wrote
"Gary Slusser" wrote

The vast majority of plumbers don't normally know softeners or how
to
trouble shoot problems with them. Who set the salt so high? And how
much
resin, capacity etc. does the softener have? Nine may still be too
high
and the only way to know is with a sodium test. The salt may be a
problem with the control valve not providing proper rinses. Or the
drain
line being kinked etc.. You need a water treatment dealer to check
out
your softener for proper setup and operation. Plus the other things
that
may be in your water and causing this white stuff problem.

Gary
Quality Water Associates

hey Gary.

i'm going to drop the thing to 0 (or 1) and throw the bypass valve.

we'll see what happens after several days of "hard" water.

one thing still mystified - why does the salt show up in the HOT water
tap and not the COLD water tap???

I don't think it's salt that is causing the residue, although it may be.
It might be more chlorides than sodium though and coming out of solution
only in the water heater and hot side plumbing.

You need to learn how to calculate your salt dose and set up the unit
properly for your water usage. And have some of that stuff analyzed so
you know what you're dealing with. It could be something in your water
like sulfates, chlorides, excessive TDS etc, that a softener doesn't
treat and isn't good for a softeners operation.

Gary
Quality Water Associates