A process for operating a hydraulic wash column, in which the position of the buildup front in the wash column is positioned by means of the flow rates of control liquor conducted into the wash column and/or by means of the flow rate of the suspension conducted into the wash column, and the flow rate determination is with the aid of the pressure difference which exists in the column between points in the suspension zone disposed upstream of the buildup front and points in the zone projecting from the buildup front up to the end of the crystal bed.