Hot Tub Care and Maintenance: A Word of Caution on Salt Water Systems (Contd.)

If you are thinking of buying a hot tub, it's vital that you know what to do and what to avoid.  One big thing that you want to use more than a little bit of caution on is a hot water system for your hot tub.

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Hot Tub Sales: Get the Facts

Hot tubs are a wonderful thing to have in your home.  You can expect to have much lower stress levels than a lot of people, better circulation, not to mention a good night's sleep.  A hot tub should never be a cause for stress, especially financial stress.  A salt system, as we covered previously, may not be the low-stress alternative that it seems to be.
What's so stressful about salt water systems in a hot tub?  Well first off, there can be hidden costs.  While hot tub salt is half the cost of hot tub chlorine, the other costs connected with a salt system actually end up costing you more money.  Salt cells are expensive, sometimes as much as $500 and they have to be replaced every year and a half.  In addition, you still have to buy chlorine, De-foamer, and test strips.  Over a period of five to ten years, you will find that you end up spending thousands more on sanitizing your hot tub that you would by buying a hot tub with a traditional chemical based system.  One of the other claims of a salt-water based hot tub is that your skin is healthier and feels better because of using salt water instead of harsh chemicals.  That's not necessarily the case.

Hot Tub Use and Your Water Quality

If all that was in your water was a bit of salt, then your skin would not react adversely to time in the tub,  however, all salt water systems use a salt cell that produces a combination of chlorine, oxygen, and other oxidizers and cleaners that are essentially just chemicals.  In addition, salt water produces oxidizing compounds as well.  Too much of anything, from hot tub chlorine to oxidizers would not be good for anyone's skin.    Another claim of salt water systems is that they are supposedly more eco-friendly.  Wrong.  As we covered above and in our previous article, there are LOT of harsh chemicals in salt-water systems.  Surprisingly enough, a traditional chemical-based hot tub is actually less harmful to the environment than a salt system is because you use less chemicals.  That's not the case with salt water systems.

There are more outrageous claims regarding salt-water systems, which will be covered in a future article, but for now, know that salt water systems may not be as beneficial as you may think when you are looking to buy a new hot tub.

When you are in the market for a spa, you want to make sure you get the right one for your needs.  So if you need a tub that is low maintenance, a salt system may not be the right one for you.  Ultimately, you want to make sure you buy the best hot tub.

Sunset Spas of Arizona
2225 West Pecos Road #8
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 656-7267
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Hot Tub Care and Maintenance: A Word of Caution on Salt Water Systems

Hot tub care isn't just about knowing what to do.  It is about knowing what not to do as well.  One thing that we can't stress enough is to avoid salt water systems in your hot tub.

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Hot Tub Maintenance:  Hold the Salt, Please

When you buy a hot tub, you are making a good decision.  Hot tubs have proven health benefits from pain relief and improved circulation all the way up to stress relief.  To keep your stress level down, you also want to make sure that you know what to do where hot tub maintenance is concerned. There is a lot of misinformation out there about how good salt water systems are in pools and hot tubs.  This may not necessarily be the case.  Supposedly salt water systems require less work and they're "hands free."  They are also supposedly better for your skin than traditional chemical based systems because they do not use harsh chemicals.  Finally, they supposedly cost a lot less than First off, let's look at the hands-free claim.
Take a good look at a manual for salt water systems when you want to buy a hot tub. Usually there are almost 200 separate warnings and procedures.  With a salt system, it is necessary for the owner of a hot tub to remove the salt cell every three months and clean it with an acid solution.  In addition, manufacturers of salt water based hot tubs recommend that you clean it with spa chlorine and shock, which pretty much negates the claim that it doesn't use harsh chemicals.  But what about the claim that salt systems are low cost?

Hot Tub Care and Your Wallet

While hot tub salt is about half the cost of hot tub chlorine per month, the other costs connected with a salt water system actually end up costing you more than a traditional hot tub.  For example, salt cells only last about a year and a half.  You have to replace them at that point and you will be looking at a replacement cost of between $300 and $500 when you do.  There are more costs connected with salt systems in hot tubs, but for now, know that hot tub salt systems aren't as much of a cost savings as you might think.

So be a smart consumer.  When you are in the market for a hot tub, make sure you know the pluses and minuses of the tub you're looking to get.  Know how much care you're going to need to give it each month and when you're going to need to do it.  That way you can make sure that you not only have a hot tub, you have gotten the right hot tub.

Sunset Spas of Arizona
2225 West Pecos Road #8
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 656-7267
Contact Us