Cloudy smelly spa after pool party

[JenniferJuniper2]

So we had a party over the weekend and had quite a few people in our hot tub (2002 jacuzzi J-Series...can't remember the model but the measurements (outside) are 5 ft x 6 ft, and it has 2 seats plus one lounge thing). The water looked fine Saturday night and I had been drinking and didn't think to do anything with it. I opened it today (Monday) and found that the water is whitish-cloudy and kinda smelled funky. I added 1 oz of dichlor (following the "superchlorinate" instructions on the bottle). Is there anything else I should do? We've been taking care of our own pool for a few weeks but our pool guy has been doing the spa. I don't know how to take care of a hot tub at all. Help!

Also...how often are you supposed to change the water in a hot tub? We only use ours once a month or less (between September and June we didn't even use it one time!) so we haven't changed the water in months, but does it need to be changed now?

 

[jeffchap]

I use pretty much the same methodology for my hot tub as I do with my pool. Add a little CYA to keep the chlorine from being too harsh, around 30 ppm, and then simply add enough liquid chlorine (bleach) to keep my FC around 5 ppm. I keep the FC a little higher intentionally because it fluctuates more than my pool does.

Based upon the dimensions you gave, I'm guessing your spa's volume is around 300 gallons. Plug that into pool math as a starting point to see how much CYA and bleach to add. If the levels test a little low, your volume may be more than that, so bump it up by 100 gallons or so, until the amount you add raises your levels by the expected amount.

Of course, draining and refilling is always an option too, but you'll still need to add stabilizer and chlorine to the fresh water or it will quickly turn nasty again.

 

[pooldv]

Hot tubs need to be tended to immediately after a party and sometimes during. Bacteria colonies double in size in hours in a pool and even faster in a hot tub. Here is how I maintain my tub, How do I use Chlorine in my Spa (or pool)?

 

[JenniferJuniper2]

Yeah I had been drinking (ahem) and didn't think to check it Saturday night. Or Sunday. I will read up.

 

[pooldv]

Nice!