Hot Spring Freshwater Salt System (Starter Kit)

What is the Hot Spring Freshwater Salt System?

The FreshWater salt system is the patented natural chlorine production system from Hot Spring Spas. This system generates chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) from salted spa water turning your hot tub into a saltwater hot tub! The generating cartridge is designed to last for four months, is customer serviceable, and disposable. 

What are the benefits of this system?

• Natural chlorine production from salt - less chemicals added to the water manually and softer on your skin.
• In-line consistent chlorine production reduces the spikes and troughs in chlorine levels that you experience when adding manually, keeping your water fresher for longer.
• Full system integration. Control your salt system with your fingertips on your Hot Spring control panel - increase or decrease power to the system, view your salt level and view any errors.
• Salt water provides natural healing benefits for your skin.  

What a Salt System is NOT

• Chlorine-Free! Salt systems produce chlorine from salt so they are a chlorine-based system.
• Set and forget! All hot tubs are different based on usage, location, tap water balance and more and therefore no true set and forget system exists. Salt systems still require clean filters, balanced PH and testing. Even if chlorine production is built-in, it does not eliminate important factors like these. 

How Does it Work? What are the Components?

A base salt level is added to the water at the initial fill, the titanium cartridge then produces chlorine from this salt. Alkalinity and PH are balanced regularly as normal. Chlorine levels adjusted by ‘boosting’ the system or increasing the output power level (Level from 0-10). 

The two main components are:

• Salt Controller: Plugged in to the control system when the hot tub is installed. The brains of the system. Left inside the hot tub and only accessed to diagnose faults.
• Salt Cartridge: Accessed on the hot tub bar top. Replaced every 4 months. The heart of the salt system as this is where the chlorine is produced.

Costs of the Saltwater Hot Tub System?

Initial Costs

• Freshwater Salt System Starter Kit (£399) - Includes Salt Controller, 4.5kg Salt, 50 x Chlorine test strips, 25 x Salt Test Strips, 1 x Calcium Remover Bag and 1 x Salt Cartridge (lasts 4 months).
• On-The-Go Portable Water Softener (£359) - Recommended for those in very hard water areas. Due to the sensitivity of saltwater systems to hard water, all water added to the hot tub must be below 300ppm in calcium hardness. This softener can be easily recharged with salt so will last for over 10 years for a domestic hot tub user. Please note that a full lesson on the on-the-go softener will be provided on your delivery day and that our delivery team will use their softener to fill your hot tub to speed up the process and to prevent unnecessary wear on your new softener.

TOTAL Start-Up Cost of the Freshwater Salt System £758

Ongoing Costs

• Freshwater Salt Cartridges - £270 per year (3 pack of cartridges).
• Salt. Very rarely added, mainly used on a drain/refill or to charge your softener. Estimated £50 per year (two bags).
• As with any hot tub, water must be tested regularly and PH and Alkalinity must be balanced and filters must be kept clean. For test strips and other chemicals, we estimate £100 per year.

Estimated yearly cost of maintaining the Freshwater Salt System £420 per year

FAQs

What hot tubs can have the Hot Spring Freshwater Salt System?

All Hot Spring Highlife and Limelight Spas built from 2019 onwards can have the Freshwater Salt System installed. 

Will I ever have to add chlorine manually?

Yes, during the first 3-5 days, you will need a base chlorine level of 3-5ppm and this is topped up using manual chlorine. You may also need to add during periods of heavy usage to bring the chlorine level back up.

Why does PH and Alkalinity still need to be balanced?

The Freshwater Salt System is a chlorine production system so most of the time it replaces the requirement to add chlorine to the hot tub. PH and Alkalinity are separate measurements to this, and they affect water quality, the effectiveness of chlorine and impact on your skin/eyes so they must be balanced to help your hot tub water stay safe and clean. 

How often do you have to add salt?

After the initial dose of salt into the water, you should not have to add any salt. Salt if anything will increase slowly over time due to the other chemicals added to the hot tub (e.g. PH Balancer) and sweat. You may have to add salt when topping up the water or when draining the water partially or fully. 

How often do you have to drain & re-fill the hot tub?

We recommend that all hot tubs irrelevant of the chemical system are drained and re-filled every 3-4 months. With salt systems you can sometimes get a bit longer out of the water but it is good practice to flush the pipes 3 times a year to keep the hot tub in good working order. Please note that Hot Spring suggest you can reach 12 months with the same water, this is based on US regulation and is not applicable to the UK.