---
title: 3 Reasons to Consider a Salt System for Your Spa or Hot Tub
description: For a beautiful, comfortable hot tub with less maintenance hassle, consider a salt water spa system. The HotSpring FreshWater Salt Water System is ideal!
image: https://blog.watsons.com/hubfs/spa.jpg
---
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# 3 Reasons to Consider a Salt System for Your Spa or Hot Tub
Posted by [Watson's](https://blog.watsons.com/blog/author/watsons) on Jul 27, 2019 8:16:00 AM
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If you already own a hot tub or you’re familiar with maintaining one, you’re probably familiar with traditional chlorination to keep the spa water clean and bacteria-free. This method works well, and it’s been keeping spas fresh and inviting for decades.
But, traditional chlorination has its drawbacks as well:
- **Odor **- When hypochlorous acid (the spa chemical created when liquid or solid chlorine mixes with the hydrogen and oxygen in your hot tub water) attacks contaminants in the water, it creates a byproduct called chloramines. These are harmless spa chemicals, but they smell pretty bad. If you’ve been to a public pool and smelled that thick, cloying chemical odor, it’s not actually chlorine, it’s chloramines.
- **Skin and eye irritation** - While hypochlorous acid is weak and essentially harmless to humans, it can irritate skin and eyes, especially with prolonged exposure. Some people are more sensitive to this effect than others.
- **Maintenance **- For traditional chlorination to work consistently, you need to constantly maintain the chlorine levels in your hot tub water. That means testing the water routinely and balancing the spa chemicals as needed. This takes time.
- **Expense **- While liquid chlorine, chlorine tablets, other hot tub chemicals, and test strips are not particularly expensive on their own, you do need to purchase them continually for the life of the spa. So, over time, it adds up.
So, while a traditional hot tub chlorine system is both effective and reliable, there are solutions available that can reduce the time you spend on hot tub maintenance and the prevalence of negative side effects.
One of the most popular options is a salt water spa maintenance system.
## How a salt water spa works
Basically, a salt water spa system accomplishes the same purpose as traditional chlorination, but it achieves those goals through a different means.
Rather than adding chlorine, which then becomes hypochlorous acid as it reacts to the hydrogen and oxygen in the water, the salt water system uses salt as the basis of the chemical reaction. Then, through a process called electrolysis, the dissolved salt is transformed into free chlorine. This process produces several beneficial side effects:
- The water is oxidized, which helps eliminate smelly chloramines
- It reduces dissolved alkali minerals in the water, which has a “softening” effect many people prefer
- The level of hypochlorous acid produced is lower, meaning it’s less irritating to sensitive eyes and skin
One such solution is the [FreshWater Salt System from Hot Springs Spa](https://www.watsons.com/chemicals/spa-supplies-equipment?brand=1221).
## Spotlight on the FreshWater Salt System
Available on all Highlife® Collection and Limelight® Collection spas, the FreshWater Salt System from HotSpring Spa is an affordable, simple water care system that eliminates the worry of keeping spa water clean without requiring a drain and refill for a full 12 months.
There is nothing else on the market that’s as easy to use as the FreshWater Salt System.
The [low-cost titanium cartridge](https://www.watsons.com/freshwater-salt-system-3-pack-refill) works with salt to generate chlorine as a sanitizer while keeping water feeling soft and natural. The unparalleled patent-pending design makes water care simple for spa owners to use and enjoy.
Here are 3 key reasons to consider the FreshWater Salt System:
- Less time needed and no maintenance headaches – just spa water that’s always hot and ready-to-use.
- Fewer chemicals and no itchy, dry skin or eyes – just clean, soft-feeling and odor-free water that looks, smells, and feels great
- Less water wasted from frequent drain and refills – preserves spa water for a full year
Watson’s sells the spas that can use the FreshWater Salt System, a salt system spa chemical starter pack, and replacement cartridges, all at the lowest price in the U.S., guaranteed.
Have questions or want a personalized quote? [Contact your local store now](https://www.watsons.com/contact-us). Or, click below to shop online.
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Topics: [Spas and Hot Tubs](https://blog.watsons.com/blog/tag/spas-and-hot-tubs), [Learn more](https://blog.watsons.com/blog/tag/learn-more), [Brand Spotlight](https://blog.watsons.com/blog/tag/brand-spotlight), [Spas and Hot Tubs - Supplies and Equipment](https://blog.watsons.com/blog/tag/spas-and-hot-tubs-supplies-and-equipment)
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