Water softener charge ? problem

Hi - I have an Ecowater softener that is set to charge at 9PM but it continues to make the "hissing" noise for several hours - sometimes up to 12 hours! I've reprogrammed the charge time and changed the hardness level, etc, but nothing seems to help. Does anybody have an idea how to fix this and if there is a manual available online that would show the names of the parts?

Also there's about 4-5 inches of water in the bottom always (I can see this when I run out of salt)....is this normal?

THANKS

Need to know what brand/model you have. They aren't all the same.

Sorry...all it says is Ecowater Systems...can't find a model number anywhere. It's about 3' tall and the door to the salt chamber is on the left top side and controls are in an attached unit on the top right side - if that helps any.