When your hot tub’s control pack, heater, or pump fails, the natural instinct is to search for a part under the hot tub’s own brand — the name printed on the cabinet or in the manual. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t work. Most hot tub manufacturers don’t make their own electronics, heaters, or pumps. They buy them from a small group of specialised suppliers (typically Balboa, Gecko/Aeware, ACC, Davey/Spa Power, HydroQuip, LX, Waterway, and a few others) and build them into their own cabinets, often even under their own graphics on the control panel.
This means two hot tubs from different brands can have an identical control pack inside, and conversely two hot tubs of the same brand can have different control systems depending on the year or model line. So if you’re looking for a spare part, the most reliable approach is to find out what’s actually printed on the part itself or on its rating label — not what name is on the side of the hot tub.
This guide shows you how to recognise the actual manufacturer of a part from the markings on the panel, heater, pump, or jet, so you can find the correct replacement.
How to identify your hot tub’s control system
The control system (control panel + control pack/board inside the cabinet) is the part where identification matters most, since this is where you’ll find the widest range of manufacturers and model lines. The decisive information is always the text markings printed or stuck on the panel, or on a label inside the cabinet near the control pack — that’s how you identify both the manufacturer and the specific model.
What to look for:
- Balboa — the most common supplier on the market. Model designations start with abbreviations like VL (VL200, VL240, VL260, VL400, VL401, VL403, VL620S, VL802D), TP (TP400T, TP500S, TP600, TP700, TP800, TP900), GS (GS500Z, GS523DZ), BP (BP21MS2B, BP601G1, BP2100G1), as well as ML400 or AX10/AX40. The panel or label often also carries the word “Balboa” itself. Balboa also offers the Control My Spa Wi-Fi system.
- Gecko / Aeware — the second most common supplier. Designations like IN.K (IN.K120, IN.K200, IN.K200-2OP, IN.K35, IN.K1001), IN.YJ, IN.YE-3-V3, or the TSC-9/K-9 series. The word “Gecko” or the “in.” prefix is usually part of the model name.
- ACC — models with the KP prefix (KP-2100, KP-2105) or SC (SC-1000), or the designation UNI-PACK.
- Davey / Spa Power — the SP model line (SP600/601, SP1200).
- HydroQuip — the CS model line (CS-9707).
- Astrel — models such as KAPKI BK or TASKI SPA.
- HydroAir — standalone control panels, also supplied separately from complete control packs.
In practice, this means: look at the text on the panel or label and search for these designations — not the hot tub manufacturer’s name. The exact look of the display or button layout varies between models, and without a full photo catalogue of specific panels it would be misleading to describe it in general terms; the most reliable approach is always to copy down the exact text model designation.
Where to find the rating label or model designation on your hot tub
The rating label or model designation for the control pack is usually found in one of these places:
- directly on the control panel (on the front, or on the back after removing it),
- on a label inside the hot tub’s equipment bay, near the control pack (main board).
The equipment bay is usually accessible through a service panel on the side or back of the hot tub. If you’re not sure exactly where to look for the label on your specific hot tub model, we recommend checking your hot tub’s documentation or contacting us with a photo of the panel and equipment bay — we’ll help with identification.
Comparison of the most common control systems
| Manufacturer | Typical model lines | Where to look for the part |
|---|---|---|
| Balboa | VL200/240/260/400/401/403/620S/802D, TP400T–TP900, GS500Z/GS523DZ, BP21MS2B/BP601G1/BP2100G1, ML400, AX10/AX40, Control My Spa (Wi-Fi) | The widest range on the market, the most likely first choice for both older and newer hot tubs |
| Gecko / Aeware | IN.K120/200/200-2OP/35/1001, IN.YJ, IN.YE-3-V3, TSC-9/K-9, IN.CLEAR (chemical dosing) | The second most common system, also frequent on private-label hot tubs |
| ACC | KP-2100/KP-2105, SC-1000, UNI-PACK | Less common, but a distinct model line with its own parts |
| Davey / HydroQuip | SP600/601, SP1200 (Davey/Spa Power); CS-9707 (HydroQuip) | Two separate brands listed together, typically found on hot tubs from different supply chains |
Same hot tub, different logo
One thing customers often don’t realise: many hot tub manufacturers don’t make their own electronics or mechanical parts at all — they simply buy them from Balboa, Gecko, or another supplier and stick their own logo on the panel. Based on real data from our catalogue, this applies to these brands, for example:
- Wellis — hot tubs from this brand use Balboa control packs (models VL403, VL802D), Balboa heaters (M7, GS100), and Balboa pumps (JA100). So if you have a Wellis hot tub, don’t look for the part under the name “Wellis” — look for the actual Balboa designation printed on the panel, heater, or pump label.
- Earth Spas — this brand uses a Gecko control system (model IN.K336) under its own designation.
In practice, this means: if you come across a hot tub brand you can’t find in our catalogue, that’s not necessarily a problem — the parts almost certainly exist, you just need to look them up by the component’s actual manufacturer (Balboa, Gecko, etc.), not by the brand name printed on the hot tub’s cabinet.
Heater, pump, jets — the same principle applies
The same logic — identifying by what’s printed directly on the part, not by the hot tub’s brand — applies to the other key components too.
Heater
For a heater, go by three details: output (typically 1.5–5.5 kW), connection type (most commonly 1.5″ or 2.0″, with some LX models also available in straight or L-shaped fittings), and the brand/model stamped or printed on the heater body or its terminal block. The heating element is typically made from Incoloy, a durable alloy commonly used across the vast majority of models.
The most common heaters found on hot tubs are LX (H30-R1/H30-R2/H30-RS1 series), Gecko (HEAT.WAV for IN.YJ/IN.XE/IN.YE/IN.YT control packs, plus the M-Class and S-Class series, or IN.THERM), Balboa (model M7, auxiliary heater SLAVE3), Davey Spa Power (heater for the SP1000 system), and HydroQuip (heater seal kits). As with control systems, Wellis-brand hot tubs use Balboa heaters (M7, GS100) under the hot tub’s own branding.
Pump
For a pump, the key details are the output in HP (typically 0.5–3 HP) and whether it’s a circulation pump (lower output, runs almost continuously for filtration and temperature maintenance) or a jet/massage pump (higher output, runs only when the jets are switched on). The brand and model are usually on the motor label.
Common pump suppliers include LX (WTC200, TDA100, SWIM100, EA390, JA50 — both circulation and jet pump versions), Gecko/Aqua-Flo (Circ-Master, Maelstrom, XP2/XP2e), Waterway (Executive, Hi-Flo), Laing/Goulds (E5/E10/E14 circulation pumps), Hanscraft (TUDOR), and Balboa/Pentair (Durajet). The private-label principle applies here too: Wellis hot tubs use JA100 pumps, which is an LX part under the hot tub’s brand.
Jets
Jets differ by type (rotational, dual-rotational, directional, air/waterfall) and diameter (typically between 2″ and 3.5″). The manufacturer is usually moulded or stamped directly into the plastic jet body or its face plate.
The most common jets in our catalogue are Koller (Flatline, Midi c-tech, Compact series — including various face plates and internal parts), LVJ/Phantom/Flying (rotational and dual-rotational versions), CMP Spectrum (Halo, Prime, directional jets), Rising Dragon (neck jets, waterfalls), Cyclone (Micro Jet diffusers), and Waterway (Clusterstorm diffusers).
Frequently asked questions
I don’t know my hot tub’s brand or model. How do I find the right part?
Open the hot tub’s equipment bay (usually a side or rear service panel) and find the label near the control pack, or remove the control panel and check the markings on its back. Write down the exact printed or stuck-on model designation — that’s what you’ll use to find the part, regardless of the hot tub’s own brand.
The panel only says “Balboa” or “Gecko”, not my hot tub’s name. Is that normal?
Yes, that’s common. Hot tub manufacturers often buy ready-made control systems from these suppliers and don’t relabel them with their own logo. In that case, identification is even easier — you search directly by the brand and model you see.
I have a Wellis hot tub. Should I search for parts under the Wellis brand?
Not necessarily. Wellis hot tubs use Balboa control packs, heaters, and pumps (e.g. VL403, VL802D, M7, GS100, JA100). If you can’t find the part under the Wellis brand, check the actual designation printed on the part — it’s very likely a Balboa component.
How do I tell if my pump is a circulation pump or a jet pump?
A circulation pump has lower output and runs almost continuously (it handles filtration and temperature maintenance). A jet/massage pump has higher output and only runs when the jets are switched on. You’ll find the exact type and output (in HP) on the motor label.
I couldn’t identify the part from the label. What now?
Send us a message or give us a call with a photo of the label, panel, or the part itself attached — we’ll help with identification and finding the correct replacement.
Where to find the parts
Depending on the type of part you’re looking for, go directly to the relevant category:
If you’re not sure exactly which part you need, don’t hesitate to contact us with a photo — identifying a part from a photo is often faster than searching through documentation.