Introduction

As Spa Pool owners we have been “conditioned” by our pool suppliers to use a range of Branded consumable products to maintain our spa water. However, often these branded products end up being very costly on an ongoing basis. Another problem with such products is the issue of how they are constantly increasing the spa water Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) resulting in shorter periods between water changes. Much of this is covered in more detail in our Blog “Understanding Spa Water Impurities”.

Below you will find our recommendations to help you save money with your ongoing salt water based Spa Pool maintenance, and when using the SCEPTER salt water cell, to extend water changes to between 6 and 12 months.

Recommendations:

Use Normal Salt

Instead of “springing” for expensive specialty branded salts, use low cost iodine and caking agent free salt. Stay away from agricultural salt as it has high amounts of impurities. Swimming pool salt which can be purchased in 20 kg bags is ideal. Also salt for pickling or canning is ideal as it is very fine and dissolves quickly.

Cell type

As many have already found, having to replace your salt cell every regularly can become very expensive depending on the brand. Instead, next time you have to replace your salt water cell consider the SCEPTER. Unlike some salt water cells, the SCEPTER is best operated outside of the filter down pipe. Because the SCEPTER is designed with wide open electrodes it is best run in an water environment with greater water hardness than some other cells. The benefit of this is longer water life (more time between changes) and longer cell life because it does not get blocked as easily by calcium buildup.

Liquid Chlorine

While it is very popular, granular chlorine, especially “balanced”, or sometimes refereed to as “chlorine with conditioner” is not the best product when you are running a salt water based Spa Pool. These products contain cyanuric acid which initially aids in the retention of the chlorine by the spa water molecules, e.g. prolongs the effect of each dose, however over time each dose increases the water’s Total Dissolved Solids” (TDS) and eventually increases to a level where the spa water can no longer adsorb the chlorine and must be changes. See our blog Understanding Spa Water Impurities to better understand what is going on.

So rather than spending money on fancy branded granular chlorine products for “shocking” your salt water based Spa Pool, simply use plain unscented house hold bleach, or use liquid chlorine supplied for swimming pool use. (this is usually very concentrated) See our blog Water Preparation for a Salt Water Spa for more details.

pH Increase

Again rather than spending money on branded pH Up or Alkalinity Increase products, simple use pain old baking soda. As well as smaller quantities from the supermarket, most swimming pool shops this in bulk at very reasonable prices.

pH Decrease

The lowest cost approach to eliminating branded pH Down or Alkalinity Decrease products is to use cheap white Vinegar. Don’t use other kinds of vinegar just white vinegar. See Water Preparation for a Salt Water Spa for more details on quantities.

Cell Cleaning

As with pH decrease above, use the same plain white vinegar to soak and clean your your salt water cell. It may take slightly longer than the dissolved branded granules approach, but it won’t be adding to the water’s TDS. Usually a soak of about 20 minutes is enough to soften and dissolve any calcium buildup on your salt water cell. Of course if you are using the SCEPTER salt water cell then you can see through its transparent body when the calcium deposits are gone.

Calcium/Water Hardness

When running some salt water systems, you are required due to cell design to adjust spa water to a much lower Calcium/Hardness level than most manufacturers recommend for spas or pools. Generally in the pool and spa industry it is recommended to maintain a water hardness of around 250 ppm in order to protect the components in the pumping and heating systems, etc.

With the SCEPTER salt water cell, you usually do not have to adjust the water’s calcium hardness. The SCEPTER is recommended to operate in spa salt water in the range of 200 – 300 ppm. If you do have to increase the calcium hardness level of your water you can buy low cost calcium increase products from a swimming pool shop.

Other Maintenance Tips

1. After heavy use, add 1 cup of unscented household bleach and white vinegar. For swimming pool Chlorine follow dosing instructions but is likely to be between 100 ml and 200 ml.

2. If pH is rising add 1 cup white vinegar 1 to 2 times weekly for pH control.

3. Shock monthly with 1 cup each of household bleach and vinegar for 2-3 person tubs, and 2 cups each of bleach and vinegar for 4-6 person tubs.

4. If foaming occurs while running the jets, add phosphate remover as per the bottles instructions. This likely to be around 20 ml.

5. If alkalinity is high, turn off tub, and add 5 litres of white vinegar, leave cover off for 1 hour, then turn back on and close cover. You may need to do this multiple times if alkalinity is real high.