GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF R32 | 48000 BTU - 11 Indoor Units

• Energy Star®: Oui
• WiFi: En Option
• Efficiency: 20.2 SEER
• Warranty (Compressor - Parts - Labor): 12-12-6
• Additional Warranty (10-10-10): Possible
• Voltage: 220V
• Sound Pressure Level (Outdoor): 60.0 dB(A)
• Gas (Freon): R-32

GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF 48,000 BTU with 11 indoor units: eleven rental studios, 4,000 and 7,000 BTU/h units sized one by one

Eleven studios, eleven tenants, eleven schedules: in a small rental building, everyone wants to set their own temperature, and the owner wants a single machine to keep an eye on. The GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF 48,000 BTU with 11 indoor units does both with a single AOUK048SSAN7 outdoor unit.

It is the same system as the twin Fujitsu AIRSTAGE, down to the last screw: identical outdoor unit, as many indoor units, same manufacturer's brochure, same warranty, with 12 years of coverage on the compressor and parts and 6 years on labour. Only the manufacturer's name has changed: the former Fujitsu General Limited has traded as GENERAL Inc. since January 1, 2026.

The real work on this project is the sizing. Eleven indoor units share a 4-ton outdoor unit, and the compatibility table in the J-7S brochure starts at 4,000 and 7,000 BTU/h. Those two smallest capacities make it possible to serve each studio without wasting the capacity the others need.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

The story fits in two lines. Paloma Rheem Holdings, owner of Rheem since 1988, buys out Fujitsu General in August 2025, and as of January 1, 2026, Fujitsu General Limited renames itself GENERAL Inc. The head office and the R&D centre stay in Kawasaki, Japan, the factories remain the same, and nothing changes for AIRSTAGE model numbers or their warranty program. Historically, the GENERAL brand dates from 1946; it is the company, founded in 1936, that marks the 90th anniversary of its founding in 2026.

The Fujitsu name, for its part, is being phased out gradually, and the same machine is sold under both names for as long as the transition lasts. The owner who receives two quotes, one "Fujitsu" and the other "GENERAL", needs to know they are comparing the same unit; that is why we display both pages. Rheem Canada has been in charge of Canadian sales since February 2026, Groupe Master distributes for AirGreen, and we install the range as an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer.

Compare with the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF 48,000 BTU page with 11 indoor units: the values are identical.

A J-7S VRF Heat Pump is made up of one outdoor unit, a refrigerant piping network and indoor units chosen room by room. The outdoor unit modulates the refrigerant according to each studio's demand: the one belonging to the tenant who works from home heats all day, the night-shift worker's warms up in the late afternoon. The eleven studios thus form as many zones, each set by its tenant.

Sizing eleven units for a 48,000 BTU outdoor unit is not done by eye. At the visit, we assess each studio separately:

• its floor area, its ceiling height and the number of its exterior walls;
• the size and orientation of its windows, which weigh heavily in summer;
• its floor, since a studio under the roof and a studio above the basement don't behave the same way;
• the condition of the insulation and air sealing, as far as it can be observed.

That survey determines, studio by studio, whether a 4,000 BTU/h or a 7,000 BTU/h unit fits, or whether to move up a step in the compatibility table, to 9,000 or 12,000 BTU/h. The total capacity has to respect the outdoor unit; we therefore announce no combination before we have seen the building.

For studios, the ASUA***KSA1 wall unit is the most direct answer. It covers 4,000 to 14,000 BTU/h, its quiet mode brings it down to 22 dB(A), an asset in a room where people both sleep and live, and its auto swing louvers move air through the whole studio. When a studio has a dropped ceiling over the entrance or the bathroom, a slim ducted unit with a casing 198 mm (7-13/16 in.) high, available from 4,000 BTU/h, can hide there and blow through a grille; it has a built-in leak detection sensor. The compact cassette, also available from 4,000 BTU/h, is kept for grid ceilings, which are less common in housing.

The complete system posts 20.2 SEER2, 10.2 HSPF2 and 11.4 EER2. The higher figures associated with the series, a COP2 that climbs to 4.64, a SEER2 of 22.2, an EER2 of 15.7 and an HSPF2 of 11.3, are series maxima, not this system's. For heating, the spec sheet gives 35,800 BTU at −8 °C and 41,500 BTU at −15 °C, two different test points, along with a COP of 2.1 at −15 °C. The manufacturer says heating carries on down to −26 °C with no lockout in low temperatures, and that summer cooling stays reliable up to 50 °C outdoors.

For an owner, the wall-mounted controller has one big advantage: it stays in the studio from one lease to the next. Each unit can take a wireless remote controller, a wired remote controller or a wired touch remote controller. The owner can add, as an option, a system controller, a central remote controller or a touch panel controller in a mechanical room, to keep an eye on all eleven units. A Wi-Fi connection is possible as an option.

When the backyard is narrow, footprint matters. The outdoor unit weighs 15% less and takes up 16% less space than the previous generation; it stands 998 mm (39-5/16 in.) tall and fits under a window or on a balcony without rising above the railing. It is rated at 60 dB(A), a figure to keep in mind when bedroom windows face the yard. It also has a built-in base pan heater.

Eleven units mean eleven connections, on refrigerant piping capped at 120 m of total length, half again as much as the previous generation. The route therefore becomes a major part of the quote: common corridors, closets lined up from one floor to the next, ceilings of the common spaces. Electrically, plan for 208/230 V, with 36 A of MCA and an MOP of 40 A.

The system runs on low-GWP R-32, with a maximum charge of 6 kg (13.2 lb). Wall units accept an optional leak sensor kit; on top of that, you can choose gas detection with audible and visual alarm, the refrigerant shut-off valve with backup power, or both, each supplied as a kit. On the paperwork side, the outdoor unit is listed under AHRI number 216372783 on Hydro-Québec's list, the system's ENERGY STAR cold climate designation bears ID 3813053, and the LogisVert list of October 27, 2026 assigns it a $4,296 grant. The program's rules for a rental building are checked at the time of the quote.

Maintaining eleven units is coordinated with the tenants. We group the studios on the same floor to clean filters, check drains and inspect coils in a single visit, then finish with the outdoor unit. This system is aimed at the owner of a small studio building, a converted rooming house or a block of micro-units who wants to replace baseboard heaters and window air conditioners with a single installation. The AOUK048SSAN7 accepts up to 12 indoor units, always within the limit of its capacity.

Official brochures

The manufacturer's brochures are available as PDF files:

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

Studio building in Viauville (Montreal): free quote

AirGreen, an HVAC contractor, comes to Viauville and all of east-end Montreal, as well as Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore. The free quote includes the survey of the eleven studios and the proposed split of capacities. Book an appointment at 514 316-2973.