[Na5O10P3]n
This product is not regulated in the US. The Chemistry Store (see link below) sells it in small quantities...
But, Jamie, forgive my German stubborness here, it is impossible for this dishwasher to be performing so poorly unless something is broken or an important step has been overlooked.
You did not mention the model number, so here are some things I would look for here in Germany:
- Soft water. Since German water is frequently very very hard, our dishwashers are always built to use a water softener or to use detergent with an extra water softener built in. Does yours have a built in water softener? If so, is there salt in the recharger?
- Temperature. Some electronic controls freak out if the incomming water is too cold or too hot (Whirlpool have had to deal with this and there was a cool video clip on it in a thread not too long ago.) Is the machine set to heat the water or to just use whatever comes in?
-Detergent Dispensing. Is the detergent being dispensed into the pre-wash, leaving none behind for the main wash? Don't laugh; those B/S/H covers can be hard to close properly.
-Rinse agent. If the setting is too high or too low this can cause problems.
-Not enough water. The arms should all be moving freely during the wash. Especially the topmost arm, which is responsible for cleaning the cutlery should really whiz along. Now, some B/S/H models have "partial fill" settings which turn off some of the spray arms. This saves water...but if that setting has somehow been activated on your model...well, it would explain everything.
The basic rule of European dishwashers, as opposed to American is that we hate to pre-wash, don't see why we should (that is the whole idea of a dish-WASHER) and loading is not all that critical, either.
Ah. Just had a thought. I had to install a check-valve on my mum's dishwasher last year, the garbage disposal was overflowing back into it. (I know, I know).