Installing a wall-mounted head in a finished home: the trim work no one notices when it is done well
In a home under construction, the piping for a heat pump disappears into the walls. In a finished home — the situation for the vast majority of our clients in Montreal, Longueuil, and the South Shore — it has to pass somewhere, and that somewhere is visible.
In Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, we installed a GREE FreeMatch R32 2-head wall-mounted heat pump in an occupied home with painted walls and finished ceilings. No demolition, no drywall repairs. The photo shows the unit at the time of installation, with the protective film still partially in place, and the white line set cover emerging from the right side of the head and running horizontally toward the exterior wall.
This small white conduit is what distinguishes careful workmanship from a sloppy job, far more than the brand printed on the outdoor unit.
Indoor line set cover: five requirements we impose on ourselves
A poorly installed indoor conduit catches the eye for fifteen years. Here is what we systematically check.
1. Level, measured rather than estimated
A conduit installed “by eye” inevitably follows a ceiling line that is not itself straight. We mark the route with a laser level. A perfectly horizontal conduit in a room with a warped ceiling looks like a mistake; a conduit that follows the ceiling’s warping is even more noticeable.
2. Exit on the shortest side
The head is positioned near the corner of the wall, and the conduit runs to the right because that is where the exterior wall is located. Every metre of indoor conduit avoided is one less metre to look at — and one less metre of pressure drop in the refrigeration circuit.
3. Prefabricated corners, never cut with a saw
Changes in direction are made with the system’s corner fittings. An improvised elbow cut with a saw and closed with adhesive tape is the first sign of a bargain installation.
4. The drain slope inside the conduit
The conduit contains the refrigerant line, control wiring and the condensate drain. The latter operates by gravity and requires a continuous downward slope along its entire route. A conduit installed perfectly level over a long distance can create a flat spot where water stagnates — and where deposits form that eventually block the drain. We give the drain its slope inside the conduit, allowing the exterior to remain visually perfectly horizontal.
This is the kind of invisible detail that explains why a head drips at your neighbour’s house but not at yours.
5. The conduit can be painted
The standard white conduit matches most ceilings and trim. On a coloured wall, it can easily be painted with the room’s paint. We always mention this to the client because very few people know it is possible.
Positioning the head in an existing room
Height
The head is installed near the ceiling. In cooling mode, cooled air is denser and descends while circulating throughout the room. In heating mode, the logic is reversed: warm air rises, and the louvers must be directed downward to push the heat toward the floor. This setting is configured during commissioning. A homeowner who is unaware of this may conclude that their heat pump does not heat properly, when it is simply sending its heat toward the ceiling.
Side clearance
This is the most delicate aspect of a corner installation. The manufacturer requires a minimum clearance between the side of the unit and the perpendicular wall. If it is too close, two problems occur at once: the side air intake is restricted, and the discharge air bounces off the partition before crossing the room. The internal temperature sensor then reads air that it has just treated itself, and the unit shuts off before the room reaches the setpoint.
Airflow direction
A head should blow along the length of the room, not toward a nearby wall, and never directly above a bed, sofa, or workstation. Comfort depends as much on the perceived air speed as on the displayed temperature.
What the red indicator light means
In the photo, a small red indicator light is illuminated on the front of the head. This is not an anomaly: the unit is powered and in standby mode. The standby consumption of an indoor head is negligible, and cutting power to a heat pump in the fall is a mistake — an inverter system maintains internal controls, including compressor protection during restart. Leaving it powered year-round is part of normal operation.
The installed system
The GREE FreeMatch R32 dual-zone configuration powers two indoor heads from a single outdoor unit, a single 208/230 V electrical circuit, and a single wall penetration.
The specifications that matter to a Quebec customer:
- SEER2 21 / HSPF2 10 / EER2 12, with ENERGY STAR Cold Climate and AHRI certification;
- Heating maintained down to -30 °C, with intelligent defrost;
- R32 refrigerant, A2L safety classification, with low global-warming potential;
- G10 inverter modulation between approximately 7,500 and 31,400 BTU/h, allowing the unit to operate at partial load for most of the season;
- 10-year warranty on parts and compressor, with 2 additional years upon registration.
The switch to R32 adds one check we perform before choosing the location of each head: because this refrigerant is classified as A2L, there is a minimum room area based on the served capacity and the unit’s installation height. A high-capacity head in a small, enclosed bedroom may not be permitted. This calculation is performed during design, not after installation.
Commissioning: what happens after the photo
The protective film visible on the unit is removed at the very end, once the dusty work is complete. Then comes the step too many contractors skip:
- Deep vacuum evacuation and standing-pressure test to remove all moisture from the circuit — residual water in an R32 circuit forms acids that attack the compressor windings.
- Pressure and temperature checks in cooling and heating modes, for each zone.
- Documented recording of the initial values. Without a baseline, no technician will be able to determine in four years whether the system has drifted.
- Drain test by pouring water into the drain pan of each head and confirming complete drainage to the exterior.
- Customer training: adjusting the louvers according to the season, maintaining a stable setpoint rather than making significant overnight setbacks in heating mode, and cleaning the filters every four to six weeks. A dirty filter reduces airflow, which reduces capacity and efficiency — it is the leading cause of service calls we receive.
Rebates
The FreeMatch R32 is certified by ENERGY STAR, Cold Climate, and AHRI, placing it within the categories targeted by Quebec incentive programs for efficient heating systems. The key point: the AHRI number applies to the combination of the outdoor unit and indoor heads, never to the outdoor unit alone. We validate this combination before signing because a financial incentive cannot be claimed retroactively.
Our service area
At AirGreen, we provide complete HVAC installation: load calculation, selection of the certified combination, indoor and outdoor installation, documented commissioning, and annual HVAC maintenance. We serve Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore, the South Shore, and Montérégie, including Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu and the entire Richelieu Valley. In a finished home, installation quality is judged by what you do not see — and by the straight line of the conduit you do see.