GENERAL AIRSTAGE Electric Furnace | 3 Tons | Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, South Shore and North Shore

GENERAL AIRSTAGE AMUG36LMAS 36,000 BTU Electric Furnace with Heat Pump (36LMAH1M System) for the Split-Level House and Its Long Duct Runs

In a split-level house, the electric furnace works a long way from many of the rooms it heats: its ducts climb to the bedrooms, drop back to the basement and wrap around the stairs through one elbow after another. The 36LMAH1M system replaces it with the AMUG36LMAS multi-position air handler, which heats first by heat pump thanks to the AOUH36LMAH1 outdoor unit, with an electric kit as backup.

Under the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE brand, the same pair carries the same numbers. What changed is a corporate name: GENERAL Inc. replaced Fujitsu General Limited as the manufacturer’s name as of January 1, 2026. The manufacturer’s spec sheet and the warranty carry over as they are from one brand to the other.

One point right away: the AOUH36LMAH1 belongs to the category the manufacturer calls “extra-low-temperature heating,” and the system heats down to −26 °C, but it is not ENERGY STAR certified, does not have cold climate recognition and is not on the LogisVert list. No grant goes into the budget.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

A change of hands explains the new name: Paloma Rheem Holdings, shareholder of Rheem since 1988, became the owner of Fujitsu General Limited in August 2025. The manufacturer was founded in 1936, so 2026 marks its 90 years. The GENERAL brand, found on its units since 1946, simply becomes the company’s name. The head office and R&D remain in Kawasaki, Japan, and nothing moves in the factories or in the AIRSTAGE numbering.

Rheem Canada took charge of Canadian sales in February 2026, while our deliveries still come through Groupe Master. Until the Fujitsu brand has fully faded, the same unit can appear under two names on two quotes; our two pages, and the table that follows, show it line by line.

On the Fujitsu side, the equivalent page is the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE 3-ton electric furnace.

To understand what the AMUG36LMAS brings to a split-level house, we have to talk about static pressure. It is the resistance the ductwork puts up against the air: every length of duct, every elbow, every grille and the filter itself add to it. In a split-level house, the branches are long and change levels, and the resistance climbs. A fan that runs short of pressure then delivers plenty of air to the rooms near the unit and very little to the bedroom at the far end.

On that front, the AMUG36LMAS holds its own: the manufacturer gives it high static pressure, with a ceiling of 1.0 in. WC; as for its fan motor, it is driven by an adaptive control. Maximum airflow reaches 1,200 CFM. If the upstairs bedroom has always been the coldest room in winter, the balance of the ductwork often has something to do with it.

That margin has its limits. An undersized return, a duct crushed under a floor or registers closed for years will hold back any unit. During the visit, we follow the ductwork level by level: supply, return air, grilles, condition of the accessible ducts. If a return needs to be added or a branch corrected, the quote says so.

In this type of house, the furnace often sits in a utility room on the lowest level, sometimes in a closet. The AMUG36LMAS measures 21 in. wide, 21.69 in. deep and 57 in. high. Truly multi-position, it stands upright in upflow, works in downflow when it has to blow downward, or lies flat in a crawl space; the downflow and horizontal right kits are provided at no additional cost with each unit. You also need to keep 21 in. in front of the cabinet for service, on top of minimum clearance on three sides.

AHRI certificate 207657377 gives the system an HSPF2 of 10.4, a SEER2 of 17.1 and an EER2 of 11.0. At nominal conditions, the manufacturer rates it at 38,000 BTU/h in heating and 33,000 BTU/h in cooling. The certified file adds two cold-weather readings, each to be read on its own: 25,600 BTU of heating at −8 °C, and 42,000 BTU at −15 °C for a COP of 1.84. Heating continues down to −26 °C.

The heat pump supplies the heat as long as it meets the demand. When the house calls for more, the electric backup heat kit, supplied by the manufacturer and fitted on site inside the unit, joins in to make up the difference; below −26 °C, it handles the heating alone. Electric heat does not disappear from the house, then: it moves from the lead role to a supporting one.

The financial side is quickly summed up: no ENERGY STAR certification, no cold climate recognition, and Hydro-Québec did not include it in its LogisVert list of October 27, 2026. Extra-low-temperature heating describes the design of the outdoor unit according to the manufacturer; it does not qualify for any grant. If the grant is decisive for you, we will put a listed system alongside it for comparison.

In a split-level house, the unit is often half a floor away from the living room, and its sound matters: 25 dB(A) at its lowest, 40 dB(A) at full speed. The outdoor unit, for its part, is rated at 53.0 dB(A); its dimensions are 38.19 × 14.56 × 52.5 in. We find a spot with you on a pad or a bracket, out of reach of the snow from the roof and away from bedroom windows.

The job, as we run it:

• survey of the ductwork on every level and check of the plenum;
• removal of the electric furnace and installation of the AMUG36LMAS in the chosen position, with the backup kit;
• refrigerant line (3/8 and 5/8 in.), cable, drain and 208/230 V supply;
• filter access panel, placed where you can reach it without contortions;
• commissioning by a refrigeration technician, who also checks that air reaches the farthest rooms.

Controls are straightforward: the heat pump is fully communicating, Wi-Fi can be added as an option, and an external input/output interface, also optional, is used to interlock the system with third-party systems. AirGreen holds AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer status.

With long duct runs, the filter becomes a setting in its own right: a clogged filter adds static pressure and starves the far rooms first. Check it often, keep the drain clear and free the outdoor unit after snowfalls. On coverage, the compressor and parts each get 12 years, and labour 6. The manufacturer’s spec sheet, in French and English versions, comes with the product.

The 36LMAH1M is a good choice:

• for the split-level house whose electric furnace serves a long, branching duct system;
• for anyone who wants to heat by heat pump down to −26 °C and can build a budget without Hydro-Québec’s help;
• less so for a small split-level whose load calculation stays under 3 tons, where a smaller size will suit better.

McMasterville and the South Shore: have the ducts of your split-level house assessed

In McMasterville, we visit every level before talking equipment: grilles, returns, branch lengths, location of the current furnace and its electrical supply. You then receive a free quote that states what the ductwork can deliver with the AMUG36LMAS and what would need correcting.

Phone: 514 316-2973. On the South Shore as in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil or the North Shore, HVAC contractor AirGreen handles the job from start to finish.