A softener rarely stops with a bang. More often its performance slips a little at a time, and the household adjusts without noticing until hot water spots again or a fixture starts to feel wrong. Knowing the early signs lets you call for help while the fix is still simple.
Water that tastes salty or feels slick
Softened water contains some sodium, but a noticeable salty taste from the cold tap is not normal and is worth reporting. It can point to brine reaching the service line or to the unit dosing more salt than it should. A slick or soapy feel that does not match your usual water can have similar causes. If someone in the home watches sodium for health reasons, raise any change in taste with their doctor and with your service provider. Do not change how that person uses water on your own.
Pink, orange, or slimy growth in the brine tank
Bacterial growth in the brine tank often looks pink, red, or orange, and it can feel slimy when you touch the salt or the tank wall. It is a sign the tank is not staying clean, and it can interfere with how the unit brines. Do not pour cleaning products or bleach into the tank to deal with it. Ask your service provider how the tank should be cleaned and what they will do during the visit.
Hard water returning at the faucets
If spots or scale come back at the kitchen tap or in the shower, the resin may be losing capacity, or the control may be running its cycle at the wrong times. Either way, the water is no longer being treated the way it was when the unit was new. Note when you first noticed it and which fixtures are affected, so the technician does not have to start from zero.
Salt use that changes without a reason
Keep an eye on how quickly the salt level drops. If you are refilling far more often than before, or the level never seems to go down, something in the regeneration process may have changed. Neither is a fix you should try yourself. Both are reasons to call.
What to do when you see these signs
Do not open the valve, adjust the settings, or take the cover off to investigate. Those jobs belong to the technician who installed the unit or the company that maintains it. Call them, describe what you noticed in plain terms, and ask three questions: what could cause this, how soon do you need to come out, and what should we avoid doing until then? A clear answer to the third question is a good sign that the provider knows its equipment.