In the operating instruction it says "If the salt refill indicator ~(4) is impaired...). What does impaired mean.

On other Defy dishwashers, the red arrow indicates End of Cycle. Thus your dishes should be clean and ready to be removed from the dishwasher. See page 14 the manual for the DDW170 here: https://www.newappliances.co.za/uploads/documents/DOWNLOAD%20MANUAL%20DDW170.pdf . On page 6, the manual states that the add salt indicator can glow for an extended period after you add salt. This is due to the time needed to dissolve the water softener salt in 1 liter of water. Do not add more salt than the reservoir can hold (2 Kg for the DDW170).

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(Note: if the salt reservoir was dry, you need to add water before adding the water softener salt.)

regular salt or kosher salt or sea salt ?

talking pool
obviously salt , preferable pool salt
read your operating instructions or get in a pool maintainer to do it the first time and to show you how to do it in future

When it's buzzing, you have to let it buzz until it stops. Then you pressed stop then start. Et voilà!
"S" means salt, but you can use any salt you want.

I think I have the answer.

On Yahoo Answers Blue Rizla Girl put up the idea that the sensor is some form of hydrometer. (i.e. floats in salty water sinks if not salty enough)

Based on this thought I postulated that the sensor is some form of hydrometer float in a tube with perhaps an optical sensor.

If this is correct why is it not working?

Is it because the float is stuck at the bottom of the tube, perhaps by some food debris? If so how can we fix it?

This is what I did on my Hotpoint FWD60:-

I took the salt filler cap off. There was no salt in the reservoir as it has been a problem for months, and I was only refilling it when dishes were not coming clean.

I poured 2 litres of hot water into the salt reservoir.

I then put the empty machine on the intensive 65 degree wash, half load and with the reservoir cap still OFF.

When finished I filled up with salt and HEY PRESTO the salt light is OFF!!!!

Just hope it stays that way until the reservoir really needs refilling.

While I was down on my hands and knees I took the opportunity to clean the filters in the sump. They do get full of bits!

I also flushed the sump by dashing a couple of cups of hot water into it and then bailing it out with a small yoghurt pot. I repeated this until the water in the yoghurt pot and the sump no longer had any signs of bits in them. (Dashing = vigorously pour)

I was amazed at how many bits I got out, especially considering I had given the machine a good clean in the past 6 weeks.

I even got part of a paper label!

So there we have it, try it out and report back.

AcmeUK

I used to work for Bauknecht years ago.
I dont remember that machine, but it could be an indication that your salt dispencer needs refilling.

Check the instructions which are freely available from www.miele.co.uk or the relevant site for your country. Browse to the current models and you should find the PDF for your model. For non-current models, instructions are under the link "Customer Support".

In general, the instructions are as follows:
If the water in your area is very soft and constantly lower than 0.7 mmol/l (4 °d) you do not need to add dishwasher salt. The water softener must, however, still be programmed to correspond to the water hardness level in your area. (The salt indicator light will still come on, but should be ignored).

Important: Before filling the salt reservoir with dishwasher salt for the first time, you must fill it with approx. 2 litres of water to enable the salt to dissolve. Once the dishwasher has been used, there is always sufficient water in the reservoir.

Inadvertently filling the salt reservoir with powder or liquid dishwasher detergent always leads to serious damage to the water softener. Make sure you have picked up the correct packet of dishwasher salt before filling the salt reservoir!

Only use special coarse grained dishwasher salt for reactivation. Do not use other salts such as cooking salt, agricultural grade or gritting salt. These may contain insoluble additives which can impair the functioning of the water softener.

To refill:
* Remove the lower basket and unscrew the salt reservoir cap.
* Fill the reservoir with approx. 2 litres of water (first use).
* Place the funnel provided over the salt reservoir and carefully fill with salt until the reservoir is full. The salt reservoir holds approx. 2 kg of salt depending on the brand used.

As the salt reservoir is filled, displaced water will overflow.
* Clean any excess salt from around the reservoir opening and then screw the cap on again firmly.
* Run the "Pre-wash" programme immediately to remove any traces of salt water from the cabinet.

For the Miele, the salt reservoir is usually under the bottom basket, the cap is usually grey in colour. [Only the latest models have the refill cap in the door itself].

You should be able to find dishwasher salt just about anywhere, I've even found it in Malaysia, sold at good ol' Tesco!! Brands of salt include Calgonit (Finish) & Somat.

I think I have the answer.

On Yahoo Answers Blue Rizla Girl put up the idea that the sensor is some form of hydrometer. (i.e. floats in salty water sinks if not salty enough)

Based on this thought I postulated that the sensor is some form of hydrometer float in a tube with perhaps an optical sensor.

If this is correct why is it not working?

Is it because the float is stuck at the bottom of the tube, perhaps by some food debris? If so how can we fix it?

This is what I did on my Hotpoint FWD60:-

I took the salt filler cap off. There was no salt in the reservoir as it has been a problem for months, and I was only refilling it when dishes were not coming clean.

I poured 2 litres of hot water into the salt reservoir.

I then put the empty machine on the intensive 65 degree wash, half load and with the reservoir cap still OFF.

When finished I filled up with salt and HEY PRESTO the salt light is OFF!!!!

Just hope it stays that way until the reservoir really needs refilling.

While I was down on my hands and knees I took the opportunity to clean the filters in the sump. They do get full of bits!

I also flushed the sump by dashing a couple of cups of hot water into it and then bailing it out with a small yoghurt pot. I repeated this until the water in the yoghurt pot and the sump no longer had any signs of bits in them. (Dashing = vigorously pour)

I was amazed at how many bits I got out, especially considering I had given the machine a good clean in the past 6 weeks.

I even got part of a paper label!

So there we have it, try it out and report back.