Any recommendations for ducted heatpump/aircon installers in Auckland

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Ragnor

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#203173 20-Sep-2016 15:12

Looking at getting a ducted aircon/heat pump (3-4 rooms) installed, anyone has any recommendations for who to use (in Auckland)?

I have a quote from EES for a Panasonic system but I'm interested in zone control which Panasonic don't seem to do.

Dynamic

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#1636597 20-Sep-2016 15:28

These guys are our neighbours and I've heard very good feedback about them, but not used them myself.

http://www.comfortsolutions.co.nz/win-a-heat-pump-promo

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Disrespective

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#1636637 20-Sep-2016 16:14

I can't recommend anyone in Auckland i'm afraid, but with only 3-4 rooms you might find zone control not worth the effort. What floor area is the house you are looking to put the system into? If it's ~100m2 or so then there's not too much point doing zone control. To some degree it also depends on the size of the heat pump you intend to use.

Incidentally, i've just had a quote for a Zhender ducted heating system on a new build which is less than my ducted Daikin system I put into my own house which is half the size. As such I am now recommending something of this kind before a heatpump.

Ragnor

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#1636970 21-Sep-2016 01:25

Coincidentally I've had another recommendation for Comfort Solutions, getting a quote from them already.

Floor area is around 130m2, the main problem is the SW facing bedrooms get super hot in summer. One will become a nursery soon so cooling is going to be an issue.

richms

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#1636973 21-Sep-2016 02:17

Iv used heatpump city, they guys they sent were competent and didnt cut any corners. Only got a couple of fujitsu splits from them, and a quote for 2 more which hasnt happened yet since the reclad builder fell thru, so is probably out of date now.

They were at the homeshow with a deal which I cannot recall the specifics of now, and were there again this year

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sparkz25

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#1640358 25-Sep-2016 20:57

perfect air, these guys are really good, mike the sales man is easy to deal with and they have a no bull sh*t attitude and can get the job done right first time,

i used to work for them and still get ger form them and have never had a problem what so ever

http://perfectair.co.nz/index/

Ragnor

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#1650177 13-Oct-2016 10:37

Update!

A lot of companies quote the entry level Panasonic system, but there's no official zone control (there's a third party addon but probably impacts your warranty) for it so I ruled it out.

Chose to go with a Fujitsu ducted heatpump with zone control and fresh air intake, seems like the best of both worlds to me (ventilation + air con/heatpump). The zone control should mean we can close our hallway door and have the bedroom & nursery on and the rest of the house off which is something we wanted for summer days.

It gets installed next Thursday, will let you know how it goes.

jonathan18

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#1650201 13-Oct-2016 11:06

Ragnor:

Update!

A lot of companies quote the entry level Panasonic system, but there's no official zone control (there's a third party addon but probably impacts your warranty) for it so I ruled it out.

Chose to go with a Fujitsu ducted heatpump with zone control and fresh air intake, seems like the best of both worlds to me (ventilation + air con/heatpump). The zone control should mean we can close our hallway door and have the bedroom & nursery on and the rest of the house off which is something we wanted for summer days.

It gets installed next Thursday, will let you know how it goes.

I'd support what you've done re the two zones: we had our ducted system installed last year based on two zones, similarly one for the living side and the other for the bedrooms; for us, it's the living side that can get too hot in summer so we were able to cool just that area. But more generally we've often found it's just not necessary to heat the whole house at once - for example, on the coldest nights we've been able to keep the bedroom side warm but not worried about the living side.

One thing to check though (and given you've looked for evidence the company's competent it shouldn't be a problem) is that they install a sensor in each zone, and possibly avoid using the sensor in the return (especially with a high stud). Our installer didn't think this was necessary (not sure how they thought you could control the temperature of a zone without the ability to read the said temperature!), resulting in a system that failed on so many levels until we insisted they installed two sensors in appropriate locations.

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Ragnor

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#1650205 13-Oct-2016 11:09

jonathan18:

I'd support what you've done re the two zones: we had our ducted system installed last year based on two zones, similarly one for the living side and the other for the bedrooms; for us, it's the living side that can get too hot in summer so we were able to cool just that area. But more generally we've often found it's just not necessary to heat the whole house at once - for example, on the coldest nights we've been able to keep the bedroom side warm but not worried about the living side.

One thing to check though (and given you've looked for evidence the company's competent it shouldn't be a problem) is that they install a sensor in each zone, and possibly avoid using the sensor in the return (especially with a high stud). Our installer didn't think this was necessary (not sure how they thought you could control the temperature of a zone without the ability to read the said temperature!), resulting in a system that failed on so many levels until we insisted they installed two sensors in appropriate locations.

I think they did recommend multiple sensors, I should double check.

What system did you go for Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, other?

jonathan18

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#1650244 13-Oct-2016 11:47

Ragnor:

I think they did recommend multiple sensors, I should double check.

What system did you go for Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, other?

Yep, the sensor thing is critical to ensuring it works properly; our return sensor, resulting from being in a hall with a 3m stud, produced terrible fluctuations in room temperature, with it ranging by 4 degrees! Shifting to a sensor on the wall means the fluctuation is within a degree or so.

We went with a Daikin system, which I was drawn to because of the tablet controller (could/should have gone with the next down model which was identical bar that it had a conventional controller, in that it still had built-in zone control and ability to work with the add-in adapter to provide off-site remote control). - I've posted on here about this before, but essentially it's a dog (as proven by the fact it's no longer sold!). The installer didn't even know there wasn't a sensor in the controller (as it is literally a cheap-as Android tablet with a white cover on it!), hence why the system was initially set up without the ability to read the temperature in the living zone. And then there's the on-going issue of its connection to the wireless network dropping off, resulting in not being able to control the system! (It simply doesn't work without a working wireless connection).

MattEast

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#1650324 13-Oct-2016 12:26

We had a heatpump installed by the team at Kiwi Electrical, good honest service, heatpump hasn't missed a beat (installer was a refrigeration technician - given what a heatpump is, that makes sense.

http://kiwielectrical.co.nz

Matt East

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#1650658 13-Oct-2016 19:44

@Ragnor if you dont mind me asking, what were you quoted? and for what?

bfginger

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#1651930 16-Oct-2016 14:50

Be careful about where the external unit is installed. Ducted heat pumps are designed for sprawled wealthy suburbia not New Zealand where the houses are close together. All but a few units are loud and can't be anywhere where their noise may be a problem. They could be designed to be quiet but they'd have to be bigger, heavier and more expensive and they're made to the price point the market wants.

Better brands' multi-split external units are much quieter than ducted systems', as much as 10db quieter.