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Gecko S Class repair/replace


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5 hours ago, CanadianSpaTech said:

Should be some circuit board repair places in SCal. If unfixable you would likely need to buy a bundle with pump wires and topside. Pretty sure Gecko is only making their latest version system and the older packs are near impossible to find. 

I have been trying to get a gecko topside for a month now. I have decided to pull the gecko out and replacing with a balboa retrofit, since gecko doesn't even know when they will be making them again.

I wish those Canadians would get their act together... 😉

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2 hours ago, RDspaguy said:

I have been trying to get a gecko topside for a month now. I have decided to pull the gecko out and replacing with a balboa retrofit, since gecko doesn't even know when they will be making them again.

I wish those Canadians would get their act together... 😉

Is it a difficult retrofit? Do you need to replace sensors too, or are those compatible? 

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Balboa's sensors are in the heater tube so just leave the Gecko temp sensor in the side wall of the spa. It will just be a plug at this point. The pump wires will likely have to be changed as they use different plug connectors. Balboa uses AMP pin connectors and the older s-class uses J&J mini plugs. You may need an adapter plate for the topside if the Balboa is smaller than the original Gecko. There are several different sizes available. Post a photo of the original topside in the spa. @RDspaguywill let us know if I missed anything.

Spa Controls Replacement - What's involved and how-to | SpaDepot.com

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If your la spas is like mine then you have a circ pump with a low flow U shaped heater. 
 

This is the one I replaced. Says in stock. Probably should call the guy and make sure. 
https://www.poolandspapartssuperstore.com/gecko-alliance-ctrl-gecko-s-class-la-spa-p1-p2-p3-cp-oz-aux-lh-115v-230v-3-72-7107-0202-205096-0202-205110-0202-205116-3-72-7053/

 

Edit:  I would probably try to find someone to repair it though I personally wouldn’t recommend spacare.com , my dealings with him were very undesirable. I ended up having to replace the whole pack. 

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21 hours ago, Grudge Monkey said:

Thanks! I'll snap a photo when I can. One strange thing about my spa is that the heater isn't under the controller as I gather is quite common. It's in a rectangular box, inlet at the bottom and outlet at the side. If I switch to Balboa it looks like I'll have to rearrange the plumbing.

Pic of that heater, too. Balboa heaters are all about flow rate and don't work with the usual circulation pump. So get the circ pump in the pics too.

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4 hours ago, d.sebens said:

If your la spas is like mine then you have a circ pump with a low flow U shaped heater. 
 

This is the one I replaced. Says in stock. Probably should call the guy and make sure. 
https://www.poolandspapartssuperstore.com/gecko-alliance-ctrl-gecko-s-class-la-spa-p1-p2-p3-cp-oz-aux-lh-115v-230v-3-72-7107-0202-205096-0202-205110-0202-205116-3-72-7053/

 

Edit:  I would probably try to find someone to repair it though I personally wouldn’t recommend spacare.com , my dealings with him were very undesirable. I ended up having to replace the whole pack. 

It's strange that mine has the holder for a heater though the heater is elsewhere. The one you linked seems more appropriate than the one I have. I wonder if maybe it was replaced somewhere along the way. I should check the wattage rating of the heater. The spec sheet for my spa says that it has a 5.5kw heater, but the pack says that it's for 4kw.

20210420_214751.jpg

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My heater is configurable if you change the wiring. My hot tub has a tsc-44 top side which gecko said only the metal bodied spa pack would work on. 
 

Like rdspaguy said. Get pics of the heater and the sticker on the heater. Probably be good to get a picture of the topside controls too. 

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On 4/21/2021 at 4:28 AM, d.sebens said:

My heater is configurable if you change the wiring. My hot tub has a tsc-44 top side which gecko said only the metal bodied spa pack would work on. 
 

Like rdspaguy said. Get pics of the heater and the sticker on the heater. Probably be good to get a picture of the topside controls too. 

No stickers on the heater, just some writing, that says U-0302. I measured the resistance of the heater as 10 ohms. That's consistent with literature I found from 2005 that says that the spa has a 5.5kw heater. It's quite inconsistent with the sticker on the controller that specifies a 4kw heater.

 

Here are two pics of the heater and circ pump. The top picture should be rotated to the right 90 degrees. 20210425_145204.thumb.jpg.6dc5d8bcb54eae802824b1a469468757.jpg20210425_145239.thumb.jpg.d07beeee0b201c90b6e606adde2cb4d0.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

It looks like I have almost the same setup as you. The original box (without heater) for my SC-MP-P122-P212-P312-B1-O1 with options CP1-NE-LS-FB1-JJC-LA6 was discontinued and replaced by 3-72-7107. This is for sale for $520 and up. I am planning to get it.

Or would it be cheaper to get a different setup with a different control panel like from Balboa?

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