Asko D3250 User Manual

ASKO

USE AND CARE GUIDE

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

IMPORTANT!

To get the best performance from

your dishwasher, read all operat-

ing instructions before using it for

the first time.

D3120

CONTENTS

BEFORE USING YOUR NEW DISHWASHER 2
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 2
CHILD SAFETY TIPS 2
DISHWASHER FEATURES 3
LOADING THE BASKETS 4
DETERGENT DISPENSER 5
DISHWASHING DETERGENT 5
RINSE AID DISPENSER 6
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS 7
CARE AND CLEANING 8
OVERFILL PROTECTION 9
ENERGY SAVING TIPS 9
SOLUTIONS TO COMMON DISHWASHING PROBLEMS 10
TROUBLESHOOTING 11
WASHING SPECIAL ITEMS 13
INDEX 14
ASKO PRODUCT WARRANTY 15

Page 1

BEFORE USING YOUR NEW DISHWASHER

♦ Read through this guide before attempting to use

your new dishwasher.

♦ Read the “Washing Special Items” section before

washing any porcelain or china that has “on-glaze”
decoration, crystal glassware, or items of wood or
plastic.

♦ Make sure the door is properly balanced. To do this,

open it a little and release it. It should stay where
you released it. If it doesn’t, consult the Installation
Instructions or contact your installer.

♦ Call your local water company to learn the water

hardness in your area. You’ll need to know this to
determine how much detergent and rinse aid to use.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

This manual does not cover all possible conditions and
situations that may occur. Common sense and caution
should always be used when installing, operating, and
maintaining any appliance.

♦ Read all instructions before using the dishwasher.
♦ Dishwashers must be electrically grounded. Read

the Installation Instructions for details.

♦ Use the dishwasher only for its intended purpose.
♦ Do not run the dishwasher while you are out of the

home.

♦ Use only automatic dishwasher detergents and rinse

agents.

♦ T o reduce the risk of injury , keep detergents and rinse

aids out of the reach of children.

♦ Do not load sharp items near the door; you could

damage the door seal.

♦ Place sharp knives in the silverware basket with the

sharp ends down to avoid the risk of cut-type injuries.

♦ Do not wash plastic items unless they are marked

“dishwasher safe” or the equivalent. For items not
marked, check the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Items not dishwasher safe could become deformed or
melt and create a potential fire hazard.

♦ Do not touch the heating element during or imediately

after use.

♦ Do not operate the dishwasher unless all enclosure

panels are properly in place (i.e., guard plate, access
panel, toe kick, etc.)

♦ Do not tamper with controls by removing or changing.
♦ Do not abuse, sit on, or stand on the dishwasher

door or baskets .

♦ To reduce the risk of injury, do not allow children to

play in or on a dishwasher.

♦ Under certain conditions, hydrogen gas may be

produced in a hot water system that has not been
used for two weeks or more. HYDROGEN GAS IS
EXPLOSIVE. If the hot water system has not been
used for two weeks, before using the dishwasher turn
on all hot water faucets and let the water flow from
each for several minutes. This will release any
accumulated hydrogen gas. As the gas is flammable,
do not smoke or use an open flame during this time.

♦ When removing an old dishwasher from service or

discarding it, remove the door to the washing
compartment.

♦ Do not store or use combustible materials, gasoline,

or other flammable vapors and liquids in the vicinity
of this or any other appliance.

♦ Disconnect electrical power to dishwasher before

servicing.

♦ Repairs should be done by a qualified technician.

CHILD SAFETY TIPS

♦ Dishwasher detergents and rinse aids are corrosive,

so always keep them out of reach of children.

♦ Should a child swallow dishwasher detergent or rinse

aid, give plenty to drink immediately, i.e., one or two
glasses of milk or water. Do not try to induce vomiting.
Seek medical advice immediately: 1-800-POISON1

♦ Always close the door and start the dishwasher as

soon as you put in the detergent.

♦ Always keep small children away from the machine

when it is open. There may be some detergent residue
left inside the machine.

ENGAGING THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK

This model has a child safety lock on the left of the door
handle. To activate the lock, press in the door handle
and use a screwdriver to turn the screw slot to a vertical
position. Reset it by turning the slot to its horizontal
position.

To open the door when the safety lock is engaged, press
the white plastic tab located to the left of the door handle
toward the left and hold it as you lift the door handle.
(See illustration at right.)

Page 2

♦ If dishwasher detergent gets in someone’s eyes, rinse

them with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes.

♦ Do not allow children to use or play in or on the

dishwasher.

♦ Load all long and sharp items in the knife/utensil

basket. If this is not possible, load sharp objects with
the pointed end facing the back of the dishwasher.
Sharp items loaded in the silverware basket should
be loaded with pointed ends down.

♦ Engage the child safety lock. (See below.)

DISHWASHER FEATURES

NOTE: Deviations in features may occur, depending on the model.

Upper Basket

Spray Arms

Cutlery Basket

Lower Basket

Detergent Dispenser

Rinse Aid Dispenser

There is no need to rinse items

before you load the machine,

although larger food particles

should be removed.

Filter

ENGLISH

BASKETS

Upper Basket Lower Basket

Cup shelf

Easy pull-out
handle

Cutlery Basket

Collapsible handle

Cutlery

compartments

Small items

containment lid

Page 3

LOADING THE BASKETS

Your new dishwasher features ASKO’s Super Cleaning
System™. This means that after prewash, mainwash
and intermediate rinse the water is drained out and the
cycle continues with clean water.

LOADING THE UPPER BASKET

After you have scraped off the large food particles, place
glasses, cups, saucers, bowls and small plates in the upper
basket, as illustrated.

The fold-down cup shelf on the left side of the basket gives
you an additional place to stack cups and small bowls.

NOTE: When loading sharp items, always be careful not to
cut the rack coating.

LOADING THE LOWER BASKET

Load larger items in the lower basket, such as, dinner plates,
pots and pans, serving dishes, and casseroles. Be sure to load
dishware facing downward or toward the center of the
dishwasher.

If you plan to start your dishwasher right away, it’ s not
necessary to rinse the dishes. Y ou do, however, need
to scrape off the large particles of food before loading.

LOADING THE SILVERWARE BASKET

The silverware basket is designed with eight compartments to
help keep the silverware separated. Load silverware with the
handles downwards and spread it out as much as possible to
avoid nesting. For safety, load sharp knives with the handles
up.

Avoid placing silverware made of different materials (e.g., silver
and stainless) in the same compartment because of the risk
of discoloration. (See page 13.)

Small Items Containment Lid

The silverware basket has a lid in the middle that snaps down
over the compartments to its left or right to contain small,
lightweight items that might slip through the rack tines or get
washed out of the basket. The small items lid is slotted, so
you also could use it to keep silverware separated, such as
teaspoons.

Small items

containment

lid

When loading silverware, try to avoid
nesting the spoons and forks.

Page 4

DETERGENT DISPENSER

ASKO dishwashers are designed to be energy efficient.
Because the machine uses less water than conventional
dishwashers, you also use less detergent and rinse aid.
Generally, only one tablespoon of detergent is needed
for a normal wash load. The amount of detergent needed
for your dishes, however, could be more, depending on
the hardness of the water in your area. (See below.) Also,
more heavily soiled items need more detergent.

Measure and place detergent for the main wash into the
large detergent compartment. The detergent for prewash
goes into the small compartment to the right of the main
wash compartment. Y ou should use one-half the amount
of detergent for the prewash that you use for the main
wash. The amount of detergent used for the main

wash and prewash combined should never be over
three tablespoons.

Always add the detergent just before starting the
dishwasher, otherwise it could get damp and won’t
dissolve properly.

DISHWASHING DETERGENT

We recommend that you use only unscented, granular
automatic dishwashing detergent. Using the wrong
detergent could cause flooding and/or damage your
dishwasher. Do not use detergent that has been wet and
is clumped. Also, check the expiration date on the
container.

The amount of detergent needed can vary due to
differences in water hardness. To determine the water
hardness in your area, contact your local water utility or
area water softening company. The harder the water,
the more detergent you may need. Refer to the chart

Prewash Detergent

Compartment

Dispenser Lid
Lever

Main Wash
Detergent
Compartment

WARNING!

Dishwasher detergent is corrosive! Take care to
keep it out of reach of children.

NOTE: We recommend that you do not add

prewash detergent for the Quick wash
program.

below for the recommended detergent amounts based
on water hardness. Remember, you should adjust the
amount of detergent you use by small amounts until you
find the correct amount.

NOTE: We recommend that you do not add

prewash detergent for the Quick wash
program.

NOTE: If you use a dishwashing detergent with a

rinse aid additive, you should not fill the
rinse aid dispenser. This could cause a
film on your dishes.

Rinse Aid
Level Indicator

Rinse Aid
Compartment

Detergent
Compartment Lid

RECOMMENDED DETERGENT AMOUNTS

BASED ON WATER HARDNESS

WATER HARDNESS

Soft

(0-3 grains per gallon)

Medium

(4-8 grains per gallon)

Hard

(9+ grains*)

* 12 grains and higher is extremely hard water. See below for more details.

Twelve grains and higher is extremely hard water and
detergent alone may not be enough. You may need to
use a water softener to maximize the performance of
your dishwasher. Also, in areas with extremely hard water
(9+) you may need to wash at lower temperatures to
prevent hard water deposits from forming in tank and
wash system.

In hard water areas, both the dishes and the machine
can develop a white or gray film after a while. This can

Prewash
Main wash
Prewash
Main wash
Prewash
Main wash

DETERGENT AMOUNTS

1 teaspoon
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon
1 to 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoons
2 to 3 tablespoons

be removed by replacing the prewash detergent with two
tablespoons of citric acid. If the water is very hard, use a
rinse aid that contains citric acid.

Different brands of dishwasher detergent have different
amounts of phosphorous for softening water. If you have
hard water and use a detergent with less than 8.7%
phosphorous content, you may need to use more
detergent or use a detergent with more than 8.7%
phosphorous content.

Page 5