Where to install a wall-mounted heat pump: 14 points to check, from the ceiling to the property line.

In the room where you spend the most time, often the open-concept area, high on a clear wall. A wall unit mainly heats its own room, so keep doors open, as Hydro-Québec recommends. In a two-storey house without ducts, Hydro-Québec suggests two heat pumps, one per floor.

High on the wall. We leave 15 to 30 cm below the ceiling. Manuals require a minimum of 6 to 15 cm depending on the model, plus a minimum height from the floor: 1.8 m for the Sharp CHU, for example.

Yes. It will mainly heat the bedroom. Most of our 12,000 BTU/h models get down to between 17 and 30 dB at their lowest setting, per their spec sheets. The Sharp CHU manual calls for a room of at least 4 m² (43 sq ft).

Usually in the backyard or side yard, on a wall bracket, at least 25 cm above the snow buildup, away from the roof edge, the Hydro-Québec meter and the neighbours’ windows. Then check the distance and noise allowed in your borough.

In 8 of the 19 boroughs: Montréal-Nord, Outremont, Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Saint-Léonard, Verdun, Ville-Marie and Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension. Everywhere else, no permit, but the placement rules still apply.

From 0.6 m (Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles) to 3 m (Outremont, Ville-Marie, Sud-Ouest for larger units). Longueuil requires 1 m; Boucherville, 1 m on the sides and back and 4.5 m in front.

Sometimes. Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Côte-des-Neiges–NDG allow it on a front balcony in buildings with 4 or more units, with a screen and 2 m from neighbouring windows. Rosemont and Ville-Marie don’t allow front balconies. In a condo, the balcony is presumed to be a common portion: the condo board decides.

It depends on the model: 20 m for the 12,000 Sharp CHU and Gree Clivia R32, 25 m for the Fujitsu ORION XLTH, 30 m for the 18,000 Hitachi airHome 600. There’s also a minimum: 3 m for the Sharp and the Fujitsu. Our installation includes 15 ft (4.6 m) of line set per indoor unit.

Yes, on a stable base raised above the snow: at least 10 in above average snow buildup, per the Sharp manual. Our standard installation uses a wall bracket. A ground mount on concrete pads is an extra charge listed in the quote.

Inside, the drain runs down by gravity on a continuous slope. If it can’t, we add a pump. Outside, defrost water drips out under the unit: that’s normal, and we never put a pipe there, since it would freeze.

Approval from the condo board, as set out in the declaration of co-ownership. Balconies and the building structure are presumed common portions (Civil Code of Québec, art. 1044), and work on common portions is put to a vote (art. 1097). Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie even asks for the board’s resolution with the permit.

With the landlord’s written consent. Neither the landlord nor the tenant can change the form of the leased property during the lease (Civil Code of Québec, art. 1856), and the lease may restrict air conditioners.

Our 12,000 BTU/h outdoor units are rated 43 to 56 dB on their spec sheets. Where the limit is set as a number, it’s 50 to 55 dB at the property line. A wall corner adds about 6 dB; each doubling of distance takes off about 6.

The indoor unit must be inside the home’s insulated envelope, never in the attic, and the outdoor unit must be at least 12,000 BTU/h. Otherwise, no subsidy. LogisVert also requires an RBQ-licensed contractor in the right subcategories.

For the indoor unit, the manuals we checked (Sharp, Gree) mainly ask you to keep it away from heat sources. Sun does matter for capacity: about 10% more for a very sunny room, 10% less for a shaded one (ENERGY STAR). Outside, Fujitsu recommends avoiding direct sun on the outdoor unit where possible.

A 12,000 BTU/h indoor unit weighs about 10 to 16 kg depending on the model, and the outdoor unit 30 to 39 kg. Fujitsu calls for a spot that can bear the unit’s weight. We mount the outdoor unit on a wall bracket with anti-vibration pads, or on the ground on a stable base.

Better to avoid it. The Fujitsu manual says to install the outdoor unit away from vents that give off steam, soot, dust or debris, and sheltered from rain as much as possible.