Can Epsom Salt Damage a Walk-In Tub, Its Jets or Its Chrome?

Plain Epsom salt does not damage an Ella walk-in tub's pumps, in-line heater or jets as long as it is fully dissolved before it goes into the water, and it is the one bath additive Ella approves for use in a jetted tub. The damage owners actually see from Epsom salt is on the chrome and stainless trim: salt water that dries on the drain, threshold, jet covers or faucet leaves spots that look like rust and can eat at the plated finish over time. The approved routine is in Can I Use Epsom Salts, Bath Bombs or Bubble Bath in My Walk-In Tub?, and this page looks specifically at what the salt can and cannot harm and how to reverse the marks if you already have them.

Where Epsom Salt Can and Cannot Cause Harm

A jetted Ella tub draws bath water in through the intake, pushes it through the pump and the in-line heater, and sends it back out through the jets. Anything in the water makes that trip too. Ella's published guidance names two places where salt matters and one where it does not.

• The pump, heater and jets: no harm when dissolved. Fully dissolved Epsom salt will not harm the pumps, heater or jets, and Ella states plainly that Epsom salts will not harm the jetting system. That is why it sits in the Yes column of every Ella bath-product table.
• The jets: a risk only from undissolved crystals. A salt crystal that has not dissolved can lodge in a jet. This is a handling problem, not a property of the salt, and dissolving the salt first removes it.
• Chrome and stainless trim: the real exposure. Salt residue that dries on chrome can eat at the finish and leave spots, and prolonged use may discolor or spot chrome finishes. Epsom salts and bath salts are the most common cause of the rust-like spots owners report on the threshold, drain and trim. These are surface deposits rather than the metal failing, which is why they usually wipe away.

Products in a different category are the ones that damage tub mechanics. Bath bombs leave oils, dye, glitter and floral material that can clog the jets and affect the pump system, and bath oils, bath beads and fragrance oils can get stuck in the jet and air pumps and damage the motors, which is not a warranty matter. Epsom salt is treated differently from all of these because it dissolves completely and rinses away. The product-by-product verdicts are in Is Bubble Bath, Bath Bombs or Bath Oil OK in a Jetted Walk-In Tub? What the Jets Can and Cannot Handle.

The Habits That Keep Salt from Marking Anything

1. Run your hydro, air or microbubble therapy first. Ella's best-practice advice is to enjoy the therapy systems, then add the salts for a still soak once the systems are finished, so the running pumps never see salt water at all.
2. Dissolve the Epsom salt completely in a cup or bowl of warm water before it goes into the tub. No crystals should be visible when you pour it in.
3. Drain right after soaking rather than letting the salt water sit in the tub.
4. Rinse the whole tub with the hand shower, paying special attention to jet covers, drain plugs, handles, the faucet and other chrome trim, and wash the residue down the drain.
5. Wipe the chrome and stainless dry after every salt soak. A surface with nothing drying on it cannot spot.

These are the only additions to normal use. If you also like bubble bath or use shampoo in the tub, those are fine with a rinse, and the foam guidance for running jets is in Can You Use Bubble Bath or Shampoo With the Jets Running? Managing Foam in a Jetted Walk-In Tub.

If You Already See Spots on the Chrome or Stainless

Spots that appeared after salt soaks are almost always deposits sitting on the finish. Wipe the area with mild soap and water on a soft cloth, then dry it. If the spots lift, they were deposits and you are done; from then on keep the surface dry after each bath. Do not use anything abrasive on stainless or chrome, and do not scrub harder if the first pass does not clear them, because abrasive pads and harsh chemicals wear the plated finish and make it spot more easily afterward. Hard water minerals drying on the metal leave similar marks and respond to the same wipe.

If the spots remain, or the drain or trim looks pitted or corroded rather than spotted, take close photos in good light and contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and serial number, the photos, and a note on what bath products and cleaners have been used. The shell, frame, finish and plated finishes carry the Lifetime Limited Warranty for defects, and photos are how the team confirms whether it is looking at a deposit or a finish problem. The full checklist is in Why Are There Rust Spots on My Tub's Stainless Threshold or Drain?.

If Salt Crystals Have Already Gone Through the Jets

The monthly vinegar flush clears anything additives leave behind in the lines. Combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. Ella recommends this flush once a month in any case, and it is the right first step if you have been adding salt with the jets running or without dissolving it first. Flushing after every bath is not necessary.

The tub also helps itself. The ozone generator runs with the hydro system to sanitize the water lines, and the air system's Auto Purge starts automatically about 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. Auto Purge cannot be stopped and is normal even if it begins while you are still in the tub. Between flushes, wipe the tub with a non-abrasive cleaner twice a month and keep the area around the intake screen clean.

Soaking-Only Tubs

If your Ella tub has no pumps, there are no jet lines for anything to travel through, so the rules are much more relaxed. Epsom salt still dries to spots on chrome, so the drain-and-rinse habit applies to the trim just the same. The complete list of verdicts for every product, including the relaxed rules for a soaking-only tub, is in Can I use Epsom salts, bath bombs, bubble bath, or oils in my walk-in tub?.

Related Guides

• Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?
• How to Remove Water Spots and Stains From the Chrome Jet Trim
• Hard Water and Your Tub: Protecting the TCV with an Inline Filter and Preventing Mineral Damage

Common Questions