Little iron still in water after brand new Softener installed

Have you checked for an air leak somewhere in the brine system? I would think that if the brine tank has that much water in it when a cycle starts, you would get salty water after a regen.

I have always seen the Pentair and Clack square and rectangular brine tanks bulge, this is normal, we just tell customers they are pregnant. Some other manufacturers brine tanks are quite thick, and this is not as pronounced. It is not a big deal, the tank will be fine for many years. But this is a good reason to stick with round, anybody who has taken a year of physics would understand the reason.

Salt displacement of the water will vary and for that reason a timed refill, like you have is always uperior to float refill. Did you get a chance to check the refill rate?

Put the system into brine draw, see if the brine water drops, if you have an air leak, the system will typically not draw any water, it is like trying to use a straw with a hole in it.

Good luck, keep us updated.