KitchenAid KUDS30SXBL, KUDS30SXWH, KUDS30SXSS, KUDE60SXSS Instruction Sheet

Dishwasher Water

Softener System

User Instructions

IMPORTANT: You must prepare your water softener unit for the first use. Please read all of these instructions.

The level of your water hardness directly affects your dishwasher’s performance. The dishwasher is equipped with a built-in water softener that uses special salt to adjust wash water to the optimal hardness level. Optimal water hardness level is important to help avoid hard water buildup (calcium and lime scale deposits) throughout the wash system, and to provide ideal water conditions to deliver outstanding results.

USE ONLY WATER SOFTENER SALT SPECIALLY FORMULATED FOR DISHWASHERS.

Soft SpringTM dishwasher salt can be purchased at www.kitchenaid.com/accessories.

Testing Your Water

The correct setting of the dishwasher’s water softener depends on your local water hardness. This can be determined by using the test strip that is included with these instructions.

After 1 minute, the red discoloration of									Water Hardness Level	Dishwasher Water	Salt Needed in
the test area on the strip will show the										Softener Setting	Salt Container
water hardness level
4 green									<70 ppm soft	1	No
									71-124 ppm moderately hard		Yes
1 red										2
									125-249 ppm hard		Yes
2 red										3
									250-380 ppm very hard		Yes
3 red										4
4 red									>380 ppm extremely hard	5*	Yes

*If you think your water is much harder than the highest setting, you can set the dishwasher water softener to 6 (>500 ppm) or 7 (>625 ppm).

1.Dip the test area of the strip into HOT water from your kitchen sink for 1 second (or pass under a gentle water stream), and shake off any excess water.

2.After 1 minute, compare the result on the test strip to the table above.

NOTE: Water hardness can vary according to season. Adjustment of the dishwasher water softener setting may be necessary to maintain peak performance.

Setting the Dishwasher Water Softener

Based on your water hardness results, if your dishwasher water softener setting is “3” (2 red squares) then no further action is required since this is the factory default setting. Continue to “Filling the Salt Container” section.

1.Make sure the dishwasher is in Programming or Standby Mode. This means that the dishwasher is not running a cycle. All lights are off.

2.Press and hold NORMAL WASH and CANCEL buttons at the same time for 3 seconds to enter Dishwasher Setting Mode. These are the only 2 buttons that will work in this setting mode.

3.After 3 seconds, the following button lights will begin to flash: Normal Wash, Hi-Temp Scrub, Heat Dry or ProDry. Once these lights begin to flash, release the Normal Wash and Cancel buttons.

4.Press the NORMAL WASH button until you see the 3-light configuration appear that matches your desired dishwasher water softener setting. Refer to the table below (solid

circle indicates that the button light is on). The dishwasher will automatically default to a setting of “3.” Pressing the “NORMAL” button will advance to the next setting, from 3 to 4, then 5, then 6, then 7, and back to 1.

5.When finished, press START to exit the Setting Mode. If you do not press START within 30 seconds, the dishwasher controls has a time-out that reverts to Stand-by Mode and

your setting will still be saved. The setting will also be saved in the event of a power loss.

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Dishwasher Water Softener Setting	Normal Wash	High-Temp Scrub	Heat Dry or ProDry
	Button Light	Button Light	Button Light

1

2

3 (Default)

4

5

6

7

*Average water hardness in the United States corresponds to a dishwasher water hardness setting level of 3, which is the default setting of your dishwasher.

Filling the Salt Container

IMPORTANT:

UÊÊ1ÃiÊ ÞÊÜ>ÌiÀÊà vÌi iÀÊÃ> ÌÊëiV > ÞÊv À Õ >Ìi`Êv ÀÊ dishwashers. Other salts may contain insoluble additives which can damage the water softener.

UÊÊ1 Ìi Ì > ÊÕÃiÊ vÊ` Ã Ü>Ã iÀÊ`iÌiÀ}i ÌÃÊ ÀÊ> ÞÊ Ì iÀÊÌÞ«iÃÊ of chemicals when filling the salt container can damage the water softener system.

UÊÊ/ iÊÃ> ÌÊV Ì> iÀÊ `Ê ÕÃÌÊLiÊwÀ ÞÊÃiVÕÀi`Ê>vÌiÀÊw }Ê ÀÊ

refilling the salt container.

1.Remove the lower rack from the dishwasher and unscrew the lid to the salt container, located in the front left corner of the

tub bottom.

2.When you are opening the salt container, some water may run

out. Open the container only to fill or refill salt.

IMPORTANT: BEFORE ADDING SALT FOR THE FIRST TIME, the salt container must be filled with water to the top of the opening (approximately 1 qt [0.9 L].) Water does not have to be added

with subsquent refills.

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3.Insert the funnel (provided) into the salt container.

4.Slowly fill the container with the dishwasher water softener salt. The salt container holds approximately

4½ cups (1.0 kg) of salt. As it is
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5.Stop filling the salt container when you no longer see that salt is flowing out of the funnel bottom.

NOTE: You can spoon the salt out of the bag and into the salt container when it is close to being full to keep any salt from spilling out into the dishwasher.

6.Clean any excess salt from the threads of the salt container opening.

7.Screw the salt container lid on firmly.

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8.If the dishwasher will not be used immediately, be sure to wipe out any excess salt that might have been spilled.

Refilling the Salt Container

The dishwasher provides 2 ways to indicate when it is time to refill the salt container. A typical refill should hold about 4¹⁄ cups (1 kg) of salt.

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cap will turn from green to		S ALT
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message will appear on the dishwasher front display after a wash cycle has been completed, until the salt container has been refilled.

Additional Information

UÊÊ ÊÌÞ« V> ÊÀiw ÊÃV i`Õ iÊ ÃÊ>L ÕÌÊ ViÊiÛiÀÞÊÈÊÌ ÊnÊÜii ÃÊ vÊÕÃ }Ê the factory default dishwasher water hardness setting of 3, but can vary based on your dishwasher usage and cycle selection.

UÊÊ,i}i iÀ>Ì Ê vÊÌ iÊ7>ÌiÀÊvÌi iÀÊ-ÞÃÌi Ê } ÌÊ>``Ê> Ê additional 10-15 minutes to the cycle time and 0.6 gal. (2.3 L) to the water usage. The frequency of the regeneration will depend on your water hardness level setting.

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