Rinse aid is the additive a dishwasher doses into its final rinse so that water sheets off glass and china instead of drying where it stands in drops.
as used by Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds, (206) 210-3547
21 Care Handbook
Rinse Aid Settings on Tolt and Deer Creek Water
Edmonds draws on two water purveyors, one of them a blend that varies, so a setting that suits one kitchen or one season may leave spots on the next street or in the next season.
| What you are looking at | Normal | Watch | Call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasses straight from the rack | Clear and dry | A few dried water spots | Cloudy film that the next steps do not shift |
| A glass wiped with a dry cloth | Nothing on the cloth | A faint blue trace | A heavy trace that persists at lower settings |
| Inside the door | Dry around the reservoir lid | A little spilled rinse aid | Foam in the tub or rinse aid leaking from the reservoir |
| Drying | Dishes come out dry | Plastics and cup bottoms wet | Everything wet, reservoir full |
Two supplies, one setting
Olympic View Water & Sewer District serves part of the city, Westgate included, with South Fork Tolt water blended with spring-fed Deer Creek; the rest of Edmonds is on the city’s own system, supplied through Alderwood. The blend is not fixed, which is why an Edmonds household can find a rinse-aid setting that worked all winter needs raising later. The Field Note on the two Edmonds water sources covers the background.
Filling and adjusting
On the Viking 7 Series dishwasher whose guide we read, the reservoir is opened by its latch and filled to the MAX mark. Any spill is wiped away before the door closes. The setting arrives at position 3. Spots and film mean too little rinse aid, so turn it up one step; a blue trace on a wiped glass means too much, so turn it down one step. Leave a week of loads between changes, or you cannot tell which move did what.
When it is not rinse aid
Film that survives a higher setting points first at clean filters and clear spray arms, then at the detergent dose. If it survives all three, the dishwasher repair visit checks the fill and the heating. Pump and control faults found there are priced from the bands on the non-oven work page.
Rinse aid: questions owners ask
- What is the right rinse aid setting for a Viking dishwasher?
- The one that leaves glasses clear with nothing on a wiping cloth. Viking's 7 Series guide ships the setting at position 3 and says to raise it for spots and lower it for a blue trace. Move one step, then give it a week. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds can set it with you, (206) 210-3547.
- Why did spots appear after we moved across Edmonds?
- The two streets may be on different purveyors, and Olympic View's supply is a blend whose mix varies, so the dose that suited one kitchen may be short in the next. Raise the setting a step before suspecting the machine. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds explains the two supplies on (206) 210-3547.
- Can too much rinse aid cause problems?
- Yes. An over-generous setting leaves a blue trace you can wipe off the glass, and rinse aid spilled while filling makes foam that Viking's guide says reduces washing performance. Wipe up spills, fill only to the MAX mark, and lower the setting one step. Viking Appliance Repair Edmonds can check the dispenser on (206) 210-3547.
- Signed
- Arthur Benedetti
- Specialism
- Service technician — dishwashers and drainage
- Years in practice
- 12
- Holds
- EPA Section 608 certified
