3-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE DLCMHB | 48,000 BTU - R410A

A large bungalow in three zones: the living space, the bedroom wing and the basement

A good-sized bungalow often stretches across the full width of the lot. The living room and kitchen occupy one end, the bedrooms the other, and a finished basement extends underneath. A single wall head cannot cover such a distance. The 3-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE DLCMHB | 48,000 BTU - R410A places a wall head in each of these three zones and feeds them all from a single DLCMHBH48EAK condenser.

This 4-ton condenser serves 3 zones here and accepts up to 5 at most. The wall heads intended for it are the DLFSHCH09XAK, the DLFSHCH12XAK and the DLFSHCH24XAK. Its certified ratings are 21.2 SEER2, 11.0 EER2 and 10.0 HSPF2. The system is ENERGY STAR certified with the cold-climate designation under ENERGY STAR ID 2410134, and it qualifies for a $4,680 LogisVert grant.

A bungalow's layout, zone by zone

The first zone is the living space: living room, kitchen and dining room, often open to one another, with the largest glazed area in the house. The second is the bedroom wing, at the end of the hallway; we usually place the head in the main bedroom, the largest and most used. The third is the basement, whether it serves as a family room, an office or a guest room.

This layout assumes the secondary bedrooms benefit from the warmth of the hallway, which works in a well-insulated house. If the children's rooms stay cold with the door closed, a configuration with four or five zones on the same condenser will serve them better. The load calculation shows it clearly.

Which head for which zone

The DLFSHCH24XAK, the largest of the intended heads, goes in the living space: it has to blow along the full length of an open area and offset the losses from large windows. The main bedroom gets the DLFSHCH12XAK. In the basement, the DLFSHCH09XAK or the DLFSHCH12XAK depending on the floor area and the insulation of the foundation walls. The exact combination is decided after the visit.

The three heads share the condenser's capacity. During the day, the living space takes the largest share; in the evening, the bedroom and the basement join in. With 3 zones out of a maximum of 5, two connections remain free for rooms added later, after checking the remaining capacity.

What the certificate shows for winter

The certificate lists 39,000 BTU/h at -8 °C (17 °F), with a COP of 2.50, and 45,000 BTU/h at -15 °C (5 °F), with a COP of 2.00. The maximum published capacity is 45,000 BTU/h at -15 °C. The two points are measured separately; we report each one as published.

At -8 °C, the published point corresponds to 81% of the nominal size; at -15 °C, the certificate lists a higher capacity, measured in a separate test. In both cases, efficiency stays high: at -15 °C, each kilowatt-hour consumed returns two kilowatt-hours of heat, where an electric baseboard returns one. ENERGY STAR's cold-climate designation confirms that the combination meets the low-temperature performance criteria.

The certificate does not publish a colder point. We therefore recommend keeping the electric baseboards or other existing heating as backup, set slightly below the heads' set point. They take over during extreme cold and defrost cycles, when the condenser melts the frost off its coil for a few minutes and lets out a cloud of vapour.

These figures come from certificate AHRI 207642999, published by NEEP.

A single condenser for a single-storey house

Three separate units would mean three outdoor units around a bungalow, three circuits in the panel and three line routes. Here, one condenser, set in one spot, on one dedicated circuit. The trade-off: the three zones depend on the same unit, and a service outage affects them all. That is why annual maintenance matters more on a multi-zone system.

The inverter compressor and R-410A refrigerant

The inverter compressor varies its speed according to the number of heads calling and meters the R-410A refrigerant sent to each one. It runs for long periods at moderate speed rather than starting and stopping, which keeps temperatures steady from one end of the house to the other. Shutting off the basement zone when it is unoccupied leaves the other two running normally. The three heads always work in the same mode, heating or cooling.

Summer, from the living room to the basement

In cooling, the system is built around a nominal size of 48,000 BTU/h for the three zones. The living space, with its windows and kitchen, asks the most on hot afternoons; the main bedroom takes over in the evening. In the basement, the issue is mostly humidity: the head's dehumidification mode removes the damp air without needlessly cooling the room. Everywhere, extended low-speed operation makes the air drier and more comfortable.

What this system's ratings are worth

• 10.0 HSPF2: heating efficiency over the whole cold season. This is the rating that weighs most on a Quebec home's bill.
• 21.2 SEER2: cooling efficiency over a whole summer.
• 11.0 EER2: cooling at full load, in hot weather.
• COP: the ratio between heat delivered and electricity consumed at a specific temperature, here 2.50 at -8 °C and 2.00 at -15 °C.

The $4,680 LogisVert grant

The system is listed in Hydro-Québec's LogisVert program, with $4,680 for the owner of an existing home, according to the list in effect on the installation date. We confirm eligibility before signing and prepare the detailed invoice, model numbers and proof of payment. Our page on the efficient heat pump grant summarizes the program's conditions.

Installation in a bungalow

Our installation

In a bungalow, distances matter. The condenser is placed at the point that shortens the three line routes the most, above the snow line, on a stand or a sturdy bracket, away from snow sliding off the roof and from bedroom windows. Each head's refrigerant lines then run along the house in a line cover, under the eave or along the foundation; the basement one goes through the foundation wall.

Each head gets its own sloped condensate drain; in the basement, a condensate pump becomes necessary when gravity is not enough. The condenser is connected to a dedicated circuit, and we check the panel's space and capacity during the visit. Commissioning includes the vacuum, the leak test, a check of each zone and setup of the remotes with you.

Maintenance

Rinse the filters of all three heads every two weeks in season; the one in the living space, near the kitchen, needs the most attention. Keep the condenser clear of snow and leaves, without covering it in winter. One HVAC maintenance visit per year cleans the coils, fans and drains and checks the electrical connections. Our cleaning service takes over when you prefer to hand off the annual visit.

Warranty

Warranty: 10 years on the compressor, 10 years on parts and 6 years on labor.

AirGreen, for the life of the installation

A family business active for more than fifteen years in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the North Shore and the South Shore, we hold RBQ licences for ventilation, refrigeration and electrical work and carry $5,000,000 in liability insurance. The in-home assessment is free, the quote is in writing, and our financing options let you choose the right unit rather than the cheapest one.

Request your free estimate for the 3-Zone Heat Pump ARCOAIRE DLCMHB | 48,000 BTU - R410A. We assess your bungalow zone by zone and confirm the right size and your grant eligibility before signing.

Available while supplies last.