Check that the water after the softener is ZERO hardness all the way until regeneration. If it is then the softener is operating properly.

The spots aren't necessarily hardness. Have you tried a little white vinegar on the spots to see if they fizz?

When a softener is installed in an existing plumbing system that had hard water over a number of years then calcium will release into the soft water over a period of time.

It's not just the calcium in the WH. Hardness deposits are also coating all the internal surfaces of the plumbing system and fixtures.

Thanks for the info Justalurker. So, you're saying that over time, the calcium in the pipes and water heater will all be released and I'll eventually have zero hard water? Also, will changing out water heater improve anything? Or, should I just wait until the WH shows some sign of near death?

P.S. What does the fizzing indicate?

This post was edited by tonelab77 on Fri, Nov 21, 14 at 21:32

I said what I posted.

We have to eliminate the cause of the spots in an orderly manner one by one.

First we prove the softener is operating properly.

Then we see if the spots are calcium.

Then there are other causes of spots.