Freshwater Salt System - Can it be disabled?

[Vabeechguy]

Greetings - Can the Freshwater Salt System be disabled/bypassed?  I've had frustrations with constantly replacing the expensive cartridges despite following all of my dealer's advice.  Thanks.

[Galaxybrooks]

You can manually shock the tub more often while leaving the system inactive.  Though I would check with the dealer what to use in replace of a cartridge or if you should just leave one in since you can't operate without fear of damage and void warranty.

Have you changed the water and started from scratch?  I had trouble with cartridges going out every 2 months and changing the water out took care of it.

[Vabeechguy]

Thanks for the info. 

I have changed the water - started from scratch.  I've had my tub for five months and am on cartridge #4.   Changed the water, tested/removed phosphates, ensured pH, alkaline, salt, etc. are at optimal levels.  One thing I didn't do was flush the system with Ahh-some, which has seemed to help others. 

I'm not completely sold on the idea of turning off/by-passing the salt system; that's why I got it, to enjoy the "feel" of the soft, odorless water with what I thought would be minimal maintenance.  But, if I ever do go that route, I appreciate the guidance. 

I'm getting my water tested one more time tomorrow...hoping for some sort of obvious diagnosis to end the cartridge frustration.

[Malcom Turn]

 I feel your pain with those pesky cartridges. Been there, done that. So, here's the lowdown: you can totally disable the Freshwater Salt System, but it's like diving into the tech stuff. Usually involves some button combo dance, consult your hot tub manual for the secret handshake. If that fails, hit up your dealer again. Sometimes they got the hookup or a sneaky trick up their sleeve.

[gwmac]

Yes, just slick on the saltwater settings where you can adjust the levels of salt from 1 to 10. Select 0 and it will turn it off completely.