I’m on Schenectady City water. Surprised me how bad it was as well.
The element was definitely clogged causing to be defective. Tested the resistance and it was shorted on itself from the buildup.
I’m really hoping to avoid getting a softener installed. But its only been 4 years and it was that bad. I shop vac’ed the debris out of the bottom and will try keep it flushed out yearly.