Best Ducted Heatpump

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Paul1977

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#251083 7-Jun-2019 15:45

We are building and likely going with a ducted heatpump. The building company we are using subs this out to a company that appears to deal exclusively with Fujitsu.

It's early enough in the process that we can get the ducted heat pump though a company other than the builders usual subby if a different brand would be better, so I am hoping for experiences and opinions on the different brands.

Also, recommendations on installers in Christchurch would be appreciated. I understand getting a ducted system correct isn't nearly as straight forward as a standard heatpump install - so we want it done right!

Thanks

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#2253980 7-Jun-2019 17:22

I have a 10 year old high wall Daikin and a 6 year old high wall Fujitsu Nocria - not ducted. The Fujitsu is much louder, more efficient according to the specs but louder. I like the Daikin better.

This probably isn't that helpful sorry.

Aredwood

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#2253991 7-Jun-2019 17:54

Get a unit that uses R32. And definitely check the COP figures of the unit that you get.

I actually have a Fujitsu ducted heatpump, that I have setup to heat just my lounge. Although it is actually approx 10 years old (bought secondhand). So dont know how it would compare to the current models.

Dont put the thermostat in the hallway. Temperatures will be unstable if you do.

tdgeek

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#2254012 7-Jun-2019 18:18

We have two heatpumps. Standard fare I assume. What is a ducted heatpump?

mattwnz

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#2254014 7-Jun-2019 18:25

We looked at them, but decided to go with a multi unit with one external unit, and piped around the house.

RickW

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#2254015 7-Jun-2019 18:27

We are in Christchurch and built a house around 18 months ago. We ended up going for a Daikin ducted system for the bedrooms and a normal high wall Daikin for the lounge, kitchen and dining purely so we could have different temperatures in the bedrooms vs the living areas.

We did a bit of research and ended up getting quotes from HPAC and Gavin Lowe, they had both recommended the same ducted and the same mini split units. Gavin Lowe was 3k cheaper and they also appeared to have a more knowledgeable installation team when it comes to the ducted systems.

We have nothing but good things to say about Gavin Lowe and their installation manager mike. Everything was done extremely tidily and to the highest standard.
We are extremely happy with the Daikin units also, we run them almost year round including cooling in the summer and for a 3 person household with the house being 190sqm and with electric element hot water and our worst power bill was 280 last year in the middle of winter.

tdgeek

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#2254020 7-Jun-2019 18:34

RickW: We are in Christchurch and built a house around 18 months ago. We ended up going for a Daikin ducted system for the bedrooms and a normal high wall Daikin for the lounge, kitchen and dining purely so we could have different temperatures in the bedrooms vs the living areas.

We did a bit of research and ended up getting quotes from HPAC and Gavin Lowe, they had both recommended the same ducted and the same mini split units. Gavin Lowe was 3k cheaper and they also appeared to have a more knowledgeable installation team when it comes to the ducted systems.

We have nothing but good things to say about Gavin Lowe and their installation manager mike. Everything was done extremely tidily and to the highest standard.
We are extremely happy with the Daikin units also, we run them almost year round including cooling in the summer and for a 3 person household with the house being 190sqm and with electric element hot water and our worst power bill was 280 last year in the middle of winter.

Im in ChCh.

I have 2 heatpumps, one downstairs that serves the kitchen, living room and formal living room. Upstairs serves the lobby, hallway and whoever opens the bedroom door!

Is there an option to modify this setup for heating the 4 upstairs bedrooms? Or to duct the downstairs to the formal living room, which gets heat indirectly?

gcorgnet

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#2254042 7-Jun-2019 19:26

Hi,

I have a Mistubishi Electric Ducted System (4 rooms). The unit seemed a bit on the low power side but given the rooms are pretty small we were assured that would do the job. And it does.

The rooms heat up very quickly.

One thing to watch out for is air-flow return and thermostat placement. Our system means that if we have the bedroom doors closed, then the warmed (or cooled) air, doesn't return properly into the hallway (where the thermostat is) which means that the thermostat doesn't know the job is done and keeps pushing warmed/cooled air into the bedrooms.

On the plus side, their Wifi module is pretty decent and I managed to hook it up to my smart home system (Home Assistant) and automatically shut off the ducted system if the temperature becomes too high/low.

I would buy that again. It's just magical to heat up the whole house very quickly.

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dt

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#2254048 7-Jun-2019 19:35

We have a mitsubishi ducted heap pump at home and its great, would happily recommend it as a brand, though they are abit on the expensive side in comparison to fujitsu

Depending on what your house configuration is like, Id highly advise you have them put the outdoor units as far away from any bedrooms or anywhere else you enjoy quite - maybe beside the garage? as you can hear them in the evening, but I am a peace and quiet nut so may not be to much of an issue for everyone else :)

the indoor return system is dead silent

Whichever brand you go with id also recommend getting the wireless addon so you can use your phone to control the system, create rules/schedules and get at least an additional controller(upstairs/downstairs if its two story) .. we went with 3 in total.. conveniently placed around the house (downstairs, one up stairs and one our master bedroom)

We also got a Lossnay installed with our system which has been terrific.. google it and see if its something you might be interested in too..

I've heard good things about Daiken as a brand as well

I've heard bad things about people trying to balance out zoning controllers so something to be weary of if you're asked about it, though it was nothing i've been through myself

Good luck!

Dingbatt

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#2254093 7-Jun-2019 19:48

We have a Fujitsu ducted system that was fitted two years ago. It is either 15 or 18kW can’t remember which at the moment sorry, but it was the largest domestic Fujitsu model available at the time. I did all the calculations for both heating and cooling and then oversized it so it wasn’t maxed out. The house is four bedroom with a mostly open plan living areas.
It replaced a 4.5kW cassette unit that barely coped with the living areas and the biggest thing I noticed was the increased noise from the outdoor unit which is a double stack unit. Not surprising when it’s handling 4 times as much energy I guess, but you may want to consider where you position it if the noise is likely to annoy you.
We did not go with zoning the ducts as I was advised it was very difficult to tune effectively in a domestic application. It is something that can added with the controller we have if we want to try it in the future.

If I ever ‘New build’ in the future I would certainly try and incorporate a ducted system both from the perspective of quietness, and having things hidden. That’s why I have never liked highwall units despite them being the most efficient.
Having visited friends in the USA who lived in a house that was designed to have central heating/aircon in a multi-level house from the get-go, I liked that the vents were in the wall rather than the ceiling as it seemed to distribute the conditioned air better. Don’t know if that is an option for the OP, or whether the building plans are beyond that point.

I won’t bother commenting on installers as I am in Auckland.

Edit: Just read the above responses. Our thermostat is in the return ducting rather than at the controller or a discrete location. Now that the family have been trained to ignore what the temperature ‘number’ says and just increase or decrease as required it works well.
For instance, heating at the moment, a set temperature of 18 on the controller (return duct), produces a comfortable temperature of 22 in most of the house.
Ours doesn’t have a wifi module. I wish it did.

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Jase2985

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#2254109 7-Jun-2019 20:44

@tdgeek

if you have high wall or multi splits there is no option to change them into ducted units, they indoor units are completly different. they generally reside in the roof space and have ducting to the rooms which have vents in them, they will also have a return somewhere to collect the air to be heated/cooled.

Paul1977

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#2254209 8-Jun-2019 10:41

Thanks for the feedback, please keep it coming.

zyo

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#2254216 8-Jun-2019 10:54

We have a Panasonic ducted system. It doesn't seem to heat the rooms very well at the moment.

jnimmo

1097 posts

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#2254220 8-Jun-2019 11:01

I had a Fujitsu ducted installed couple of years ago. Firstly, ducted is awesome and should be mandatory in all new builds. Difference is night and day and I don't understand why when you're spending so much money on a new house anyone would skimp on the ~$8-10k extra it is to go to ducted, and never have a cold room in the house again.

The outdoor unit died after a few months but obviously was under warranty so was replaced free of charge.

We got a damper installed for the two spare rooms so could turn the supply air to them off with a switch in the hallway. I put in an IntesisBox device to control it

crewsaider

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#2254250 8-Jun-2019 12:17

We had a Daikin FDYQ125 ducted unit fitted when we moved into our current house nearly 2 years ago and we are totally satisfied with the performance for heating in the winter and cooling when those pesky summer NWers hit. Indeed, we at last have the level of winter comfort we enjoyed during 30 years living in various parts of Europe. Woould highly recommend the installers, North Canterbury Energy Centre in Rangiora.

https://www.daikin.co.nz/sites/default/files/brochures/files/PCDUNZ0917-Daikin-Ducted-Brochure-NZ_LR.pdf

oldhack

23 posts

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#2254315 8-Jun-2019 14:05

Consumer have a good writeup on heat pumps including ducted, which are noticeably less efficient. Worth a monthly sub to look through.

Ed (sp)

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