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FreshWater® IQ

FreshWater® IQ is the smartest water care Hot Spring® and Caldera® make. The spa tests its own water every hour, tells you exactly what it needs on the control panel or the app, and corrects pH at the tap of a button, so almost nothing about the water is left for you to manage.

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What Is FreshWater® IQ?

FreshWater IQ combines three technologies into one integrated system. The FreshWater® Salt System generates chlorine from a small amount of dissolved salt, so the spa sanitizes itself. A built-in Smart Monitoring sensor tests the water every hour, far more often and more consistently than anyone testing by hand. And the Dosing System dispenses the exact amount of pH Up, pH Down, or phosphate remover from refillable cartridges housed under the filter lid.

Together they keep the water clean, balanced, and natural-feeling for up to a full year with proper care. Your part is reading a simple color-coded status instead of testing and calculating anything yourself.

Compatible Models

Which Spas Have FreshWater® IQ

FreshWater IQ is available on 2024-and-newer models in the premium collections: Hot Spring® Highlife® and Limelight®, and Caldera® Utopia® and Paradise®. Every Utopia ships with the salt system and hourly Smart Monitoring included, and one-touch dosing is available as an option.

Because the system is integrated into the spa’s control hardware, it can’t be retrofitted to spas built before 2024. If you want the spa to run its own water, plan on choosing FreshWater IQ when you choose the spa.

Add the Connected Spa Kit and the brand app puts the same readings, dosing, and controls on your phone, at home or away.

Compatible Models

FreshWater IQ water readings on a Hot Spring control panel

Shop FreshWater® IQ Models

Every current model below can run FreshWater IQ. Filter by size or price to find yours.

Even Less to Think About

Salt-system water already means fewer chemicals, softer water, and up to a year between water changes. FreshWater® IQ removes most of the remaining attention. Because the spa checks its own chemistry every hour, small drifts get caught and corrected early, instead of growing into problems you have to diagnose and fix.

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How FreshWater® IQ Works

The system works in four steps, and all four of them are the spa’s job rather than yours.

Read the Full Guide

The salt system keeps the water clean

The foundation is the FreshWater® Salt System, which converts a small amount of dissolved salt into chlorine continuously. The water is being sanitized around the clock, and the monitoring and dosing build on top of that.

It tests itself every hour

The Smart Monitoring sensor measures chlorine, pH, and salt every hour, so the spa always has a current reading on its own water without you having to test it yourself.

It tells you what it needs

The control panel and the app show a simple color-coded status with clear recommendations. When everything reads green, the water is ready, and if something drifts, the spa tells you exactly what to do about it.

It doses at a tap

One touch dispenses the precise amount of pH Up, pH Down, or phosphate remover from refillable cartridges, with nothing to measure or pour, and phosphate treatments can run on a schedule.

FreshWater® IQ FAQ

Here are answers to the questions we hear most about FreshWater IQ. The Learning Center goes deeper on each.

Do I still have to test the water myself?

The spa tests itself every hour and shows you the results, which is far more often than anyone tests by hand. An occasional strip test to spot-check and a quick look at the panel now and then is all we recommend, and the panel will tell you if it ever needs anything.

Does FreshWater IQ work without the salt system?

No. The monitoring is designed exclusively around the FreshWater® Salt System, and the two work as one system. The salt system is what generates the sanitizer and keeps the water stable, and the monitoring and dosing are built on top of it.

Can I add FreshWater IQ to my current spa?

Only on 2024-and-newer Highlife®, Limelight®, Utopia® and Paradise® models. It can’t be added to older spas. If yours is older and salt-ready, the salt system alone still does most of the heavy lifting, and we can set that up.

Woman relaxing alone in a Caldera Utopia Cantabria spa

Try Before You Buy

Burlington · Ferndale · Lake Stevens

The fastest way to understand FreshWater® IQ is to see it working. Come by any of our three showrooms, and we will pull up the live readings on a running spa and answer every question before you decide.

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