On 2006-11-17 09:57:25 +0000, "Christian McArdle"
said:

So does my Bosch dishwasher, I think.
I've fed it on the tablets I use in the water softener, with no ill
effects, as yet (5 or 6 years).

I just plumbed my dishwasher into the soft water, so there is no need
to continue feeding the dishwasher at all. The main problem is finding
dishwasher tablets without "salt action". Unfortunately, what "salt
action" actually means is that the tablet is full of environmentally
damaging phosphates. Quite frankly, they should be banned. It is
ridiculous that we are pumping out all these phosphates just because
people can't be arsed to fill their salt container.

Salt is salt. In reality, it uses a brine solution and I can't see how
the shape of the solid salt will affect operation.
Anyone saying otherwise is usually in marketing.

No, there is a genuine reason. It affects the accuracy of brine
metering. If the brine is metered by level, rather than flow, having a
consistent size of solid salt in the tank will ensure that the amount
of brine up to the level is consistent. Whether that accuracy is of
much concern is another matter.

Christian.

It can matter.

Originally, the unit that I have had a brine pick up unit in the salt
tank with a filter. This would operate with granular salt. At some
point the device failed and was replaced with a newer design which did
not have the same filter. Grains would get trapped in it, so it
requires tablet salt now. In both cases, brine metering is by the
level of brine in this tank, which can be adjusted. In both cases, it
makes a saturated solution, so I don't think the brine quantity has
altered.

Accuracy needs to be in a reasonable range. Too little and the resin
bed is not regenerated properly. Too much and salt is wasted. The
adjustment on mine is to start low and to then increase until the
remaining hardness in the water is at the soft water level.