Miele La Perla II and salt added for the first time

13 years ago

In our last two homes 2004-2008 and now 2008-Present...we had a Miele La Perla I. The salt resrvoir was on the door, where other and older Miele units had the salt reservoir on the bottom of the dishwasher, where the main spray arm and filter is.

I did it...I took delivery of a new, 2011 Miele La Perla II. All I can say is wow! It is similar enought to my last La Perla I's to feel comfortable, but new enough to feel like a major upgrade. The way the door automatically opens at the end of a cycle is an amazing and very practical feature & the self closing door is really great (it's just like a Mercedes S-Class or my BMW 750)! :) So cool!

My question is...I hope I did not ruin anything when I added salt for the first time. It's been SO long since I had to add salt, using the provided funnel, on the bottom of the wash machine floor. I just dumped some Miele salt in the reservoir of the Miele La Perla II and ran an Express cycle (formerly Short). Everything worked fine. BUT...then I re-read the manual, it said IMPORTANT: Must add water to the salt reservoir before adding salt for the very first time. Water will not have to be added for future salt additions. I DID NOT add water the first time...I just put Miele salt directly into the salt reservoir!! After I read this, and the cycle was over, I added a few cups of distilled water to the salt reservoir.

I have washed 2 loads of dishes, WOW this machine is near silent, the dishes are totally clean (even baked on cheese and egg came off)....but the glasses were not really spotless. They looked mildly cloudy and the stainless interior of the machine had some white, murky spots here and there (salt?). Too much salt?

As I continue to use the machine, will this salt snafu that I did resolve itself?? The machine looks and works so well, and I do not want to call Miele and tell them what I did. Do you think in a while, the salt will balance out...or have I done something really bad?? I have not even told my spouse...I'd be crucified!! :)

THANK YOU!!!

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Comments (13)

jmcgowan
13 years ago
Sorry, I cannot help you re: the salt issue -- so I hope everything works out fine.

I was just going to post asking a question about the Miele La Perla, as we are in the process of picking out appliances for our kitchen renovation. I have a Bosch dishwasher now, which is ok, but I cannot rave about it, and we spent more getting one of the highest end Bosches. I have had problems with it cleaning sliverware and I don't like that plastics come out so wet (sippy cups, etc. - which I know won't get super dry unless I go with a non-European DW, but they come out pretty soaking wet). So, I am thinking of a Miele because I love my Miele washer and dryer.

Do you like how the door opens up at the end to finish off the drying process? Do you think it truly makes a difference? Thanks for your input!
billp1
13 years ago
The salt did not dissolve the first time when no water was added. After that the water will flow the water softner. It will probably clear it self after a few cycles. Did you fill the rinse aide . That could be your glass problem...
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mr_wash
13 years ago
Hi Larsi,
I just upgraded to the new G 5935 SCi which is the new La Perla in Australia. I previously had the G 2834 SCi which was the last La Perla before the new series. Don't worry if you didn't add water, but you should fill the reservior with water until its overflowing and run another Express wash. You can check the water hardness in your area by going into the settings menu and you will get a reading.
Cheers
larsi_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for the responses.

Yes, I added Rinse Aid (Miele to be exact :)

Yes, I recommend the La Perla II 100%. I had 2 La Perla I's...and they were flawless.

With my new La Perla II (and with the I)....NEVER one speck of food left on anything. Plastics 100% dry EVERY LOAD! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the La Perla.

@mr wash. I did add some water (about 2 cups of distilled water) and then I ran another Express Wash and then a Sani Wash (empty machine with an Electrasol/Finish Dishwasher cleaning agent). The stainless interior is sparkling clean.

We do not have an External Water Softener. The machine is saying Water Hardness Level 1. I know our water is not that soft. I think our water is a level 4 or 5. How do I set our water softness level, other than level 1?

I can change the External Water Softener levels, but not the actual water softness level...but I do not want to set the External Water hardness level, since I do not have an external water softener. Know why the machine is saying I have Water Hardness level 1?
fauguy
13 years ago
First off, you are aware that the new G5000 series of Miele Dishwashers are supposed to come to the US "sometime" this year? The new(er) La Perla has internal LED lighting and all of them now have redesigned baskets that makes loading dishes and other items more flexible. The Salt reservoir is also back on the door, not the bottom.

But to your questions...
When I got the Diamante last summer, it also said in the manual to add water to the salt reservoir first. But when I opened it up, it already had water in it, because the installer ran a quick rinse to make sure it was working OK. So I did pour some more water in there, but it only needed about 10oz worth. Then when I added the salt using the funnel, the water overflowed, which is normal (water displacement). Then ran the Express cycle.

I have it the water softener set to 4-6 grains. If I increase it to 8-10 grains, there will be some white residue left on some glasses and pots/pans. So I think that if you are having the same thing with white residue, you need to lower the setting on the water softener.

I would also highly suggest using the Miele brand detergent tabs and rinse aid. I only have to use half a tab at a time, and get excellent results. For the rinse aid dispenser, I have it set to 1ml (the default is 3ml, and can go as high as 6ml). If I were to change it to 3ml, you can feel it residue on some glasses after, so 1ml works fine.

Everything I have washed has come out clean, and I've never had any regrets with the Diamante saying "I wish I went with the higher-end model".
User
13 years ago
Won't really matter as the salt re-charges the softener. Since you haven't run it much / at all it's not likely the softener was depleted, so - not needing a recharge.
larsi_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks again! No, I was not aware of the G5000 (La Perla III) arriving stateside "sometime" this year. Besides from some nice & cool LED lighting and a somewhat revised basket configuration...the machine I just bought is fine!

Also, Miele can take A LONG time to debut a new item. It took them 10 years to finally release their refrigeration systems, 5+ years to debut a Miele built upright vacuum and they have been talking about a Miele Range for years & years!

I called our local Water District this morning, and our water hardness is right at about 7gr/gal. I called Miele in New Jersey and we set my new La Perla II to water level hardness 7. They also said that in CA, our dishwasher detergents have now gone 100% Phosphate free :( There was only a small amount in the "old" versions, but now all sold in CA must be totally Phosphate free. Guess my family still in Germany will be sending me more than just Persil, Ariel and Chocolate!! German Phosphate dishwasher detergent is on it's way from the FatherLand!! :)
fauguy
13 years ago
I've used the original Miele tabs that did contain the phosphates, and the newer Miele tabs that are phosphate-free. Both clean well, but I think the newer tabs do a better job overall.

I too have heard the rumor for the past 2-3 years about Miele developing a standard 30" range for the US market. I would love that, if Miele made some standard size appliances for the US, since not all of us can use "Built in" fridges, wall ovens, and separate cooking surfaces. I'd like to see Miele have a either a side-by-side for french-door style fridge/freezer that is either standard-depth or counter-depth. A 30" free standing (or slide in) range that has the bottom oven and top induction. And a 30" over-the-range 120V microwave/speedoven. If they did that, I'd be buying them, as I'm not a fan of my KitchenAid side-by-side fridge/freezer, or GE stove and microwave.
michiganrachel
13 years ago
I originally ordered the Optima, but got the La Perla (at my KD's expense) due to the Optima being backordered. I've had it for 2 weeks now.

I agree with larsi - my dishes come out spotless and the machine is so quiet. I love the top flatware rack. For me, there was/is a learning curve to loading it, but I'm figuring it out.

Does the door opening at the end of a cycle make a difference? I don't really know. I can say that my dishes and plastics are as dry coming out of hte La Perla as they were when using heated dry on Kitchenaid and Whirlpool dishwashers. There is only a teeny bit of water in the recessed parts of plastic.

I do think I would have been just as happy with the Optima.

Rachel
User
13 years ago
"I'd like to see Miele have a either a side-by-side for french-door style fridge/freezer that is either standard-depth or counter-depth. A 30" free standing (or slide in) range that has the bottom oven and top induction. And a 30" over-the-range 120V microwave/speedoven."

Not a chance !

These items have zero market in Germany and a very small one stateside, so the economics don't make sense. Nothing about Miele (in the U.S.) is a "standard" level.

You can always get their 30" oven, and place and induction cooktop over it in a 30" cabinet and you'd have a defacto slide in range.
larsi_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
"I'd like to see Miele have a either a side-by-side for french-door style fridge/freezer that is either standard-depth or counter-depth. A 30" free standing (or slide in) range that has the bottom oven and top induction. And a 30" over-the-range 120V microwave/speedoven."

Yes, I agree 100%. I do not think this will ever happen with Miele. Your appliance desires and configurations do have NO market inside Germany or Europe (or Asia, Oceania, etc...)

It is quite common in Germany to have an Induction Cooktop over an oven (although the 30" oven is primarily for the USA & Canada). Germans usually go with the 24" or 27" oven.

I tried a Miele Optima Dishwasher before my La Perla in 2007. I did not like it very much. It was not as quiet as I expected and the plastics still were too wet for my liking. With both the La Perla I and II...plastics are bone dry. I think the feature where the machine opens itself is VERY IMPORTANT. Not only does it allow any residual moisture to escape, the machine gets a chance to "breathe" and air out. LOVE my La Perla II.
marcydc
13 years ago
Don't do your own importing of phosphates into CA! There's a good reason for phosphate free.

And I can tell you my Diamante is perfectly happy with Trader Joes's powdered dish detergent. I never rinse and often leave things for 2 or 3 days in there before washing. Never have had anything but perfectly clean dishes.
larsi_gw
Original Author
13 years ago
marcydc....Persil laundry detergent is legal for sale in CA. It is available at several local upscale vacuum and appliance stores. The Phosphate is less than 5%. It is CA legal. Just that small amount of Phosphates makes things so much cleaner!!

Miele La Perla II and salt added for the first time

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