not syphoning from the brine tank

I take it you are talking about fish. Could you be more clear?

water softeners.

where is what's his water when he might could actually serve a purpose...

Check for loose fittings on line from brine tank to valve. May be sucking air instead of brine.

Most likely a loose fitting on the line between the brine tank and the valve. Sucking air instead of brine. Check both sides/tighten.

if it's sucking air, the brine tank will continue to fill until it overflows, or there's water spurting everwhere. if this isn't happening,I'd replace the seals. it could also be a bad switch. and it could be the system is stuck in short cycle and the board needs reset. Age of the system?