Installation of a MIDEA EVOX G3 central heat pump in Les Cèdres, Montérégie

A compact installation against the foundation where every connection had to find its place

In Les Cèdres, we completed this installation of a MIDEA EVOX G3 central heat pump at a residence where the outdoor environment required particularly precise planning. The job-site photo shows what technical sheets never do: a heat pump must fit into a real home, with its openings, electrical service entrance, existing lines, landscaping, and access constraints that will remain long after we leave.

The Midea outdoor unit is positioned against a concrete foundation topped by a brick wall. Several building elements are already nearby: a meter or service equipment farther along the facade, various vertical cables, a wall outlet, the heat pump’s electrical disconnect, and a wooden structure at the corner of the house.

We had to integrate the new equipment without turning this part of the property into a tangle of pipes and cables.

The result is based on a simple but decisive choice: installing the EVOX G3 on a raised metal support, with the technical connections grouped on the right side and a very short refrigerant line to the house. The fan face remains directed toward the open area of the property.

Midea’s documentation presents the EVOX G3 as a range of inverter ducted central systems designed in particular to facilitate the modernization of residential heating.

Why this location in Les Cèdres required more than just an open space

A first look at the photo shows that the condenser was not placed randomly in the middle of the wall.

We had a relatively well-suited area between the residence’s various services. Choosing this location allowed us to simultaneously:

• keep the front discharge clear;
• limit the length of the outdoor piping;
• keep the service panel accessible;
• place the electrical disconnect nearby;
• keep the unit sufficiently clear of the ground;
• reduce the visual impact on the facade;
• avoid monopolizing a significant portion of the yard.

This approach is particularly important for a central heat pump, because the condenser is generally larger than a small outdoor unit intended for a single room.

Its operation must therefore be anticipated before the first support is secured.

An elevated support rather than an installation directly on the ground

In the photo, the MIDEA EVOX G3 rests on a metal structure that keeps the bottom of the chassis well above the ground.

In our climate, this choice serves several purposes.

In winter, the outdoor unit must contend with snow and, above all, the water produced during defrost cycles. A central heat pump installed too close to the ground can gradually become surrounded by ice if drainage beneath the unit has not been properly anticipated.

Elevation also helps limit interactions with:

vegetation, leaves, soil, water splashes, and snow accumulation.

In Les Cèdres, where this unit must provide a significant portion of the home's winter heating, we prefer to think about January from the day of installation, even when the project is photographed with green grass.

The clearance beneath the unit is not wasted space

It may be tempting to lower an outdoor unit as close to the ground as possible to make it less visible.

On a heat pump intended for extreme-cold heating, this can be a false economy of space.

During defrosting, ice must form away from the base of the unit rather than directly beneath the heat exchanger. The additional height also makes it easier to periodically clean the area and to better see what accumulates around the unit.

A truly open discharge side facing the property

The MIDEA EVOX G3 visible in this installation uses a large front fan.

It faces the open part of the property. No fence panel, wall, or other condenser is immediately in front of it.

This installation feature directly relates to the unit's design. On page 4 of its documentation, Midea presents an outdoor architecture with a horizontal-discharge fan and vertical heat exchanger, designed to further even out airflow across the heat exchanger.

This air circulation is fundamental.

A heat pump exchanges energy with the outdoor air. If the discharged air immediately returns to the unit because the space is too enclosed, its operating conditions deteriorate.

That is why a location that seems aesthetically convenient is not always a good HVAC location.

A short refrigerant line and exterior finishing concentrated in the same place

One of the most interesting details of this installation is located behind the right side of the condenser.

The refrigerant lines enter the home only a few feet from the outdoor unit. The visible sections are protected and grouped together rather than running horizontally across the entire façade.

A short route can offer several advantages when it is compatible with the location of the indoor unit:

• less exposed piping;
• fewer line covers on the façade;
• fewer changes of direction;
• a more discreet finish;
• simpler access in the event of future service.

However, we never seek to achieve the shortest route at the expense of the heat pump's location. Clearances, service access, and airflow remain priorities.

Here, the two objectives could be reconciled.

The technical panel remains accessible without moving the unit

The right side of the EVOX G3 is particularly visible in the photo: refrigerant connections, service panels, and labels remain accessible.

This matters because an installation must be designed for the system's entire service life.

A refrigeration technician may one day need to access the service valves, measure operating parameters, or open the unit to perform a diagnosis. If the technical side is installed almost against a fence, downspout, or perpendicular wall, every service call becomes unnecessarily complex.

At AirGreen, we prefer to plan for this future service from the very first installation.

The disconnect completes a cohesive outdoor installation

To the right of the condenser, the outdoor electrical disconnect is mounted directly to the foundation.

The wiring between the disconnect and the heat pump follows a short, clearly identifiable route. This arrangement makes it easier to isolate the unit for service and prevents a large amount of wiring from being spread across the façade.

These are relatively unremarkable details in a quote, but they matter greatly to the finish of a professional HVAC installation.

The A2L label visible on the side also signals a new generation of systems

Looking at the side of the outdoor unit, you can see the pictogram associated with the category refrigerant A2L.

The EVOX G3 lineup uses R-454B. Midea states that this refrigerant was selected for its EVOX central lineup and assigns it a global warming potential, or GWP, of 466.

For the homeowner, this change is almost invisible during everyday use.

For the installer, however, it requires appropriate procedures, tools, and knowledge of R-454B. Replacing an older central system therefore no longer necessarily means exactly reproducing the methods used with an older generation of refrigerant.

EVOX G3 Extreme Heat: a system designed to keep heating when the temperature drops

In Les Cèdres, as elsewhere in the greater Montreal area, the value of a central heat pump is measured mainly in winter.

Page 3 of the EVOX G3 brochure presents continuous operation down to -30 °C for the Extreme Heat platform. The manufacturer also indicates significant heating performance at very low temperatures for the system used in its three-ton tests.

Midea notably uses its M-Powevi compressor technology. When conditions become very cold, the documentation describes intermediate-temperature vapor injection to increase the amount of compressed refrigerant and support heating performance.

This does not mean that a heat pump, simply because it operates at -30 °C, can automatically cover the needs of every home on its own at that temperature.

We must always compare the equipment's available capacity with the building's heat loss.

What EVOX G3 capacity are we looking at?

The photograph clearly identifies the Midea EVOX family, but the complete model number on the nameplate is not clear enough to reliably assign a specific capacity to this installation.

We therefore prefer not to guess the tonnage.

The EVOX G3 documentation provided for this range presents several Extreme Heat configurations:

These figures come from the specifications table for the 3rd-generation EVOX G3 Extreme Heat.

Depending on the combination, the range therefore reaches up to 19 SEER2, 12.5 EER2, and 10.8 HSPF2.

For a homeowner comparing two quotes, this distinction is important: the name EVOX G3 is not enough to determine the exact performance. The outdoor model number, indoor unit, and certified combination must be compared.

A high-performance central heat pump in Les Cèdres also depends on everything the photo does not show

The ductwork is part of the system

The condenser is the visible part of the system, but comfort in the home largely depends on what happens inside.

A central heat pump must move enough air through the existing ductwork to properly supply each room.

We therefore need to consider both:

BTU capacity, CFM airflow, air returns, static pressure, filtration, and ductwork balancing.

A highly efficient heat pump connected to a highly restrictive ductwork system can produce disappointing results.

Computational Constant Airflow 2.0: up to 1.2 in. of static pressure in Midea’s example

Page 8 of the brochure presents the Computational Constant Airflow 2.0 technology.

Midea specifically illustrates an airflow rate of 1,200 CFM maintained under conditions of up to 1.2 in. of static pressure, and explains that the fan adjusts its power and speed according to the ductwork conditions.

The system also allows up to 60 levels of airflow adjustment.

This is particularly useful when replacing an older furnace or heat pump with an EVOX G3, since the ductwork was often built several decades before the new equipment was installed.

This technology provides greater flexibility for adjustment, but it does not eliminate the need for static pressure measurements and ductwork inspection.

An air handler designed for renovations

Midea also designed the EVOX G3 indoor unit for multiple installation orientations.

The brochure shows upflow, downflow, right- and left-horizontal configurations, as well as “low-boy” installations when available height is limited.

This modularity is particularly useful in basements, where the unit often has to work around:

• beams;
• plumbing lines;
• a water heater;
• the electrical panel;
• existing plenums;
• an already finished ceiling.

The product line also uses different indoor unit widths, approximately 14.5 to 21.5 in. depending on capacity, to facilitate certain conversions from older furnaces.

The auxiliary heating must be set up as carefully as the heat pump

The EVOX G3 can be paired with a multi-stage auxiliary heating system reaching up to 25 kW, depending on the application. Midea provides for activation and adjustment based on heating needs.

This part of the system should not be overlooked.

If the electric auxiliary heat comes on too early, some of the savings enabled by the heat pump may be lost. If it comes on too late or is improperly sized, comfort may be affected during cold snaps.

We must therefore configure the entire setup as a single heating system, rather than as a heat pump to which electrical components are simply added.

Midea communication or 24 V thermostat: useful when the house already exists

Replacing a central system often presents a very practical constraint: the wiring between the thermostat and the mechanical room.

Midea provides 485 communication on the EVOX G3, as well as 24 V compatibility for certain configurations with a third-party thermostat.

The platform can also use the Midea communicating thermostat and the SmartHome app, including programming, monitoring of certain comfort and consumption parameters, and diagnostic functions.

This flexibility can prevent turning an HVAC upgrade into an unnecessarily invasive project in an already finished home.

MERV 13 filtration: useful only if the system can breathe

The product line also includes modules for 1-, 2-, or 4-inch filters, including MERV 13 options.

A higher-performance filter can capture more dust and particles. But proper filtration must always be combined with sufficient filter surface area.

Installing a highly restrictive filter without checking airflow can create more problems than it solves.

That is why we assess filtration and ventilation together.

LogisVert: an EVOX G3 must be verified by its exact combination

For a heat pump installation in Les Cèdres, Hydro-Québec's financial assistance can represent an important part of the project.

The LogisVert program currently provides, when all requirements are met, assistance of $50 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C for an ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump and $120 per 1,000 BTU/h at -8 °C when it is classified ENERGY STAR - Cold Climate.

However, the exact installed combination must be verified. Hydro-Québec allows searches using the AHRI number or the unique ENERGY STAR number and states that its official list of eligible heat pumps takes precedence.

In other words, the fact that an EVOX G3 series reaches certain ENERGY STAR efficiencies in the manufacturer's documentation does not authorize us to automatically advertise a subsidy for any combination.

We verify the file using the equipment's exact references.

The mistakes this installation reminds us to avoid

On a central heat pump project in Les Cèdres, several mistakes may seem minor on installation day but become costly later:

1. Placing the condenser almost at ground level, without anticipating snow and defrosting.
2. Positioning the fan facing an obstacle solely to hide the equipment.
3. Choosing the tonnage based solely on floor area, without analyzing the heating load.
4. Ignoring the static pressure of the existing ductwork.
5. Installing a filter that is too restrictive for the available surface area.
6. Blocking the service side with a wall, fence or future landscaping.
7. Running the lines unnecessarily across the entire facade.
8. Confirming a LogisVert incentive without an AHRI number or verified eligible combination.

These are precisely the details we incorporate into the way we work at AirGreen.

Why this installation in Les Cèdres represents our approach so well

This installation is interesting because it does not depend on a spectacular project.

Rather, it shows a series of coherent decisions.

The MIDEA EVOX G3 condenser found its place in an area already occupied by several of the home's services. It was raised without obstructing the property, its fan faces an open space, the refrigerant connections are concentrated near their entry point, the disconnect remains accessible and the technical side can still be serviced.

Indoors, the same level of attention must continue: capacity selection, airflow, static pressure, filtration, auxiliary heating and controls.

It is this comprehensive vision of the HVAC installation that we apply in Les Cèdres, as we do in our central heat pump projects in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, on the South Shore and on the North Shore.

An MIDEA EVOX G3 can provide an excellent technical foundation with its inverter compressor, its advertised operation down to -30 °C, its high efficiencies, its modular indoor unit, its advanced airflow control and its R-454B refrigerant.

Our job is to ensure that these features are genuinely usable once the equipment is installed in the home.