My spa water smells bad what should I do?

Rick the Spa Guy

Very often these days I hear, My spa water smells bad what do I do?


 I started repairing spas in the mid 1990's and I have seen my share of problems. 


Most of these problems can be eliminated by better spa water maintenance.

One of the main reasons for this is that whether you use Bromine or Chlorine the bacteria start to build up when the level of inactive sanitizer becomes larger than the amount of active sanitizer' then you get what are known as Chlorimines or Bromomines these can cause the odor and or cloudiness in the water.

The main line of defense for this problem is to use 2 tablespoons of Oxygen Shock (Potassium Peroxy Monopersulfate) per 500 gallons of water weekly or one tablespoon every time you get out of the spa if you are a frequent user of the spa. This should eliminate the odor problem and allow the filter to do its job better.

You need to be sure the PH and Alkalinity levels are correct. The PH should be 7.2 - 7.6 and the Alkalinity should be 90 - 120 parts per million.

Remember also that all spas need to be drained and refilled periodically. Most manufacturers recommend draining and refilling the spas every 3-4 months. Be careful in the wintertime when you drain a spa in the cold climates, do not leave them empty or you will have a nice frozen cooler in your back yard. In my last post I went over what to do if that happens.

The following is a rule of thumb for when it is time to change the water in your spa.

Lets say you have 400 gallons of water in your spa, take the number 400 and divide that by 3, once you get that answer then divide that number by the average amount of people using the spa daily, the answer you get is the estimated number of days between water changes to keep the water at it's best.

So....400 : 3 = 133.34 div by 2 people per day = 66.67 days between water changes. As the number of bathers increase the amount of days between water changes will decrease. These are only guide lines you know your spa the best.

So again the more you teat the spa water and add necessary chemicals the less smells you will have and the water will stay clean and clear.

Until next time...