depends if you are using the cold kitchen tap as this may not be treated. the rest of the house should be.

get a simple test kit from toolstation or online.

if its using salt aprox 25kg every 6 -8weeks then it should be ok.

resin has a 10 year life span but this is reduced if its left with out salt in it.

wikiwater - without knowing the softener size or settings, your salt amount is just plain silly.

mdm - Is this a recently installed softener? Is the skin dryness a new thing? It could be as simple as using the same amount of soap/detergent that was used prior to the softener. The excess soap would cause dry skin. I see you've posted other softener questions - I'll address those there.

This post was edited by aliceinwonderland_id on Fri, Dec 5, 14 at 13:54