I recently purchased a water softener that uses salt. I noticed when it was installed, black water came out of the see through plastic tubing that was inserted into my wall. I asked the installer about it and he said it was normal. The water softener looked used but he insisted it was brand new. Two days later my water heater went out. Was it normal for that water to come out black out of a brand new water heater and could that have ruined my water heater?