FAQs

Can I use ozone with my Salt Water System?

Yes you can use ozone and it is a perfect compliment to salt systems. Ozone will reduce the sanitizer load and allow for running the Salt Water System at a lower power level which increases the life of the cell. Ozone also reduces the need for shocking the water. If your ozone cartridge is over 2 years old, it is most likely not producing ozone and must be replaced.

My cell has some white scale build up, is this normal?

Yes this is perfectly normal, and is a build up of calcium formed due to normal cell operation. This can be removed by soaking the cell (with the Spa power off) in white vinegar for 30 minutes or until the calcium is completely dissolved. This should be done regularly every month for maximum cell performance

How often should I change Spa Water?

There are a lot of ifs and buts in answering this question. The answer depends on how often the spa is used, how much and what type of chemicals have been used to maintain spa water balance, and how careful bathers are in not introducing undesirable elements such as phosphates into Spa water, etc. It is impurities that build up in the water that generally determine water life, except of course where appropriate levels of sanitiser have not been generated by the cell, or manually added to prevent bacterial spoiling (water going green).

Generally water in a non-salt water spa should last 3 months. In a salt based spa using powdered chemicals the water should be changed every 6 months. By using liquid based chemicals such as liquid chlorine and white vinegar, water can last between 9 and 12 months.

My readings are ok, why isn’t my system working?

There are many reasons for this. The Salt System Controller display doesn’t always read correctly, so check the following:

1. Make sure cell is clean. If you see white scale build-up on cell electrodes soak the cell in white vinegar for 30 minutes.

2. Inspect the cell electrodes to ensure that the titanium coating is in good condition. If you can see the coating “flaking off”, or can see grey metallic flakes in your spa water then the cell is at the end of it’s life and needs replacement. Consistently high pH of Spa water can cause this to occur - regularly check pH to ensure it is within normal limits .

3. Verify water salt level with test strips. Salt systems are generally designed to work in the 1500-2000 ppm salt range but can be off at the lower and top range. 1750ppm is ideal. If you are at 1500, add 1/2 to 1 cup salt and let this circulate for an hour. Run the jets for 5 minutes, shut off breaker, switch cell leads and turn back on. It will take up to 5 minutes for system to re-boot and it should go into boost mode where you will see bubbles coming from the cell.

4. If you are at 2000 ppm or above, drain some water (up to 1/4 to 1/2) and refill with fresh. Shut off breaker, switch cell leads and turn back on. It will take up to 5 minutes for system to re-boot and it should go into boost mode where you will see bubbles coming from the cell. If your display comes up with “call for service”, you probably need to drain and add more water.

5. If your salt level is in the 1700-1800 range, try switching the breaker off, reverse the cell leads, then turn breaker back on.

Why do I have to replace the Salt Cell regularly?

Salt cells are electrodes that when powered by their controller create electrolysis in the Spa water. This process of electrolysis in water with dissolved salt (sodium chloride) causes a chemical reaction that produces chlorine. This chlorine then acts as a sanitiser preventing the growth of bacteria in the warm Spa water.

The process of electrolysis over time, gradually causes the dark grey titanium coating of the Salt Cell electrodes to “sacrificially wear away”. Once this gets to the stage where the coating is too thin, or is flaking way, the process of electrolysis cannot be continued and the cell needs to be replaced with a new one. Depending on the amount of cell use, the power levels set for the cell, and how Spa water has been managed (including pH strictly kept to recommended levels), the life of a Scepter salt cell can be anything from 12 months to two years.

To better understand how you can maximise salt cell life, see our more detailed article on Managing Salt Cell Life.

The Scepter has 2 black wires and my existing cell wires are 2 different colours. What do I do?

The colours of the cell connection wires and plugs do not matter, and can be plugged into either controller socket. It has been suggested that it is beneficial to reverse the connections monthly in order to get the best life out of  your cell.

Why do you place your cell outside the filter?

The cell works better. When the filter gets dirty, it reduces water flow through filter. There are only 2 small holes in the top of the original cell for water to flow through, which is why they recommend cleaning the filter that the cell is inside weekly. Now you don’t have to worry about the filter getting a little dirty and shutting the system down. Also, since the Scepter housing is clear, it makes it easier to see if cell is working or needs to be cleaned.

What is Phosphate Remover and why should I use it?

Phosphate Remover simply removes phosphates which are in every water supply, whether city/town supply or well water. Rainwater also contains phosphates, but in much smaller quantities. Phosphates can also be introduced into Spa water from freshly laundered swim suits or clothing. Phosphates consume chlorine, which makes your cell work harder to keep up with demand, lessening the life of the cell.

Once you have used Phosphate Remover, you may be able to turn the cell output down. Phosphates can also cause mystery problems as well, such as water foaming when the jets are run.

Phosphate Remover helps to “drop out” the dissolved particles of phosphate in spa water. These particles are then eventually collected up by your Spa filter. Please note that after using Phosphate remover, to check, and or clean your Spa filter to ensure it has not been clogged by the removed phosphates.

Can you tell me more about Spa water impurities?

Impurities in water are referred to as “Total Dissolved Solids” (TDS), and are measured in “parts per million” (PPM). 

Clean filtered rain water with no additives will normally have a TDS of around 70ppm. Following the addition of the required amount of salt, spa water will increase in TDS to around 1350ppm. Following the addition of calcium hardness increase to around 250ppm (which is the minimum recommended when using the Sceptre), overall water TDS will increase to around 2100ppm. And by the time chemicals are added to both “shock” the water, and adjust the pH, TDs is likely to increase to around 2800.

Every time you add chemicals to balance your spa water you are adding more solids that are going to increase the TDS. This is particularly true if you are using powder based chemicals. Try and limit your use to liquid based chemicals to minimise TDS increase.

Over time the TDS will always increase. Even spa water evaporation can increase TDS, but can be rectified by adding more clean (low TDS) water to the correct level. In our experience when the TDS level gets to around 3500 ppm it is time to change your spa water. Usually the TDS is in the order of 1000ppm greater than the measured “total dissolved salt”. 

To measure the TDS in your spa water, take a water sample to your local pool/spa shop for analysis, or purchase a simple electronic instrument to make these measurements. We recommend the “Tracer” manufactured by LaMotte. Versions of the Tracer can also electronically measure salt levels, temperature, pH, and so on.

For more detail see our Full Article.