SOFTER FEELING WATER, LESS TIME ON UPKEEP
Salt System Hot Tubs in Raleigh and Charlotte, NC
A salt system makes the water feel softer on your skin and takes the every-few-days sanitizer job off your list. You still test and balance, just far less often.
✔ Softer feeling water, gentler after a long soak
✔ The spa makes its own sanitizer, day and night
✔ Available on every Wellis hot tub with a circulation pump
What Is a Salt Water Hot Tub?
A salt water hot tub makes its own chlorine. You dissolve a small amount of salt in the water, and a salt cell in the plumbing passes a low current through it, releasing the same sanitizer that comes out of a chlorine jug. It works in small amounts around the clock, so the water is never over-dosed or left short. The salt is not used up either: once the chlorine has done its job it reverts to salt and goes around again. The level stays far below ocean water, so nothing tastes or feels salty. What people notice instead is how soft the water feels on the skin.
Why Salt Is Such a Big Deal in a Hot Tub
Saltwater spas are not new. They have been around since about 2009, and for years bolt-on kits gave them a bad name in spas that were never designed for salt. What is new is Wellis building the system in at the factory. The option is offered on Wellis hot tubs with a built-in circulation pump, because that pump is the piece that makes a salt cell work: water moves through the cell continuously, so sanitizer is made steadily instead of in bursts. You are not converting a hot tub. You are buying one built to run this way, and it changes both how the water feels and how much work it asks of you.
Salt System vs Hand-Dosed Chlorine
Same sanitizer, different delivery. Here is what actually changes once the spa makes its own chlorine.
| Salt system | Hand-dosed chlorine | |
|---|---|---|
| Adding sanitizer | The salt cell makes it continuously. | You measure and add it every few days. |
| Chlorine smell | Faint. Levels stay low and steady. | Sharp for hours after each dose. |
| What you store | A bag of spa salt, plus the same balancers you already use. | Chlorine jugs, tabs or granules, plus those same balancers. |
| Chemistry swings | Small and steady. | High right after dosing, low before the next one. |
| How the water feels | Soft, and easier on dry or sensitive skin. | Harder, and more drying after a long soak. |
| Still on you | Test and balance weekly, clean the cell every 60 to 90 days, drain and refill every 3 to 4 months. | Test and balance weekly, drain and refill every 3 to 4 months. |
| What it costs | Priced as an upgrade when you order the spa. | Nothing upfront, then chemicals for the life of the tub. |
Living With a Salt System
Is a salt water hot tub chemical free?
No, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. A salt system is a chlorine system with a different delivery method: the cell generates chlorine on demand instead of you pouring it in. What goes away is the handling, the storage and the smell, not the sanitizer. Our explainer walks through the chemistry in full: can you use salt water in a hot tub.
What does a normal week look like?
Test the water once a week and adjust pH and alkalinity, the same as any spa. Salt only gets topped up when a test says the level has dropped, which is rare, because the salt recycles. Clean the salt cell every 60 to 90 days to clear mineral buildup. Drain and refill every three to four months, which is the schedule any hot tub needs. That is the whole routine.
Which Epic hot tubs can run it?
Every Wellis model in the lineup above. The requirement is a built-in circulation pump, which is why plug-and-play 110V spas cannot use one. If the model you like is not on the list, ask us and we will point you at the closest one that qualifies. Swimming rather than soaking? The same option is on our salt system swim spas.
See it before you buy
Our showroom teams can show you the cell, the control panel and the salt option on any model that qualifies, then price it into your quote. Browse every hot tub we carry, check the current specials, or ask about financing when you request pricing.
Visit an Epic Showroom Near You
Open 7 days a week • Mon-Sat 10AM-7PM • Sun 10AM-6PM | ☎ 888-884-SPAS
Hot Tub Salt System FAQs
How much does the salt system upgrade cost?
It is priced per model and added when you order the spa, so it lands inside your quote rather than as a separate purchase later. Submit the form, call us, or visit a showroom and we will price it on the hot tub you like.
Do all hot tubs work with a salt system?
No. The spa needs a built-in circulation pump to run a salt cell, which is why plug-and-play 110V models cannot use one. Every Wellis hot tub shown on this page qualifies.
Does a salt water hot tub still use chlorine?
Yes. The cell generates chlorine from the dissolved salt, so the sanitizer is the same one you would otherwise add by hand. The difference is that the spa makes it in small, steady amounts while you are not there.
Is salt water better for sensitive skin?
Most owners say yes. Chlorine stays low and steady instead of spiking after every dose, and the salt gives the water a softer feel, so there is less of the dryness and itch that can follow a hand-dosed soak.
Will salt damage my hot tub?
Not on a spa built to run it. The horror stories come from aftermarket kits fitted to tubs that were never designed for salt. We only offer the system on models that qualify, and it is ordered with the spa rather than bolted on afterwards. Ask us to confirm the warranty terms on the model you choose.
How long does a salt cell last?
A few years of normal use, then it gets replaced like any wear part. Keeping it clean and the water balanced is what stretches its life.
Can I add a salt system to a hot tub I already own?
Sometimes, but it depends on the model, its age and its warranty, and a kit on the wrong spa is exactly how salt earned its bad reputation. Talk to our service team before you buy anything.
Do you install and service salt system hot tubs near Raleigh and Charlotte?
Yes. Epic Hot Tubs delivers, installs and services salt system hot tubs across the Triangle, Sanford and the Charlotte area from five showrooms. Ask about it when you request your quote.
Related Posts
Request Your Free Quote
Get pricing info, ask questions or see if you qualify for free local delivery!
