They have a commercial running often now. It's got that awful annoying ai voice. Their marketing dept was too cheap to hire a real vo artist. I won't buy one solely for that.
I think that should work. My setup didn't have the plate so instead I got the hayward leaf canister. (It attaches between hoses) Works great and cost about the same iirc
Are you on a water softener? I thought some of those used salt and when they need a new charge the water is VERY salty. I could be wrong. I remember someone I knew had that exact issue. Their tap water got super salty if they didn't keep up on that.
I've got a similar issue with trace iron.
I'm planning on buying an RV water softener when I replace the liner. That way it will be filled with iron free water.