salt water hot tub

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salt water hot tub

Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes

They have a deal on salt water hot tub.

According to the sales person, I don't need to handle PH level, adding chlorine or even changing water due to sodium level they maintain. (Just need to clean filter every month? and maybe change the water once or twice per year).

I always consider 40% of what sales person say, matches the actual performance. Do you guys see the benefit outperform the 2~3k price difference?

(More buoyancy was very tempting for myself though)

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JD MartinBusiness Member

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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 17k+ votes

I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home. You still have to add chlorine occasionally and I find it fussy. It is nicer to use than a regular chlorine hot tub especially on your skin but I don't know if the maintenance is any better or worse, personally. I bought it because it was supposed to be easier to keep up with than traditional, but I've had to rebalance the ph myself several times.

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Mike GrudzienPro Member
Lender · Eugene, OR · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
This is interesting and I look forward to the feedback.
But, I don't know if I want extra buoyancy in a hot tub?
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Collin HaysBusiness Member
Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
1y
Salt water anything brings with it a host of new problems.
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John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
1y
Some places require you to change the water between guests.
I've never heard of a saltwater hotbtub.
Sounds more expensive to purchase.
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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1y
Hey @Joel Oh, So what the salesperson said could be accurate but for the fact that this is not for personal use.
Tell me, would you want to get into a tub that had been used by 20-50 other people because they didn't change the water or do any real cleaning?
I know that I wouldn't.
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Joel Oh
OP
Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @John Underwood:

Some places require you to change the water between guests.
I've never heard of a saltwater hotbtub.
Sounds more expensive to purchase.

It seems like it has been on the market for a long time. It has a higher initial cost (2~3k) but less maintenance over time with a longer warranty. We all know that maintenance is where it kills our back.
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Joel Oh
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Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Joel Oh, So what the salesperson said could be accurate but for the fact that this is not for personal use.
Tell me, would you want to get into a tub that had been used by 20-50 other people because they didn't change the water or do any real cleaning?
I know that I wouldn't.

You will be surprised how often swimming pool changes its water then XD. I have an outdoor pool that easily have 1k+ people using it every season and I never had single complaint due to the water quality. (It costs 10k+ to drain, clean, refill the pool so I only do it once an year and this is pretty standard) I think it is matter of if it looks dirty or smells bad when guests use it.
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Joel Oh
OP
Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @John Underwood:

Some places require you to change the water between guests.
I've never heard of a saltwater hotbtub.
Sounds more expensive to purchase.

Wonder who "checks" that "requirements" XD. I mean you technically require a permit to replace an outlet or sink faucet hahaha
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Michael BaumPro Member
Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
1y
Ummm, ok...
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JD MartinBusiness Member
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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 17k+ votes
1y
I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home. You still have to add chlorine occasionally and I find it fussy. It is nicer to use than a regular chlorine hot tub especially on your skin but I don't know if the maintenance is any better or worse, personally. I bought it because it was supposed to be easier to keep up with than traditional, but I've had to rebalance the ph myself several times.
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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
1y
@Joel Oh

You REALLY need to find a new pool guy. Are you having the pool filled and redug every year for $10k?

In the desert it costs me LESS than $20 for water. Acid washing when required is $500. Heck, I had a pool replastered for $3,700 including chemicals/setup.
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Joel Oh
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Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @JD Martin:

I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home. You still have to add chlorine occasionally and I find it fussy. It is nicer to use than a regular chlorine hot tub especially on your skin but I don't know if the maintenance is any better or worse, personally. I bought it because it was supposed to be easier to keep up with than traditional, but I've had to rebalance the ph myself several times.

Thank you! Yeah I thought it sounded too good. Do you have any rust issue? That is honestly my biggest concern.
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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
1y
Ouch!
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JD MartinBusiness Member
Moderator
Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 17k+ votes
1y
Quote from @Joel Oh:

Quote from @JD Martin:

I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home. You still have to add chlorine occasionally and I find it fussy. It is nicer to use than a regular chlorine hot tub especially on your skin but I don't know if the maintenance is any better or worse, personally. I bought it because it was supposed to be easier to keep up with than traditional, but I've had to rebalance the ph myself several times.

Thank you! Yeah I thought it sounded too good. Do you have any rust issue? That is honestly my biggest concern.

No problems with rust but do have to deal with hard water; they have a chemical treatment called a pillow that takes care of that. I like the tub (it wasn't cheap, about 12 grand) but there's not great service options where I live and not sure if I would get it again since I mostly have to take care of it.
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Joel Oh
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Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @JD Martin:

Quote from @Joel Oh:

Quote from @JD Martin:

I have a salt water hot tub at my personal home. You still have to add chlorine occasionally and I find it fussy. It is nicer to use than a regular chlorine hot tub especially on your skin but I don't know if the maintenance is any better or worse, personally. I bought it because it was supposed to be easier to keep up with than traditional, but I've had to rebalance the ph myself several times.

Thank you! Yeah I thought it sounded too good. Do you have any rust issue? That is honestly my biggest concern.

No problems with rust but do have to deal with hard water; they have a chemical treatment called a pillow that takes care of that. I like the tub (it wasn't cheap, about 12 grand) but there's not great service options where I live and not sure if I would get it again since I mostly have to take care of it.

Oh yeah, the sales person told me i need to use a portable water softener ($30?) when i fill the water since the water is pretty hard here. Yeah the price is around 12k-15k for 7 people size. Thanks for your input!
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Dan H.Pro Member
Investor · Poway, CA · Member since 2015 · 7k+ posts · 8k+ votes
1y
I have a salt water pool and spa. The salt does nothing for ph. It does eliminate the need to add chlorine but the chlorinators (Pentair IntelliChlor) have a fairly short lifespan. I find the savings from not needing to add chlorine is instead spent on chlorinators.
I would not use salt for an only a spa because the chlorine use is so low.
Good luck
1 Reply
Eric Gerakos
Investor · Costa Mesa, CA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
We have a large salt water spa and your salesperson is wrong about the maintenance. We still need to monitor PH and it uses salt cartridges that the tub converts into chlorine. We change water every 3 months. It’s definitely not low maintenance.
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Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
I would still want water changed as a guest. Might be nice for your personal home but I do not think on an investment property is worth it - except for the marketing angle as people like our salt water pools.
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Rene HosmanPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2024 · 583 posts · 655 votes
1y
Quote from @Joel Oh:

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Joel Oh, So what the salesperson said could be accurate but for the fact that this is not for personal use.
Tell me, would you want to get into a tub that had been used by 20-50 other people because they didn't change the water or do any real cleaning?
I know that I wouldn't.

You will be surprised how often swimming pool changes its water then XD. I have an outdoor pool that easily have 1k+ people using it every season and I never had single complaint due to the water quality. (It costs 10k+ to drain, clean, refill the pool so I only do it once an year and this is pretty standard) I think it is matter of if it looks dirty or smells bad when guests use it.

I know @Garrett Brown our resident BiggerPockets STR pro has some thoughts on cleaning a hot tub. Anyone who thinks that a hot tub or pool water is being completely drained and changed regularly is delusional at best. Have they ever been to a public pool, or water park, or hot tub at a resort or gym?
The whole point of having chemicals (and yes, salt is a chemical compound) is to mitigate bacteria growth, it's science.
All that being said I don't know about if a salt hot tub is better per se, I know it's better for your skin and I'd say perhaps if you're in a very health conscious area like Joshua Tree, some folks might be attracted to the idea of a salt water hot tub. But maintenance of a traditional hot tub isn't that difficult or hard to maintain. I've had a traditional hot tub we use bromine instead of chlorine to balance for five years. You're more likely to find maintenance people who are more familiar with balancing those chemicals versus salt. Not that it would be difficult per se to find a maintenance person who can balance a salt hot tub, but chlorine or bromine are more common!
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Christina B.
Boulder, CO · Member since 2023 · 179 posts · 102 votes
1y
Not sure about delusional but it's not unusual for us to have to do a genuine drain & fill several times a month during high seasons if we've rented to large groups with kids. The water is just too disgusting otherwise. (And the pics back this up.)
I looked at bromine instead of chlorine (and still open to it). Looked at salt water but found as the above posts discuss, there wasn't in actuality, less maintenance (just a different set of issues) and end of day, chlorine was still being used (even if a smaller amount). The most useful switch I made was from a vendor who kept insisting the water was fine (it wasn't and no, the chemicals didn't just need more time) to a true pro who doesn't gouge us for maintenance and does a consistently great job.
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Craig Jones
Member since 2023 · 113 posts · 129 votes
1y
For chemistry nerds:
A salt water tub uses a cartridge with titanium plates in it. When electricity passes through the titanium it acts as a catalyst that converts the dissolved salt (aka sodium chloride) into sodium and chlorine. The chlorine goes into the water and the sodium builds up on the titanium plates which is why the cartridge eventually has to be replaced.
These systems don’t actually measure how much chlorine is in the water or how much is needed. They just generate chlorine at a constant rate depending on the system setting. Which may or may not be enough. Usually on the “not” side if the tub gets heavy use.

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Joel Oh
OP
Member since 2023 · 188 posts · 111 votes
1y
Quote from @Craig Jones:

For chemistry nerds:
A salt water tub uses a cartridge with titanium plates in it. When electricity passes through the titanium it acts as a catalyst that converts the dissolved salt (aka sodium chloride) into sodium and chlorine. The chlorine goes into the water and the sodium builds up on the titanium plates which is why the cartridge eventually has to be replaced.
These systems don’t actually measure how much chlorine is in the water or how much is needed. They just generate chlorine at a constant rate depending on the system setting. Which may or may not be enough. Usually on the “not” side if the tub gets heavy use.

Nerds win! That is what exactly the sales person said. He said to just put at the highest setting and change filter more often filter cost is honestly nothing for Airbnb hosts. So... do I still need to check PH level.?
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Craig Jones
Member since 2023 · 113 posts · 129 votes
1y
Quote from @Joel Oh:

Quote from @Craig Jones:

For chemistry nerds:
A salt water tub uses a cartridge with titanium plates in it. When electricity passes through the titanium it acts as a catalyst that converts the dissolved salt (aka sodium chloride) into sodium and chlorine. The chlorine goes into the water and the sodium builds up on the titanium plates which is why the cartridge eventually has to be replaced.
These systems don’t actually measure how much chlorine is in the water or how much is needed. They just generate chlorine at a constant rate depending on the system setting. Which may or may not be enough. Usually on the “not” side if the tub gets heavy use.

Nerds win! That is what exactly the sales person said. He said to just put at the highest setting and change filter more often filter cost is honestly nothing for Airbnb hosts. So... do I still need to check PH level.?

The cleaning company I use started offering hot tub service about a year after I got the salt water tub and I took them up on it. It's honestly way way better with the pro servicing it at every turnover. It's sparkling crystal clear when he's done in a way I could never achieve on my own. In addition to PH I believe he also checks chlorine level, salt level and total dissolved solids. That last one lets him know when it's time for a drain and refill.
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