Jump to content

Dead Sea Salt


footie

Recommended Posts

I'm considering adding Dead Sea Salt to my spa as there's lots of claims that it's got muscle easing benefits among other things but I was wonder from those that are using it whether it effects the other water balancing issues we have to deal with like pH, TA, etc., even as to the effect on Chlorine/Bromine effectiveness.

Any comments?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No effect on water chemistry parameters (except TDS, of course) or sanitizer effectiveness with the exception of the bromide (more on that later). It will lower the saturation index, but unless this is a plaster spa or one with tile with exposed grout, then that should not be a problem. The higher chloride level as well as conductivity can accelerate metal corrosion if the salt level is high (how high depends on the quality of materials used in the spa). As shown here, Dead Sea Salt has around 0.5% bromide while the salts are roughly 63% (the rest is mostly water as hydrates). So if you were to increase the salt level in the spa by 1500 ppm using Dead Sea Salt, you would add around 12 ppm bromide to the spa which would initially turn the spa into a bromine spa, even if you were adding chlorine to it. This amount of bromide might go down over time through outgassing of bromine, but I suspect would still last for at least a month or more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No effect on water chemistry parameters (except TDS, of course) or sanitizer effectiveness with the exception of the bromide (more on that later). It will lower the saturation index, but unless this is a plaster spa or one with tile with exposed grout, then that should not be a problem. The higher chloride level as well as conductivity can accelerate metal corrosion if the salt level is high (how high depends on the quality of materials used in the spa). As shown here, Dead Sea Salt has around 0.5% bromide while the salts are roughly 63% (the rest is mostly water as hydrates). So if you were to increase the salt level in the spa by 1500 ppm using Dead Sea Salt, you would add around 12 ppm bromide to the spa which would initially turn the spa into a bromine spa, even if you were adding chlorine to it. This amount of bromide might go down over time through outgassing of bromine, but I suspect would still last for at least a month or more.

As my spa is a bromine one then this will have an effect but does it mean not using the bromine tablets until levels drop to normal or what? Also according to all the info I have read the amount to add is approx. 800g for a 350-400g spa but I don't know what ppl that would amount to, is there a way of testing this and then there's the TDS, you mention it will get effected but is this something I need to deal with in a bromine spa?

I like the idea of the sea salt mainly because of my back problems which are muscular but I hesitate because I don't know the long term effects of the spa equipment, i.e. what levels are safe to use without causing damage?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since you are already using bromine, you don't need to worry about the added bromide from the salts. Just keep using your current method for bromine, including use of the tablets. I wouldn't even worry about your startup sodium bromide you add after a refill for your bromide bank -- just keep doing what you have been doing as far as that goes (I presume you start up by adding some sodium bromide initially -- tablets alone don't add bromide fast enough initially).

800 grams of Dead See Salt in 350 gallons (1325 liters) with roughly 63% salt composition is a TDS of around 600 ppm so not very much. I wouldn't worry about metal corrosion at this level of added TDS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I used sodium bromine granules to get the bromine bank started. 600ppm sound spot on for me, I don't fance pushing my luck with upwards on 1500ppm as I would worry long term. I take it you don't really need to top this up as evaporation still retains the salt, so all I need do is top up water as par normal and maybe, just maybe add a little salt due to water being removed by bathers leaving the tub.

This is the product I was considering, is it suitable or should I be looking else where, remembering that I am in the UK and not the States.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you are right that evaporation does not remove the salt. So you only need to make up for what is carried out in swimsuits, so not very much -- probably not enough to worry about. The product you linked to looks fine to me, but I'm no expert at using mineral salts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is something to consider about salt in your tub. Every 5 oz of bleach you add contributes 10 ppm salt in a tub 350 gallons. You use bromine, like myself. Still I add about 5 oz of bleach a week, over the course of the fill this will add to your salt level as well.

Dichlor/Bleach tubs can have upwards of 1200 ppm salt just from the bleach 4 months into a fill.

I was useing 1500 ppm salt but will adjust to 1000 ppm salt on my next fill.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is something to consider about salt in your tub. Every 5 oz of bleach you add contributes 10 ppm salt in a tub 350 gallons. You use bromine, like myself. Still I add about 5 oz of bleach a week, over the course of the fill this will add to your salt level as well.

Dichlor/Bleach tubs can have upwards of 1200 ppm salt just from the bleach 4 months into a fill.

I was useing 1500 ppm salt but will adjust to 1000 ppm salt on my next fill.

Which type of chlorine do you use at each weekend. I guess you are using the same liquid Sodium Hypochlorite as I do, though I only blench every other weekend because we don't use it as regularly as we would like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use regular clorox bleach. My tub is just for me, 180 gallons. Still I use it 4 to 7 hours a week so weekly shocks are necessary for me. I keep my bromine at 4 ppm, after a soak it is at 2 ppm. I add 15 ml bleach and it bumps up to 4 ppm again. Weekly shocks of 2 to 3 oz of bleach will give me a bromine shock in the 15 ppm range.

Have you checked out the pool calulator??? That is were I got the bleach/salt info from.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use regular clorox bleach. My tub is just for me, 180 gallons. Still I use it 4 to 7 hours a week so weekly shocks are necessary for me. I keep my bromine at 4 ppm, after a soak it is at 2 ppm. I add 15 ml bleach and it bumps up to 4 ppm again. Weekly shocks of 2 to 3 oz of bleach will give me a bromine shock in the 15 ppm range.

Have you checked out the pool calulator??? That is were I got the bleach/salt info from.

Never used the pool calculator but I do run my bromine level at between 6-8ppm normally and it only drops about 1-1.5ppm after a soak so I don't add anything other than maintain the tablets in the dispenser and shock every other week. It's just that the salt sounds appealing considering my back problems which over the best part of twenty years have resulted in my back muscles locking up with very little manual work, i.e. gardening etc. I hoping that added dead sea salt would be beneficial to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too suffer from back pain. Dead sea salts tout many benefits but inorder to achieve them I think the salt content would have to be high, like mimicking the dead sea. Most of the benifit you will sea in the 1000 ppm range will have to do with the skin. I believe you said you have pool salt, why not give that a try before you go through the time and expense of getting the dea sea salts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hey,Good idea..I have heard that dead sea salt is good for skin..Dead sea salt is always beneficial to cure skin problems like rashes,itchiness,eczema etc.It also reduces the muscles pain and relaxes the muscles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 years later...
  • 3 years later...

I have a 270 gallon hot tub and have always struggled keeping the Bromine, PH and TA balanced not to mention skin problems. I have decided to use "Only" Dead Sea Salt and added 2.2lb to the fresh water!  I understand you can bathe in dead sea salt in your hot bath without topping up of Bromine TA or PH and it has fantastic benefits for skin antibacterial properties etc. Therefore I don't see the need to add TA PH or Bromine to my hot tub. As far as I'm aware the only negative about Dead Sea Salt is the corrosion. Well I'm sure that there will be a certain amount of corrosion happening anyway. Just like your car corrosion is happening and driving in winter on salted roads speeds up the process, therefore your car may only last 7 years instead of 10. In that case if my heater corrodes at a faster rate and lasts say 7 years instead of 10 then I'm not going to be too worried about it. This is the first time I have done this so I will give you my results as time goes by. Finger's crossed things turn out ok!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...