Bromine hot tub smells strongly of chemicals

[lmath73]

Is this normal?  We use tablet bromine in a floater and have to add non-chlorine oxidizer every time before we get in to raise the bromine level to acceptable range.  Chemical smell has gotten stronger as the days have gone by.  Ph, alkalinity, etc. is measuring perfect.  Smell now lingers on the skin long after you get out.  What is this?

[999]

I am quite new to this myself, and use bromine.

I use bromine tablets in a floater, and test daily to ensure that there is 3-6 ppm of bromine in the water. I use non chlorine shock about once per week (2 table spoons).

My understanding is that the bromine sanitizer residual kills any bacteria in the water and the weekly shocking oxydises any organic waste.

I have not heard of shocking before use to bring up the bromine level, but as I said, I am new to this myself.

As for the smell, this is a problem for me. There is a smell to the water and I don't find it a pleasant one. Sometimes it bothers me more than other times. On cold days when there is a lot of steam I feel that I am breathing it in.

I am still on my first tub of water, about 3 months old now. I am going to change to dichlor at my next water change, primarily because of the small of bromine. I thought that I could give it a go as it its easy to swop back. Apparantly bromine can be added to chlorinated water, to change over but not the other way round.

I have read that when using dichlor, most of the chlorine has gone by the time you use the tub, but when using bromine you are always sitting in it.

[wmccall]

Is this normal?  We use tablet bromine in a floater and have to add non-chlorine oxidizer every time before we get in to raise the bromine level to acceptable range.  Chemical smell has gotten stronger as the days have gone by.  Ph, alkalinity, etc. is measuring perfect.  Smell now lingers on the skin long after you get out.  What is this?

I don't use bromine, but I don't add any chemical right before I get in, I put everything in when I get out.  As long as the water doesn't look or smell  bad, wait till you get out to add chemicals.