasher

You'll get some very good info re your problem

Larry

[Kenneth]

Howdy,

Your test should be done on a piece of glass that has no haze at the outset. If the problem is the sort of etching I have suggested, it will not be removed.

All the best,

[Norminn]

When I have had haze on glassware in the dw it was from too much detergent. I cleared it up by rinsing with vinegar. That is not the same as etching, which is permanent.