If you’ve noticed hard water stains on your dishes or your soap isn’t lathering, the most common culprit is depleted salt in your brine tank. Check the salt level first. You should see salt at least a quarter-full in the tank, and it should feel loose, not clumped into a solid bridge. This simple check solves roughly 60% of water softener complaints.
Beyond salt issues, your system might be stuck in bypass mode, have a clogged resin bed, or face a malfunctioning control valve. Water softeners rely on a straightforward regeneration cycle, where salty brine rinses mineral buildup from resin beads that capture calcium and magnesium. When any part of this cycle breaks down, hard water slips through untreated.
Before you spend hundreds on a service call, most water softener problems respond to systematic DIY …