Water softener salt dam
 

My water softener recently stopped drawing brine, which lead me to
discover (after emptying the brine tank - not a fun activity) that
under the brine grid, a layer of salt had built up and was preventing
water from getting into the float tube (at least fast enough to keep
up with the draw).

The salt in question is clearly precipitate, not pellets that were
dissolved small enough to fall through the brine grid.

The only plausible explanation I can think of is that as the water
supply changes from warmer to colder (mine gets quite cold in the
winter), solubility goes down and salt precipitates out.

I've thought of drilling holes in the float tube just below the brine
grid line, since I doubt the precipitate could get that high. Or, add
a heating element and thermostat to keep the brine tank at a
relatively constant temperature.

Any other ideas? Specifically ones that don't involve emptying the
brine tank out each year to scrape the precipitate off the bottom.
--
- Mike

Ignore the Python in me to send e-mail.