GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF R32 | 48000 BTU - 12 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, 12 indoor units: the outdoor unit's maximum for twelve commercial or institutional rooms

Twelve rooms, one outdoor unit: that is the upper limit of the AOUK048SSAN7, and this system reaches it. The GENERAL AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF 48,000 BTU with 12 indoor units is aimed at the small commercial or institutional building that wants a single machine outside for all of its rooms.

Nothing separates it from the twin Fujitsu AIRSTAGE with 12 indoor units. It is the same AOUK048SSAN7 outdoor unit, built by the same company, which since January 1, 2026 has carried the name GENERAL Inc. instead of Fujitsu General Limited. A single manufacturer's brochure describes both versions, and the warranty is identical, 12 years on the compressor as on parts and 6 years on labour.

Working at an outdoor unit's maximum changes the way the project is designed. There will be no room for a thirteenth unit later, each indoor unit has to be sized as tightly as possible, and the refrigerant piping, limited to 120 m in total, becomes a resource to share among twelve connections. We discuss it frankly before you sign anything.

GENERAL or Fujitsu AIRSTAGE: the same machine

The background fits in three dates. In August 2025, Fujitsu General passes into the hands of Paloma Rheem Holdings, Rheem's owner since 1988; on January 1, 2026, Fujitsu General Limited is renamed GENERAL Inc.; in February 2026, Rheem Canada takes over Canadian sales. Meanwhile, nothing moved in Kawasaki: same head office, same R&D centre, same factories, same AIRSTAGE products and same model numbers, under the same warranty program.

Because the Fujitsu brand is being phased out, the same equipment can leave the warehouse with either logo during the transition. In a public or private tender, that double name can raise doubts; two pages published side by side clear them up. Groupe Master remains the distributor for AirGreen, an AIRSTAGE Elite Plus installer for both brands.

To check each value, see the Fujitsu AIRSTAGE J-7S VRF 48,000 BTU page with 12 indoor units.

Technically, it is a variable refrigerant flow Heat Pump: the outdoor unit supplies each indoor unit with the amount of refrigerant its room requires, no more, no less. Twelve units mean twelve zones, each set for its occupants: the reception office, the consultation room, the meeting room, the records room that is barely heated. Each unit is picked room by room from one of the four J-7S families, whose units and accessories only work with J-7S outdoor units.

What the 12-unit maximum means in practice:

• No additional unit. If an expansion is already planned, say so at the visit: a second system may then make more sense than a first one pushed to its limit.
• Capacities sized tightly. The smallest capacities in the compatibility table, 4,000 and 7,000 BTU/h, have their place in closed offices, and the total of all units must respect the outdoor unit's 48,000 BTU.
• Piping to budget. The maximum total length of 120 m (393 ft), 50% more than the previous generation, is shared among all the connections; a distant room uses up a good part of it.
• A central controller that is close to essential. Managing twelve units one at a time makes no sense for a building manager; a central remote controller, a touch panel controller or a system controller, available as options, bring it all together.

In a small commercial building, all four families find their place. The compact cassette (4,000 to 18,000 BTU/h) fits the standard grid ceilings of offices and consultation rooms, with its built-in condensate pump. The slim ducted unit, 198 mm (7-13/16 in.) high and capable of 0.36 in. WC of static pressure, hides in a corridor and serves a room through grilles. For a large room on ductwork, the multi-position air handler offers 12,000 to 60,000 BTU/h and 0.8 in. WC of static pressure. The wall unit (4,000 to 14,000 BTU/h) remains the solution for a small room without a grid ceiling.

In a building open to the public, refrigerant safety is part of the file. The J-7S refrigerant, R-32, has a low GWP; the manufacturer uses 12% less of it than in the previous generation, and the charge of the entire system does not exceed 6 kg (13.2 lb). A leak detection sensor comes factory-built into slim ducted units and multi-position air handlers; cassettes and wall units take one as an optional kit. To go further, the manufacturer also offers two kits: a gas sensor paired with an audible and visual alarm, as well as a refrigerant shut-off valve with its own backup power supply.

According to the manufacturer, this 4-ton system reaches a SEER2 of 20.2; its HSPF2 is 10.2 and its EER2 11.4. The brochure mentions higher maxima for the J-7S series as a whole (EER2 of 15.7, HSPF2 of 11.3, COP2 of 4.64 and SEER2 of 22.2 at most), which do not apply to this configuration. In heating mode, two capacities appear on the spec sheet, measured at different test points: 35,800 BTU at −8 °C and 41,500 BTU at −15 °C; the published COP at −15 °C is 2.1.

Winter shows no mercy in Blainville. According to the brochure cover, this system heats down to −26 °C without stopping in low temperatures; its outdoor unit relies on a built-in base pan heater and on refrigerant-cooled electronics. In summer, the reliable cooling range extends up to 50 °C outdoors, where the previous generation topped out at 46 °C. As for placement, the 37 × 12-5/8 × 39-5/16 in. (940 × 320 × 998 mm) unit makes do with reduced minimum clearances and is rated for 0.12 in. WC of static pressure.

Installation starts with a complete survey. Our refrigeration technician draws each connection on the building plan, adds up the lengths to stay under the 120 m allowed, locates the drains and validates the electrical service, a 208/230 V supply with an MCA of 36 A and an MOP of 40 A, along with the 3/8 - 5/8 in. main piping. The type and capacity of each of the twelve units are set at this stage, never before.

For the occupants, each room can keep its wired remote controller, wired touch remote controller or wireless remote controller; as for Wi-Fi, it is available as an option. Maintenance on a twelve-unit system is planned like that of a small commercial building: filters, drains, condensate pumps, sensors and the outdoor unit, at a frequency set with you based on how the rooms are used.

AHRI number 216372783 is the outdoor unit's number on Hydro-Québec's list, and the system is ENERGY STAR cold climate certified (ID 3813053). On the LogisVert list of October 27, 2026, the grant shown is $4,296; for a commercial or institutional building, the program's rules decide eligibility, and we help you check it.

This system suits the owner of a small office building, an organization occupying a twelve-room building, a neighbourhood clinic or a service centre that wants one piece of outdoor equipment, one supplier and one warranty. When the building goes beyond what 48,000 BTU and twelve units can serve, we say so right away and propose another configuration.

Official brochures

The manufacturer's brochures are available as PDF files:

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

Blainville (Fontainebleau, North Shore): get your free quote

From Fontainebleau to the rest of Blainville and the North Shore, all the way to Laval, Montreal, Longueuil and the South Shore, AirGreen, an HVAC contractor, prepares a free quote after surveying your twelve rooms. A call to 514 316-2973 is all it takes to schedule that survey.