GE WA5857R - Manual (Page 16)

WATER—DO YOU IT?
Before you can decide what to do about hard
water, you need to know if you have it and, if
so, how hard it is.
●
If you live in a municipal area, contact your
water company.
●
If you live in a rural area, or in some suburban areas,
contact your county agent.
The answer will be “you have ‘so many grains’ per
gallon (3.8 liters)” and means this:
O to 3 grains per gallon (3.8
4 to 10 grains—HARD
11 to grains—VERY HARD
20 grains and over—EXTREMELY HARD
If your water is SOFT, you have no problem. You
can use soap or detergent as you prefer and forget all
about hard water. If you have HARD water—less than
10 grains—and you use phosphate detergent, you also
have no problem.
But, if you have more than grains, you will need
to soften your water with either...
1. An installed water softener in your home, or
2. The use of a packaged water softener.
For information on water softeners, see the
guide below.
Add This Much Water Softener with a Full Water Level
Grains of o-1o 10-15 15–20 20-25 25-30 over 30
hardness
When using o cup 1/2 cup
1 cup 1 cup plus tablespoon for every 5 grains above
with detergent (60 ml) (120 (160 ml) (240 ml) 30 (240 plus 15 ml for each extra 5 grains)
When using 1/3 cup cup 1 cup cups 1 cups plus tablespoon for every 5 grains
with soap (80 ml) (160 (180 ml) (240 ml) (360 ml) above 30 (300 ml plus 15 ml for each extra 5 grains)
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