Pellet Salt removal problems

Hey guys! Here's a question,have any of you had any problems with pellet salt or Zeo tabs turning to a glue-like paste at the bottom of a brine tank? I seem to run into this alot when I'm installing a new unit and removing the old one. Sometimes,this glue/paste is so heavy and solid the softener actually won't have the power to pull brine through this stuff up the air-check ect. which may be why the unit failed in the first place. I recomend Solar Salt alot because it's just naturally sun-dried salt. What is it thats in pellets that makes the glue stuff? It's a pain.
ALSO,if you're on a job where you're alone and installing a unit where you have to remove the old one and you run into about seven or eight (maybe more) inches of pure hardened(spelling?) muck,whats the best and fastest way to get that junk out of the old brine tank?
Just need some advice.
Thanks amigos!

 

Most likely the "binder" that holds the salt together in its "pellet" form.

Hot tap water works great. It will dissolve the salt cinder block.

If the softener is near the water heater or you can move the brine tank outside and run a hose to the water heater drain valve to the brine tank and you'll have an adequate supply of hot water to do the job.

 

Solar salt is alrigh foer softeners that fill brine tanks with hard water. The dirt in solar salt will have little affect if the brine solution is hard anyway.

Salt mush is common with some salts. Evaporated salts are the highest quality as they don't use additives that can accummulate and cause brinign problems. If your softener uses soft brine, then it doesn't make much sense to add dirt to it.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

 

Ok,let me ask you this: What kind of additives,if any,are in Morton pellet salt? There has to be something else in there right?