GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S Mini-VRF R32 | 36000 BTU - 6 Heads

• Energy Star®: Oui
• WiFi: En Option
• Efficiency: 21.7 SEER
• Warranty (Compressor - Parts - Labor): 12-12-6
• Additional Warranty (10-10-10): Possible
• Voltage: 220V
• Sound Pressure Level (Outdoor): 57.0 dB(A)
• Gas (Freon): R-32

GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S Mini-VRF 36,000 BTU with 6 indoor units: a Heat Pump designed around the daycare

The GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S on this page matches the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE twin part for part: an AOUK036SSAN7 outdoor unit and six indoor units from the same range. Fujitsu General Limited was renamed GENERAL Inc. on January 1, 2026; the manufacturer, its technical brochure and its warranty have not changed as a result.

We wrote this page for the neighbourhood daycare or CPE: the infant room, the group rooms, the nap room, the kitchen, the director's office. Six zones that share neither the same schedule nor the same needs. Three priorities dominate in this kind of building, and we take them in order: heating that doesn't give out in the middle of winter, a refrigerant whose safety is documented, and units children cannot reach.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

Fujitsu General Limited was acquired in August 2025 by Paloma Rheem Holdings, the group that has owned Rheem since 1988, then took the name GENERAL Inc. on New Year's Day 2026. The factory, the model number, the brochure and the warranty program are the same; the head office and research centre remain in Kawasaki. The Fujitsu brand is gradually giving way; until the change is complete, you will find the same unit under both names. AirGreen, an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer, presents both pages so the comparison happens without a middleman. Rheem Canada has distributed the range in Canada since February 2026, and our supplier remains Groupe Master.

The Fujitsu version is online on the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE J-7S page with six indoor units.

The mini-VRF principle fits in one sentence: a single refrigerant circuit links the outdoor unit to the six indoor units, and each one runs its room without depending on the others. This 3-ton unit accepts up to nine indoor units, all chosen from the J-7S range, the only one compatible with it.

Deep cold, first. According to the manufacturer, the J-7S keeps heating down to −26 °C, without stopping at low temperature, and this system has earned ENERGY STAR cold climate certification. At −15 °C, the spec sheet gives 36,400 BTU and a COP of 2.14; at −8 °C, it lists 26,200 BTU. These are two different test points, to be read separately. The built-in base pan heater keeps ice from building up under the outdoor unit on January mornings. In a childcare setting, we still recommend keeping a backup heat source, for example the baseboards already in place: a building that cares for toddlers shouldn't depend on a single appliance.

Refrigerant safety, next. It is a fair question from parents, and the answer fits in a few points:

• the J-7S runs on R-32, a low global warming potential refrigerant, with 12% less refrigerant than the previous generation;
• the maximum charge for the whole system is 6 kg (13.2 lb);
• the ducted units, slim ducted and multi-position air handler, have a built-in leak detection sensor;
• wall units and cassettes accept an optional leak sensor kit;
• as an option, a gas sensor kit triggers an audible and visual alarm, and a refrigerant shut-off valve kit, with its own backup power, can be added to it.

These kits are not included by default. We recommend them in the rooms where children sleep, and the final decision is yours, based on the requirements that govern your childcare service.

Units out of reach, finally. The wall-mounted unit goes high on the wall, above the furniture and the craft displays; its auto swing louvers direct the air without a child ever touching them, and in quiet mode it drops to 22 dB(A), which won't wake a nap room. It covers 4,000 to 14,000 BTU/h. In a multipurpose room with a suspended ceiling, the compact cassette, 4,000 to 18,000 BTU/h with a built-in condensate drain pump, is out of reach by definition. The slim ducted unit, 198 mm (7-13/16 in.) high, disappears into a bulkhead and only shows grilles. The multi-position air handler, 12,000 to 60,000 BTU/h, is more for buildings that already have ducts.

The room-by-room choice is made at the visit. The total capacity of the six units must respect the outdoor unit; we promise you no combination before we have seen the infant room, the kitchen and which way the windows face.

For controls, a wireless remote stays with the educator, and a wired or wired touch controller is mounted at adult height, away from small hands. The director can centralize everything with a system controller, a touch panel controller or a central remote controller placed in the office. These controls, like Wi-Fi, are chosen as options to fit how your team is organized.

On a CPE's electricity bill, efficiency counts: 21.7 SEER2, with 10.8 HSPF2 and 13.6 EER2 for this system. The higher figures you will read in the brochure, up to 22.2 SEER2; 11.3 HSPF2; 15.7 EER2; 4.64 COP2, are the best of the J-7S series, not this unit's. In summer, cooling stays reliable up to 50 °C outdoors, a comfort during heat waves when the children stay inside.

The outdoor unit must never sit in the playground. We place it in a fenced area, on a roof open to staff only or against a wall away from where children move around, on a pad or bracket that keeps it above the snow. At 998 mm (39-5/16 in.) high, compact, with reduced minimum clearances, it adapts to a tight corner; its outdoor sound level is 57 dB(A). The refrigerant piping, whose total length can reach 120 m (393 ft), and the cable reach the six units along a route set at the visit. The hookup is 208/230 V; your electrician plans for an MCA of 29 A and an MOP of 30 A.

Maintenance is planned outside opening hours: filter cleaning, a check of the drains and the cassettes' condensate pump, inspection of the outdoor unit. The compressor and parts carry a 12-year warranty; labour, a 6-year one.

Your board or your accountant will want the references: AHRI certificate 216372781, on the Hydro-Québec list, ENERGY STAR ID 3813050, and $3,144 assigned to this outdoor unit in the LogisVert list of October 27, 2026. A home daycare operating in a residence and a CPE in a commercial space are not in the same position with respect to the program: Hydro-Québec decides, under its own rules.

This system is for CPEs, private daycares and home childcare services that want to heat and cool each room separately, with units out of reach and a refrigerant whose safety is documented. The dimensioned drawings are in the manufacturer's bilingual spec sheet, attached to this product.

Official brochures

The manufacturer's brochures are available as PDF files:

• Brochure in French (PDF)
• Brochure in English (PDF)

A daycare or CPE in Saint-Hubert: let's book the visit outside opening hours

We visit your premises when the children are not there, find a safe spot for the outdoor unit and hand you a free quote that specifies each indoor unit and the safety options selected. Call AirGreen at 514 316-2973. As an HVAC contractor, we serve Saint-Hubert and all of Longueuil, Montreal, Laval, the North Shore and the South Shore.