Salt in and above ground spa

[MouseMan54]

Hi,
I was talking to my mom about salt pools and mentioned that some people add salt to their pool even without a SWCG, to help with feel and skin. Her question: Could she do that in her above ground spa? Regular, freestanding, self contained fiberglass. Type you buy at the fair.

Any feedback?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Regular, freestanding, self contained fiberglass. Type you buy at the fair.

Not sure what you mean by this...can you post a model name or picture of what you're talking about?

 

[MouseMan54]

Something like this.
https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/lf/maxsquare/hash/9539/18206290/1/Home-and-Garden-Spas-6-Person-51-Jet-Home-and-Garden-Lounger-Spa-LPI51PE.jpg

Just not sure if the equipment in these types of spas could handle salt. I'm thinking it would be OK an it's likely all fiberglass and plastic.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The biggest problem would be the heater. If it's an electric stab-in heater (like the ones you find in hot water heaters), then it's not likely designed to work with salt water. It could corrode faster than normal. That would be my biggest concern. If there were an option to upgrade it to something that could handle salt water then you could even use a drape-over style salt-water chlorine generator for sanitation. But the biggest issue would be the heater lifetime.