Brand new hot tub - huge chlorine smell

[Kalico]

We just got a new CalSpa Pacifica PPZ-732L 6 person stand-alone hot tub. L O V I N G I T

But the spa people (I know, I know...) gave us a starter kit that uses the Frog @ease Smartchlor system. I am suspicious of it, given my wonderful experiences here with the TFP crowd helping me fix my pool problems when we first moved in. I know just enough to know that this is a commercial product designed for easy use, but not necessarily the best plan long term.

The first thing I noticed was a STRONG chlorine smell. I thought it would improve/burn off, but it has not. When I take off the cover it is bad (for me anyway). My partner doesn't notice it much. But I'm feeling it in my nose and throat, even when I'm not in the tub, like a chemical burn in my nasal passages.

Where do I start?

 

[CuckooChris]

I would say the first thing to do would be an Ahhsome purge. New tubs can have bad stuff growing in the plumbing which the chlorine is trying to fight, hence the smell.

 

[Kalico]

Thanks. I've been reading up on that, and I see a lot of references to there being instructions and a video, but I haven't found that. Can you point me at them, perhaps?

Also, I am curious about the associate you've made here between the strong smell and high usage. I thought I read somewhere that a strong smell was due to imbalance of other chemicals, not the chlorine working hard on bad stuff. My pool never smells this strong, even when it's at shock levels. I'd like to understand this as much as I can!

Thanks!!

 

[Kalico]

And then I read this and I think it answered my question. Sorta. I still need to wrap my head around it.

Chlorine smell questions

I've gotten indications from discussion here that, generally, FC has no odor, but CC has that "public pool smell" of chlorine. So, by extension, if my pool has the chlorine smell at times, that would be indication of organics (etc) being actively attacked by my (previously) FC...which is no...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[CuckooChris]

This should help. I think you just answered your question about the chlorine smell. At shock level, there's enough chlorine to kill and oxidize the bad stuff.

 

[Kalico]

Thanks @CuckooChris ! Appreciate it muchly.