Can the Built in Water Softener Be Deactivated on a Miele Optima Dishwasher?

Importance

• It is very difficult for your dishwasher to adequately clean your dishes in the presence of hard water. In addition to improper cleaning, your dishes, most noticeably glass and silverware, will come out looking dirtier than when they went in. This is the result of hard water deposits like calcium and lime scale. The scale builds up on the surface, creates unsightly spotting and is difficult to remove.

Levels

• If your hard water rating is consistently 4 grains per gallon or below, you do not have hard water. Many water sources fluctuate daily in the reading; when a fluctuating reading occurs, always program the dishwasher to handle the highest number in the reading. Whether or not you choose to use the water softener feature on the Miele Optima, you must still program the water hardness level into the unit for the dishwasher to run.

Disabling

• Though you can't disable the system, you can ensure that the dishwasher runs without softening the water by not adding softening salt to the unit. You may ignore the salt indicator light that lets you know there is no salt in the dishwasher's salt container. Should you choose to reactivate the softener feature, simply refill the salt container with dishwasher softener salt and run the unit; the salt indicator light will then go out.

Programming

• Because the water hardness level must be programmed into the unit whether or not you choose to use the feature, do so by turning the unit off. Simultaneously press and hold the “Program” and “Start/stop” buttons while turning the dishwasher back on. Continue to hold the first two buttons until the “Start/stop” indicator lights up. Release and press the “Delay start” button twice; it should then flash twice in intervals. The water hardness level should flash in the time display. Use the “Start/stop” button to select your hardness setting. Finish by turning the dishwasher off using the power button.