Now, let’s get physical. Pop open the lid of your softener’s brine tank—the one that looks like a short, fat garbage can full of salt. Check the salt level. If you see water sitting on top of dry, crusty salt that looks like a crack, your softener might be “salting” like a sad chef—it can’t do its job without brine. A working system should have a damp, slushy layer of salt, like wet snow on a sidewalk.
Surprising fact: Your softener needs salt to recharge its resin beads, but the salt does not enter your water in a noticeable way—it’s flushed away during regeneration. However, if you see the water level in the tank rising and never dropping, your unit is stuck in a rinse cycle. That’s like a washing machine that never stops spinning. Call a plumber before it demands therapy.
How to Tell if Water Softener is Working Properly? (Major Signs
