Can you notice discoloration and stains on your hot tub shell? Are the metal parts of your hot tub being corroded? If yes, then chances are you have too much salt in your hot tub. When there is too much salt in the hot tub, it causes the water to get softer.
The soft water can cause corrosion, staining, and foaming in your hot tub. So, what do you do to prevent this? You need to lower the salt level in your hot tub. So how do you go about that? Let’s find out. But first, let’s check out why you need to lower the salt level in your hot tub.
Why Do I Need to Lower the Salt Level in My Hot Tub?
You need to lower the salt level in your hot tub to prevent corrosion of the metal parts of your hot tub, staining of the shell of the hot tub, and foaming in the water. When there is too much salt in the hot tub water, the metal parts of the hot tub like the jets, the circulation pump, and the heater will start to corrode because they are exposed to high doses of sodium chloride, which is salt.
Too much salt in a hot tub is a problem largely associated with salt water hot tubs. Salt water hot tubs can have too much salt in the water even if you only add the required level of salt. This is because hot tub salt doesn’t evaporate or dissolve in the water over time.
The chlorinator turns the salt into chlorine and the chlorine is used in the water but not all of the salt is used up. There is usually some salt left in the water. So, the more hot tub salt you add to the hot tub, the more salt residue you will have in the water. This cycle continues and can eventually cause a high salt level in the hot tub water.
Too much salt in the hot tub doesn’t just cause corrosion. It can also cause foaming in the water. The presence of too much salt causes the water to become softer and soft water is more prone to foaming than hard water. Too much salt is also not good on your skin.
In addition, too much salt in your water reduces the calcium hardness of the water, it can cause etching, and it can also cause staining of the hot tub shell. So, when you notice that you have too much salt in your hot tub, you need to lower it. But how do you lower salt levels in a hot tub? Let’s take a closer look.
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How to Lower Salt Level in a Hot Tub
The best way to lower the salt level in a hot tub is to dilute the water in the hot tub. But it takes a few steps to do that. Let’s get to work.
1. Top Up the Hot Tub Water
The first thing to do is to top up the water in the hot tub, if the hot tub isn’t already filled to its maximum capacity. If the hot tub is already filled to its maximum capacity, you can just skip this step.
To know if your hot tub is filled, check the inner shell of the hot tub. At the top of the shell, there is usually a line indicating where the water in the hot tub should reach. If the water in the tub is already at that level, then your hot tub is filled to its maximum capacity. If it isn’t, top it up with fresh water.
2. Turn on the Jets and the Circulation Pump
If you added water to the hot tub, turn on the jets and the circulation pump for a few minutes so the water can be properly circulated. This step is both a preparatory step and if you are lucky, it can also help you lower the salt level in your hot tub.
If your water level was below the maximum capacity, that means the salt level in the water would be more concentrated in the water that is in the tub. By topping up the hot tub water, you are directly diluting the water. This would cause the salt concentration to drop and that can reduce the high salt levels you had in the water before.
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3. Test the Water for the Salt Level
The next step is to test the water for its salt levels. Most people recommend doing this first but I prefer to do it after topping up the water in my hot tub to its maximum capacity. This way, you will get a more accurate reading of the salt levels in your hot tub since the hot tub is filled.
To test for the salt level in the water, you can use salt water testing kits or your regular hot tub test strips. Just ensure to use a water testing kit that can test for salt levels.
Some salt cell chlorinators usually have a control panel that displays the salt level in the hot tub. If you have one of these, then you can just check for the salt level on the control panel. You should still test the water even if you have one of such saltwater chlorinators. This is because they don’t usually give an accurate reading.
The correct salt level for a salt water hot tub is between 2000 PPM (parts per million) and 3000 PPM. Some salt water hot tubs would have the recommended PPM written in the manual. Most salt water hot tubs have 2500 PPM as the recommended salt level.
If the result of your salt test falls between these figures or is at the recommended level you find in the manual, then you have the right salt level in your hot tub. If the salt level is above 3000 ppm, then you need to lower it by diluting the water.
4. Determine If You Need To Drain Some Water
Before you can dilute the water in the hot tub, you need to drain part of the water first. When you drain the water, you allow part of the heavily concentrated water to escape.
Then you top the rest with fresh water. But first, you need to calculate how much water you need to drain so you don’t drain less or even worse, more than you need to.
5. Calculate How Much Water You Need to Drain
To calculate how much water you need to drain, you have to divide your hot tub’s current salt level (in PPM) by the recommended PPM. Then take the figures behind the decimal point and multiply them by the hot tub’s volume. The result shows the amount of water (in liters or gallons) that you need to drain.
For instance, let’s assume the hot tub has 600 gallons of water at a current salt level of 3500 PPM and a recommended salt level of 2000 PPM. You need to divide the current salt level (3500 PPM) by the recommended salt level (2000 RPM).
You will get 1.75. Then multiply .75 or 0.75 by the hot tub’s volume (600 gallons) to know how much water you need to drain. The result will be 450. This means you need to drain 450 gallons of water from the hot tub.
6. Drain the Needed Amount of Water
After getting the amount of water you need to drain, you can go ahead to drain the hot tub. Locate the drain valve at the base of your hot tub. Then open it to allow the water to escape.
While the water is being drained, you should watch the water level in the hot tub to be sure you don’t drain more than the needed amount of water. When you have drained the amount of water needed, close the drain valve immediately.
7. Dilute the Hot Tub Water
After draining the needed amount of water in the hot tub, refill the hot tub to the maximum capacity by adding freshwater. Then turn on the jets and circulation pump for about 20 minutes to allow the water to circulate and mix well, After 20 minutes, turn off the jets and let the water settle.
8. Retest the Water
The next thing to do after diluting the water is to retest it. Use your test strip to test the water again. This time, the salt level should be reduced to the recommended level.
In case the salt level is below the recommended level, you can top it up by adding a bit of hot tub salt to the water. Now you know how to reduce the salt level in your hot tub.
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What Do I Do if I Put Too Much Salt in My Hot Tub?
If you put too much salt in your hot tub, then you need to lower the salt level by diluting the water in the hot tub until the salt level in the water is reduced. It’s not unusual to add more than the recommended level of salt in a hot tub.
But when you notice you have added too much salt to your hot tub, you need to first take out the salt cell chlorinator. Then you have to drain part of the water and dilute the rest.
After you have diluted the water, you should test it to be sure the salt level has been reduced to the recommended level.
If the salt level is still high, then you need to drain and dilute the hot tub again. This process should be repeated until you don’t have a high salt level in the hot tub anymore.
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How Much Salt Should I Put in My Hot Tub?
You should put 1.5 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water in your hot tub. The recommended amount of salt level for a salt water hot tub is usually between 1.5 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water and 2 pounds of salt per 100 gallons of water. In terms of the PPM (parts per million) level, you should add 2500 PPM of salt to your hot tub.
All salt water hot tubs usually have the recommended salt level that you should put in the hot tub. The recommended level is usually indicated in the hot tub manual or the salt cell chlorinator manual. You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding how much salt you should put in the hot tub.
For instance, let’s assume the manufacturer’s instruction states that you should add 2 pounds of salt to 100 gallons of water in the hot tub. If the hot tub has a maximum capacity of 500 gallons of water, that means you need to add 10 pounds of salt (2 pounds multiplied by 5) into the hot tub water when it’s filled to its maximum capacity.
If the salt level (PPM) is what you want to go by, you should ensure the salt level in your hot tub after adding the hot tub salt is between 2000 PPM and 3000 PPM with 2500 PPM being the sweet spot.
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Final Words
Overall, lowering the salt level in your hot tub isn’t much of a tough task. All you need to do is test the salt level in the water, calculate the amount of water you need to drain, and then dilute the rest of the water in the hot tub. That will surely lower the salt level to the recommended level.
You should also know that if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding how much salt should be added to your hot tub, you wouldn’t need to worry much about lowering the salt level in the hot tub.
So there you have it. If you liked this post, ensure to check ur others on this website for more hot tub tips. Have a nice day.