When most people think about
hot tubs they think about warm, relaxing, bubbling water in an inviting and comfortable environment. But if your hot tub has an unpleasant smell, it’s difficult to feel relaxed and comfortable. If you’re asking yourself, “Why does my hot tub smell?” you should read this article.
Why Does My Hot Tub Smell?
There are usually two main reasons why a hot tub will produce an unpleasant odour.
The first is a chemical imbalance. When people think of overwhelming smells associated with hot tubs or swimming pools they most often think they smell chlorine. But the fact is that the chlorine-like smell isn’t chlorine itself, but chloramines, the product of a chemical reaction between chlorine and ammonia. It’s the smell of chlorine that’s been used up by doing its job. A similar thing can happen to bromine when it reacts with ammonia to create bromamines. Bromamines also have a bleach-like smell.
The second reason why a hot tub smells is because of the growth of organisms such as bacteria, algae, or molds. Again, this is often related to a chemical imbalance in the water. As these things are allowed to grow they generate waste products that give off a bad smell.
How Can I Stop My Hot Tub from Smelling Bad?
Pinpointing the source of the bad smell of your hot tub will prevent you from going overreacting in your attempts to rectify the situation. You don’t want to have to completely drain your hot tub every time you think you smell something that’s a little off. For this reason, it’s best to try to remedy the easy things first before moving on to more labour intensive undertakings.
Water Chemistry Balance
Maintaining a balanced water chemistry is the cornerstone of ensuring your hot tub remains smelling clean
† and fresh. This is something that should be done on a regular basis – at least once a week or more depending on how much your hot tub is getting used. Your water sample tests will let you know if you need to add chemicals to the hot tub to get the water chemistry back into balance. Oftentimes this simple step is all that’s necessary to get rid of obnoxious smells.
Hot Tub Cover Cleaning†
Sometimes it’s not even the hot tub water itself that’s causing the unpleasant smells. Before you start draining the hot tub, take a good look at your hot tub cover. Because they’re often moist they can become an excellent breeding ground for mold, mildew and odour causing bacteria. A thorough cleaning
† may be all that’s necessary to get rid of the bad smells. If the cover can’t be properly cleaned it may be time to invest in a new one.
Water Filter Cleaning†
Water filters are another component that needs to be cleaned regularly. You should be removing the filters from their housing and spraying them down at least once a month. They also require a deep cleaning
† at least once a year. Inspect your water filters for the accumulation of oils or other gunk that may be the source of the odour. If they’re worn out they might not be doing their job properly anymore and should be replaced.
Deep Cleaning†
If all else fails, it’s time to do a deep cleaning
† on your hot tub. This should be done on an annual basis anyway, but if it’s getting a lot of use or accumulating a lot of contaminants, you may need to do this more often. You’ll want to flush out the plumbing system with an appropriate cleaner before draining the hot tub completely and giving it a thorough scrubbing. This can get rid of coatings and films that aren’t removed through regular cleaning
†. Once you refill the hot tub with fresh water and get its chemistry back into balance, the unpleasant odours should become a thing of the past.
How that you’ve learned how to stop your hot tub from smelling, download a free buyer’s guide below for more information, or visit us at our
London hot tub store.
