Problems with Salt Water Systems for Hot Tubs
It’s become all the rage, in recent years, to add salt water systems to pools and now: hot tubs! Customers and clients ask about them all the time. Personally, I enjoy them on a swimming pool and have had a lot of people tell me they love them. Less maintenance, worry free, etc.
When it comes to hot tubs, however, I would NOT encourage ANYONE to use a salt water system. For one thing, think about what salt does. Most of you reading this are in Iowa or surrounding areas….why do you try to wash your car so often in the winter? What are we protecting the metals of our car from? The corrosive power of the salt that gets put on our road! Hot salt water in your spa will do the same thing–it’s just what salt does!
Problem # 1: The metal components of your pumps, your heater, perhaps even your jets can be affected by corrosion caused by salt. You may not notice it for a year, or even two, but I am quite certain that you’ll be needing replacements and repairs before long. If you’re lucky, they will still be covered under your warranty, but who wants to waste the time with repairs and the risks of them being needed during the winter?
Problem #2: If you have any other extras on your hot tub, perhaps a stereo system or television, expect extra corrosion on the wires and connections with a salt water system, also. Often times, these electronic components (stereos, tvs) only have one year warranties, and there is a reason for that!
There aren’t a LOT of different problems with these systems, but they are catastrophic problems. Why would you want to put yourself at risk of needing to completely replace heaters, pumps, wiring, etc, for a system that really does, essentially, use chlorine or bromine, just like many other chemical systems? Sure, it’s salt water, but salt is sodium chloride, NaCl. The generator separates it into salt and chlorine, simple as that. When used up, the cycle starts again.
Far less maintenance….until you have to start replacing things, and replacing things, and replacing things….
If you want low maintenance, there are a lot of great options out there, including Sundance’s SunPurity system. Keep looking and learning–we’ve got a number of articles on chemical systems and more to come!
Any questions or comments? Please ask!
–Jen Allen
jen@soakandswim.com
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Most components in hot tubs are not made of metal. The gear box limit switch you show is not from a hot tub, I do not see any similarities to salt water spas and salt used for deicing of roads, these two things are completely different. Salt in a spa is also different because you dilute it in water, thus the concentration levels are extremely low. Similar to using salt based water softner in homes. It may take many years for corrosion to show up in a properly cared for salt water spa, if any. How corrosive are regular spa chemicals like chlorine or bromine, which have to be used with any other water care system? I have seen heaters, pumps, jets, covers, and more fail prematurely based on harsh spa chemicals alone. Salt water is much more natural and safer for any spa owner. I have installed over 100 systems on pools and spas and the positives overwhelm any negative effects of using a small amount of salt to sanitize water. If you have ever used a salt water system you’d agree. For any questions please email: derekb3382@aol.com
Thanks for the post. I would agree that salt water feels nicer on your skin. However, I do not agree that salt is different. Salt is a mineral so it is the same no matter what it is in. Through the process of electrolysis, salt is converted into chlorine. So you are still using chlorine as the sanitizer. Balancing the sanitizer, pH, and alkalinity levels are important no matter what system you are using. Even if your salt system is chemically balanced, corrosion will occur on anything metal or stainless steel. Anyone with a salt water pool will tell you that their skimmer screws, light ring, ladders, and handrails are showing rust. Since most spa heaters are made out of stainless steel, they will rust as well. Sundance tried using salt systems in 1999 called the ISO Pure System. It was discontinued because of the dramatic increase in warranty calls. I remember because I did most of the service calls during that time. UV light offers an alternative to salt that has no side effects and will take care of 99.9% of all waterborne pathogens. Fortunately we offer both to our customers and let them decide which system will work best for them.