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Hot tub salt chlorinator

Updated: 21 October 2026

A pool chlorinator looks like the tidy answer for a hot tub, and it is the wrong tool. A hot tub salt chlorinator here means a drop-in sized for a few hundred litres, run for a short time you have tested, and lifted out when you soak if that is how it is built. The Intex 26670 listing states 12 g/h for a pool. That rate in a small hot tub can drive free chlorine up quickly. The two drop-ins are on the [Salt chlorinator](/hub/pool-care/salt-chlorinator) comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A pool chlorinator looks like the tidy answer for a hot tub, and it is the wrong tool.

Our top picks

Briidea Briidea BR-159

Best overall

Briidea Briidea BR-159
6.3/10about £169.89
View offer
Westaho Westaho EL-024

Alternative

Westaho Westaho EL-024
6.0/10about £161.41
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why a pool cell is the wrong tool
  2. 2.What a drop-in actually is
  3. 3.The two units in this set
  4. 4.Hours, tests and a spare cell
  5. 5.Warranty and power

Why a pool cell is the wrong tool

Do not hang the Intex 26670, which states 12 g/h, or the smaller CG-26664, over the rim. The pool units are best salt chlorinator UK. A cell built for a cool return is not the same part as a cell in water around 38°C. Neither drop-in states grams per litre. Cubic metres stay on the salt chlorinator buying guide.

What a drop-in actually is

A drop-in is a controller above the water and a cell in the tub. The Westaho and Briidea bullets say no plumbing and no tools. Hydropool's note, which is not a test of these ASINs, says a drop-in can be lifted out while you soak. Neither listing states a voltage or a plug. Lines of 3,000-plus hours are marketing, not a measured life in these files.
Briidea Briidea BR-159

Testsieger

Briidea Briidea BR-159
6.3/10about £169.89
View offer

The two units in this set

The Westaho EL-024 is about £161.41, 4.0 from 6 reviews, stated for 200–2,200 gallons. The saved reviews are from Canada and the United States. Grams per hour are not stated. The Briidea BR-159 is about £169.89, 4.4 from 66 reviews, stated up to 2,000 gallons. None of the first 34 saved texts is labelled United Kingdom. Reviews include a unit dead after a week or eight months, and no replacement cell for sale.

Hours, tests and a spare cell

Set the hours from a strip, not from a forum average. The one-hour figure is one Briidea review of a 300-gallon spa, not your dose. The salt order is how to use a salt chlorinator. Briidea reviewers say a replacement cell is not sold. The Westaho listing leaves that question open. Adding salt because a light says low, when a strip is already in range, turns a small tub into brine.

Warranty and power

Check the tub maker before you convert. If the manual forbids salt, neither ASIN fixes the clause. Plug type and voltage are not stated, so do not assume a BS 1363 plug. Do not plan on a travel adaptor. If the lead is wrong, an electrician deals with it. Leave both if you need a UK review or a spare by part number.

Common questions

Can I hang my pool chlorinator in the hot tub?
No. A pool cell is the wrong output for a few hundred litres of hot water. The Intex 26670 states 12 g/h, with salt at 2.5–3.5 g/L, for a pool. The drop-ins in this set are the Westaho EL-024 and the Briidea BR-159. The other five are inline pool cells.
Do these two need a plumber?
The bullets say no plumbing and no tools. You place the cell in the tub and mount the controller above the water. A cell hidden in the pipework is a different install, and these pages do not describe it. A lead that is not a UK plug is an electrician's job.
How big a tub do the listings cover?
The Westaho states 200–2,200 gallons. The Briidea states up to 2,000 gallons. Grams per hour are not stated, so the gallon line is the only size you can quote. A 300-gallon spa and a 600-gallon inflatable tub appear in Briidea reviews as cases that worked for those owners. They are examples, not the maximum.
Do I still test chlorine?
Yes. The cell makes chlorine from salt, whatever the title says. You set the hours from a strip, and you still watch pH, because neither unit doses acid. One Briidea review of a 300-gallon spa used about one hour in 24. That is one tub. If the LED disagrees with a strip, trust the strip until you know which sensor is wrong.
Is the cell a spare part I can buy later?
On the Briidea, reviewers say a spare cell is not sold and the unit is replaced. On the Westaho, the listing does not answer the question. A claim of 3,000 hours is a marketing claim, not a parts list. A failure after a week never reaches that claim.
Will salt affect the tub warranty?
It can, if the maker did not approve salt. Check the warranty that came with the tub before you convert. An inline system and a drop-in both put salt in the shell and the heater. If salt is excluded, a price of about £161.41 or about £169.89 does not change the clause.
Are the reviews from the UK?
The saved texts are not labelled United Kingdom. The Westaho notes are from Canada and the United States, against 4.0 from 6 reviews. The Briidea line is 4.4 from 66, and none of the first 34 saved texts is labelled UK. A star average on amazon.co.uk can still be written abroad. Do not read it as a UK plug or a UK winter.

Related pages

Salt chlorinator for an above-ground pool

Salt chlorinator

Best salt chlorinator UK for your pool or a hot tub

Salt chlorinator buying guide: match rate and pipe

How to use a salt chlorinator: salt first, then cell

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources used for this page in October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for these seven listings.

  1. Hayward UK salt chlorinator configurator (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Bayrol: how a salt chlorinator works (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. BSI BS EN 16401:2013 sodium chloride for electrochlorinators (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Intex QS400 saltwater system manual (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Intex hose sizes and connections (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. NAPIT: BS 7671 Section 702 swimming pools (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. HSE: swimming pools (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. PWTAG TN60: free chlorine and pH (retrieved 19 October 2026)