Original > Hot Tub Forum
Salt in a chlorine hot tub
bud16415:
This is kind of the information my dealer gave me about the horrors of adding salt to a spa. I got the example as where we live they dump million of tons of road salt on every winter and why this is called the rust belt. They told me do you want what happens to your car to happen to your spa?
I get a lot of stick but no carrot. I’m not all that familiar of all the inter workings of a spa and the materials all of it are made out of. Nor am I a chemist or metallurgist. But I never seem to get specifics on what salt is alleged to tear up in a tub. I know it eats up my aluminum storm door and my mild steel body on my car if neither is protected. I know salt is formed between a reaction between a strong base and acid and the result is PH neutral.
So if anyone knows exactly what harm salt solution in the low concentration recommended will cause exactly what part or parts of a modern spa to fail. Or what type of improper use of salt could do, or how to prevent that I would love to know?
I assume you want it dissolved before it goes thru the pump. My friend weighs his salt and puts it in a plastic bucket after filling his tub and heating it. He then fills the bucket with water and sets it on the floor of his tub without any pumps running. He waits a couple hours and comes back to find the salt granules gone. That seemed pretty straightforward.
When I read reviews of aftermarket salt systems they all sound positive and I cant find any where someone advises don’t do it because it ate up my pump or heater. I know once I give it a go and find I have a problem salt related I will shout it from the roof tops.
I just would like some solid information on it.
Cora5:
Bud14615, How long have your friend had his salt generator setup on his spa? Has he had any major issues with parts failing prematurely?
Hotspring has been successful with their setup with the exception of the ACE cell going out on average every two years if I recall correctly. It would be nice if other hot tub manufactures would offer salt water spas to customers. I can image that a lot of people prefer these over chlorine and bromine.
bud16415:
--- Quote from: Cora5 on January 30, 2018, 02:51:14 pm ---Bud14615, How long have your friend had his salt generator setup on his spa? Has he had any major issues with parts failing prematurely?
Hotspring has been successful with their setup with the exception of the ACE cell going out on average every two years if I recall correctly. It would be nice if other hot tub manufactures would offer salt water spas to customers. I can image that a lot of people prefer these over chlorine and bromine.
--- End quote ---
My friend has a Marquis tub and adapted it to salt with the first gen Saltron mini. I know this because he is an electrician and he built his own timer unit because the timer wasn’t built into the first units. I think His has to be going for at least 5 years now maybe more. He replaced his anode about a year ago and they are under 100 bucks. He’s had no salt related problems.
He unplugs his anode once a month and puts it in a jar of vinegar. I think the newer ones do a reverse polarity thing and are more less self cleaning. The vinegar is pretty simple though.
The only drawback to this type is when you open the tub you pull the anode out of your tub and stick it in a little holder and you have to remember to toss it back in. about the same work as taking your floating dispenser for bromine out.
At this point I really have almost zero fear adding salt to any spa.
Cora5:
I have the protocol, note that this is specifically for the Marquis The Show 475 gallon spa . The only time salt is added to the spa is on a fresh fill. The spa chemicals are either Spa guard or leisure time. I can't recall which. My bad... ???
* Startup/Fresh fill *
- Add 3 caps of PH and alkalinity increaser(red)
- Add 1 1/2 caps of spa shock oxidizer (blue)
- Add 1 jumpstart chlorine package
- Add 5 cups of spa salt
- Add the @ease inline mineral cartridge, this is changed out every 4 months
- Add the @ease silver chlorine cartridge set it to 3 - 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Weekly
- Check PH and alkalinity & adjust if needed
- Add 1 1/2 caps spa shock oxidizer (blue)
* Monthly
- Spray off filter with garden hose
- Check silver chlorine cartridge and replace when empty
* Every 4 months
- Replace blue frog mineral cartridge
- Drain spa and refill through the filter
* Every 6 months
- Soak filter in filter cleaner overnight
* Every 12 months
- Replace filter with new ones
Hottubguy:
--- Quote from: Cora5 on February 01, 2018, 07:24:57 pm ---I have the protocol, note that this is specifically for the Marquis The Show 475 gallon spa . The only time salt is added to the spa is on a fresh fill. The spa chemicals are either Spa guard or leisure time. I can't recall which. My bad... ???
* Startup/Fresh fill *
- Add 3 caps of PH and alkalinity increaser(red)
- Add 1 1/2 caps of spa shock oxidizer (blue)
- Add 1 jumpstart chlorine package
- Add 5 cups of spa salt
- Add the @ease inline mineral cartridge, this is changed out every 4 months
- Add the @ease silver chlorine cartridge set it to 3 - 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Weekly
- Check PH and alkalinity & adjust if needed
- Add 1 1/2 caps spa shock oxidizer (blue)
* Monthly
- Spray off filter with garden hose
- Check silver chlorine cartridge and replace when empty
* Every 4 months
- Replace blue frog mineral cartridge
- Drain spa and refill through the filter
* Every 6 months
- Soak filter in filter cleaner overnight
* Every 12 months
- Replace filter with new ones
--- End quote ---
What if your ph is high out of your tap? What if you have a lot of minerals? Every bodies source water is different which is why you can’t have a magic recipe for everybody upon fill
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