Salt System Startup Guide

TEST FILL

WATER

FILL SPA

ADD SALT

BALANCE

WATER

SANITIZE FILL

WATER

SOFTEN

WATER

SET SALT SYSTEM

OUTPUT LEVEL

& MONITOR

1 2

3 4

5 6 7

Power must always be OFF when spa is empty.

Before ﬁlling your spa, take a sample of your ﬁll water to your local dealer for testing to

determine if your water contains high levels of metals, phosphates, and/or calcium. If high

levels are detected, your dealer can recommend additional products to help bring your ﬁll

water into balance. Starting with balanced water is key to the success of clean, long-lasting

water with the FreshWater® Salt System.

Metals - Using well water or have high metal content in your water? Iron and manganese

should be below 0.5 ppm and copper should be below 0.2 ppm. If metals are present in the

water, they must be removed before startup of the FreshWater Salt System. It is strongly

recommended to ﬁll your spa using the FreshWater Clean Screen® Pre-Filter.

Phosphates - It is important to test for phosphates in your ﬁll water using the provided

phosphate test kit. Phosphates contribute to algae growth and will reduce the eectiveness

of your salt system. Reference the table in Step 4 for recommended phosphate ranges.

If you have used liquid products to remove metals from your spa water, you must clean your

ﬁlters and wait 24 hours after treatment before turning the salt system on or adding any chlorine.

TEST FILL WATER

Before adding water, remove plug and insert your salt system cartridge. Using your garden hose, ﬁll your spa through

the ﬁlter compartment until the water level reaches one inch (2.5 cm) above the highest jet.

If your ﬁll water contains high levels of metal or calcium, use the FreshWater

Clean Screen

Pre-Filter and/or

On The Go

as required.

Once the spa is ﬁlled with water, turn the power on (see spa Owner’s Manual for speciﬁc instructions based on the

voltage of your hot tub). Set the temperature to your desired level (at least 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and turn o the

salt system by setting the output level to zero (recommended). Check your jet systems by pushing the jets icon on the

control panel home screen. When you’ve conﬁrmed that the jets are fully operational, adjust your diverter valves to

middle position and leave the jets on for adding salt.

It’s normal for the water care icon on the control panel and diagnostic logo light (if equipped) to ﬂash during this

step if you choose not to turn your salt system o.

To ﬁnd the correct water capacity of your spa model, check the chart

in your spa Owner’s Manual.

Make sure spa jets are on before adding salt. To avoid over salting

the water, start out by adding half the recommended amount of salt

noted on the chart to the right, using the scoop provided in your kit.

Pour the salt into the ﬁlter compartment, one cup at a time, with

the jets running. Allow ﬁve minutes for the salt to dissolve.

Use FreshWater Salt Test Strips to verify the salt level is around

1,750 ppm. Continue to add salt, one cup at a time, as needed to

reach the target level. Be careful to not exceed the recommended

target of 1,750 ppm.

FILL SPA

ADD SALT

Spa Capacity Salt

Output

Setting

Gallons Liters Cups

200 760 4 ½ Level 5

250 950 5 ¾ Level 5

300 1,140 7 Level 6

350 1,330 8 Level 6

400 1,520 9 ¼ Level 6

450 1,710 10 ¼ Level 6

500 1,900 11 ½ Level 7

550 2,090 12 ½ Level 7

600 2,280 13 ¾ Level 7

Test your water using a FreshWater® test strip. Using the chart to

the right, review pH and alkalinity levels to determine if your water

is within the salt system’s parameters and adjust as needed. Make

note of the calcium hardness level as this will be addressed in

Step 6. Refer to your spa Owner’s Manual for detailed instructions

on how to bring pH and alkalinity levels into balance. Once the

water has been balanced, retest the water using the appropriate

FreshWater test strip. Repeat the process until the water is balanced.

With all jets on and the diverter valves turned to the middle position, add chlorine to the ﬁlter compartment (refer

to the product label for instructions). Run jets for ﬁve minutes and measure the chlorine with a new FreshWater 5-Way

Test Strip. Your target chlorine level is 5 ppm. If your level is less than 5 ppm repeat the chlorination process. Wait

ﬁve minutes then test again. Repeat until the target level of 5 ppm is reached.

If using liquid chlorine - DO NOT USE splash-free or scented bleach of any kind.

This chlorination step is very important for a successful startup. Skipping this step can prevent the system from

establishing a chlorine residual.

Include this step if you did not use a calcium remover during the ﬁll process in Step 2.

Hard water can damage your hot tub equipment and may hinder the eectiveness of the salt system, so it’s important

to make sure your water is soft. Your target calcium level is 50 ppm. Use the following guidelines if your calcium

hardness is over 75 ppm:

75-150 ppm - Use the Vanishing Act

pillow provided in your start up kit (refer to Owner’s Manual for instructions)

150-300 ppm - Use the Vanishing Act XL or an On The Go

portable water softener (available at your local dealer)

Over 300 ppm - Use an On The Go portable water softener during ﬁll process

After 24 hours, test spa water with a FreshWater 5-Way Test Strip. If calcium hardness level still reads above 75 ppm,

repeat the process until you get close to 50 ppm. Discard Vanishing Act in your normal trash after recommended

amount of time and before continuing to next step.

BALANCE WATER

SANITIZE FILL WATER

SOFTEN WATER

Salt System

Paramaters

Target

OK Range

Minimum Maximum

Salt 1,750 ppm 1,500 ppm 2,000 ppm

Hardness 50 ppm 25 ppm 75 ppm

Alkalinity 80 ppm 40 ppm 120 ppm

pH 7.4 7.2 7. 8

Chlorine 4 ppm 3 ppm 5 ppm

Phosphates < 150 ppb 0 ppb 300 ppb

The following steps are typically performed 24 hours after Steps 1-6 have

been addressed.

Access the water care menu on your control panel. Set the salt system output to

the recommended level indicated in the chart to the right.

Using a FreshWater® 5-Way Test Strip, check the water to ensure a residual

chlorine level of at least 3 ppm has been maintained over the past 24 hours.

If the chlorine level has dropped below 3 ppm, repeat the chlorination process

to achieve 5 ppm and press the Boost button. Check the chlorine level again in 24 hours, and continue the chlorination

and Boost process each day until the salt system can independently maintain the target 3 ppm chlorine residual.

Over the next few days, continue to test your water using a FreshWater 5-Way Test Strip and adjust the salt system output

level as needed.

The salt system cleans the water before it produces a chlorine residual that is visible on a test strip. If there is

not a measurable amount of chlorine in the spa water after 24 hours, this is an indication that the salt system is still

cleaning the water. If there are contaminants in the water, or you use the spa often initially, it may take the salt system

a few days to clean the spa water and keep up with your chlorine demand. Use Boost to generate additional chlorine

during this process. This is perfectly normal and does not mean that your Freshwater Salt System is not working.

SET SALT SYSTEM OUTPUT LEVEL & MONITOR

Salt System Output Level

Level 0 System O

Level 1-4 Vacation/Low Output

Level 5-7 Normal Use (Recommended)

Level 8-9 High Use

Level 10 Maximum Output

Boost Level 10 for 24 Hours

The FreshWater Salt System makes spa ownership simple and easy by reducing the amount of time required to care for your spa

water. It is important to note that maintaining balanced and sanitized spa water is ultimately the responsibility of the spa owner.

Here are some helpful tips:

10-Day checkup: Every 10 days, the water care icon on the

control panel will ﬂash as a reminder to check your spa by

testing and balancing your spa water and conﬁrming your

output level. The 10-day timer will reset any time you

adjust your output level. If you do not perform the 10-day

maintenance routine, the system will default to Low Output

Mode (level 3 after 15 days and level 1 after 20 days).

TIPS TO GET THE BEST PERFORMANCE FROM YOUR FRESHWATER SALT SYSTEM

Test and balance spa water to keep calcium, pH and

alkalinity levels within the recommended ranges.

Test for chlorine regularly and adjust the salt system output

level up or down to maintain 3 to 5 ppm. It is recommended

to adjust the output level or use Boost before supplemental

chlorine is added.

The system is compatible with chlorine, MPS, and silver.

It is NOT compatible with bromine or BaquaSpa®

(biguanide). Never add scented oils to your spa.

• 1280 Park Center Drive Vista, CA 92081 • PH: 800.999.4688 • 63572 Rev: A

Please see your FreshWater Salt System Owner’s Manual

for detailed instructions and other best practices.