Saltwater vs. Chlorine Hot Tubs

So, you’re about to buy a hot tub? Congrats!

Before you buy, you’ll have to decide whether you want saltwater or chlorinated water in your hot tub. The top two choices in spa water purification systems are either traditional chlorine purification or the saltwater system.

Chlorine is the older, more well-known option, but saltwater has gained popularity over 15 years, particularly in residential pools.

Both chlorine and salt-water options offer solutions to the common issues when owning a home spa system. Regardless of which one you choose in the end, maintaining your home spa is an ongoing process, and it’s your preference as to which one you choose.

To maintain your spa water using chlorine, you’ll need to monitor a few conditions, including the proper concentration of chlorine in your water comparable to the size of your hot tub and the amount of solution you need.

In saltwater systems, the saltwater produces chlorine, so it’s a more natural process of getting the chlorine into your water instead of dumping the chemical directly into the water, which could result in an overall harsher effect on the skin and feel of the water.

Let’s take a look into the pros of each.

Pros of Salt Water Hot Tubs

The pros of saltwater hot tubs include:

• Saltwater is relaxing! The water feels gentle and has a smoother, silkier texture. Saltwater systems don’t leave your skin dry like chemicals can or turn your hair green.
• Saltwater is safer. Spa saltwater systems make their chlorine naturally, so there is no need to buy and store bromide or chlorine tablets that could become unsafe if left alone for too long, not to mention a hazard for small children.
• Saltwater smells better. Saltwater doesn’t have the strong chemical smell of chlorine.
• Saltwater is more natural. The addition of salt increases the water’s total dissolved solids, making the water less aggressive and more resistant to water balance fluctuation. So if you have a health condition, saltwater will not aggravate it as much as the chlorine would.
• Saltwater is eco-friendly. The best and most efficient saltwater hot tub systems use a small amount of salt. Unlike the ocean, you can’t taste the salt. Bonus – you’ll use less water overall.
• Saltwater is easy. Saltwater hot tubs can be more convenient for the appropriate customer. Because saltwater systems produce their naturally-occurring chlorine, there’s no need to add chlorine or other chemicals to your spa continually.
• Saltwater is cost-effective longterm. A saltwater setup reduces the number of other chemicals you’ll need in your home spa, therefore cutting on cost and waste to the environment.

Although saltwater is an excellent resource for your hot tub purification system, consider some of the following cons.

Cons of Salt Water Hot Tubs

• Some hot tub manufacturers make their pump shaft seals of BUNA rubber that can corrode under saltwater conditions. So before you buy your hot tub, make sure that a saltwater system is what you want and that the spa is designed to be used with salt water.
• The salt cell used for saltwater hot tubs is a titanium-coated electrolytic cell, which eventually loses its power after four years and stops producing enough chlorine. The process and cost to change your salt cell depend on your spa brand and the saltwater system.
• You must monitor or set a timer that senses whether your hot tub’s temperature drops below 65 degrees. Many salt systems have trouble producing chlorine at low water temperatures. This isn’t a big deal if you have a way to monitor the reading.

We offer salt-water options at East Texas Hot Tub using HotSpring®’s FreshWater® Salt System. The FreshWater system is available on all Highlife® Collection and Limelight® Collection spas.

Find out what’s best for you!

We hope this quick rundown on the pros and cons of using a saltwater system will help you make the right decision for your new hot tub.

If you’re having trouble deciding to use a saltwater system or a traditional chlorine system in your new spa, our team of friendly, experienced staff can help you navigate the best choice. With advantages and disadvantages to both, much of it depends on your specific situation.

Take our perfect hot tub quiz on our home page or call our store at (903) 561-7565 to jump-start your search for the best spa!