ASKO USE AND CARE GUIDE SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE r om T! e f atAN nc r r RT ma l ope it fo O r P fo al ng rd IM i pe s t r, rea re us ee b fo the a s h s be t hw on ge To r dis ructi . e u yo inst tim g i r st in f the D3731 CONTENTS BEFORE USING YOUR NEW DISHWASHER IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS CHILD SAFETY TIPS DISHWASHER FEATURES DETERGENT DISPENSER DISHWASHING DETERGENT RINSE AID DISPENSER OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS CARE AND CLEANING OVERFILL PROTECTION ENERGY SAVING TIPS SOLUTIONS TO COMMON DISHWASHING PROBLEMS TROUBLESHOOTING WASHING SPECIAL ITEMS INDEX ASKO PRODUCT WARRANTY 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 9 10 10 10 11 13 15 16 Page 1 DISHWASHER 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. IMPORT INSTRUCTIONS 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. Do not tamper with controls by removing or changing. Do not abuse, sit on, or stand on the dishwasher door or baskets . 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. To 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. 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.) 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: 1-800222-1222 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. 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. Page 2 DISHWASHER FEATURES DISHWASHER FEATURES NOTE: Deviations in features may occur, depending on the model. Upper Basket Spray Arms s m ite e, se hin les rin ac tic to m ar ed the d p ne ad foo . d no lo er e is u g ov e yo lar m er re h re Th efo oug be b th ld al hou s Lower Basket Detergent Dispenser Filter Rinse Aid Dispenser BASKETS Upper Basket Utensil Basket Glass insert Foldable plate insert Lower Basket Page 3 DETERGENT 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. Also, more heavily soiled items need more detergent. (See below.) 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. You 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. Prewash Detergent Compartment Dispenser Lid Lever Rinse Aid Level Indicator (not all models) Main Wash Detergent Compartment Rinse Aid Compartment Detergent Compartment Lid 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 Quick or Glass wash programs. DISHWASHING DETERGENT 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 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 or Glass wash programs. 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. NOTE: RECOMMENDED DETERGENT AMOUNTS BASED ON WATER HARDNESS WATER HARDNESS Soft (0-3 grains per gallon) Medium (4-8 grains per gallon) Hard (9+ grains*) DETERGENT AMOUNTS Prewash Main wash Prewash Main wash Prewash Main wash 1 1 1 1 1 2 teaspoon to 1-1/2 tablespoons teaspoon to 2 tablespoons teaspoons to 3 tablespoons * 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 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 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 4 RINSE AID DISPENSER The rinse aid is released during the final rinse to prevent water from forming droplets on your dishes that can leave spots and streaks. It also improves drying by allowing water to "sheet" off the dishes. ASKO dishwashers are designed to use liquid rinse aids. The rinse aid dispenser is located inside the door next to the detergent dispenser. (See illustration on page 3.) To fill the dispenser, open the cap and pour the rinse aid into the dispenser up to the knob for dosage setting. The dispenser holds about four ounces of liquid rinse aid. Be careful not to overfill the dispenser, because this could cause oversudsing. Wipe away any spills with a damp cloth. Don't forget to replace the cap before you close the dishwasher door. If you have soft water, rinse aid may cause a white film to develop on your dishes. You may not need rinse aid. 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. Open Closed Dispenser Cap 1. 2. 3. To open the dispenser, turn the cap to the "open" (left) arrow and lift it out. Pour the rinse aid into the dispenser, being careful not to overfill. Replace the cap by inserting it aligned with "open" arrow and turning it to the closed (right) arrow. ADJUSTING THE AMOUNT OF RINSE AID DISPENSED A measured amount of rinse aid is released during the final rinse. As with detergent, the amount of rinse aid needed for your dishes depends on the hardness of the water in your area. (See page 5.) Too much rinse aid can result in lather or foaming and cause cloudiness or streaks on your dishes. If the water in your area is very soft, you may not need rinse aid. If you do, you can dilute the rinse aid with an equal amount of water. The rinse aid dispenser has six settings. Always start with the dispenser set on "1." If spots and poor drying are problems, increase the amount of rinse aid dispensed by removing the dispenser lid and rotating the dial to "2." If the dishes still aren't drying properly or are spotted, adjust the dial to the next higher number until your dishes are spot-free. Rinse aid adjustment dial To increase the amount of rinse aid released in the final rinse, turn the adjustment dial to the next higher number. : NOTE: Only adjust the dial one number at a time. INDICAT RINSE AID INDICATOR Model D3731 has an indicator in the display window that displays when the rinse aid dispenser is nearly empty. After you refill the dispenser, there may be some delay before this indicator goes out. Page 5 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS CONTROL PANEL THE CONTROL PANEL Your ASKO dishwasher has our state-of-the-art electronic control panel, as illustrated below. Start/Stop button Power button Program button Display window Programming buttons DISPLAY WINDOW DISPLAY WINDOW The display window shows the programs, options, remaining program time and fault codes. It also allows you to access the program menus and customize the wash programs. If you select Delayed Start, the window will display the number of hours selected. When you press Start/Stop, the countdown time displays. Remaining program time ­ The remaining program time is calculated by the time it took the program to run last time. (Note: The first time you run a program, the display will display 1:00.) As the program progresses, the time remaining displays the hour and minutes (e.g., 1:02, which means one hour and two minutes.) PROGRAMS PROGRAMS To select a program, simply press the program button until the program you desire displays then press Start/Stop. The programs are described below. You can also change certain program features. See "Options" below. Heavy Wash (Cold, 85° ­ 170°/Sani F) For heavily soiled loads, such as pots, pans, casseroles, etc. Normal Wash (Cold, 85° ­ 170° F) For normally soiled loads, such as plates, glasses, bowls, and lightly soiled pans, use the Normal wash program with 150°F and normal drying To save more water and energy use 130°F and economy drying. Glass Wash (Cold, 85°­ 140° F) For glasses and delicate items, such as fine china and crystal, that are washed immediately after use. When using this program, you should set the temperature to low and dry the dishes without heat. Quick Wash (Cold, 85° ­ 140° F) For lightly soiled loads that are washed immediately after use. This program can also be used for delicate items, but you should set the temperature to low and dry the dishes without heat. Pots and Pans (Cold, 85°­ 170° F) For the heaviest soiled loads, such as casseroles ...