Things that make you sad, angry, or upset.

[Blizzard]

Just replaced mine a few weeks ago! I think I wrote about it here... mine was 16 years old and some no-name Chinese brand that the builder installed when my condo was built. I ended up replacing it with a Mitsubishi heat pump that so far is a MASSIVE upgrade in terms of cooling, noise, and energy efficiency. The standard warranty was 6 years labour, 10 years parts, and I paid an extra $155 to extend the labour warranty out to 10 years.

My install was less intensive because I also had all the hookups, but I did have to swap a breaker since the new machines operate on a different amperage than the old ones.

Nice, what size did you get and would you be comfortable sharing how much you paid?  We're looking at probably either just another 12,000btu or maybe 15,000btu if available to just go up slightly.

I got another 12,000 BTU unit. I asked about upgrading to an 18,000 BTU machine but was told that it was impossible since the refrigerant conduits in the wall were sized for a 12,000 BTU unit and wouldn't be able to carry a sufficient amount of coolant for a larger unit. So there would be no additional cooling capacity with a bigger unit, only additional heating capacity. Since I already have baseboard heaters everywhere and had just an A/C before, the heating capacity of the new machine will be only for efficiency purposes rather than necessity. Even if I can use the heat pump for 70-80% of heating depending on exterior temperatures, I'll save a bunch on my Hydro bill.

I paid $4,050 + tax including install, less a $936 subsidy from Hydro Quebec which I should receive in the mail in the next few weeks. I would definitely shop around because the quotes I received varied wildly, anywhere from $2,200 to over $5,000.

[Johnnymac]

Just replaced mine a few weeks ago! I think I wrote about it here... mine was 16 years old and some no-name Chinese brand that the builder installed when my condo was built. I ended up replacing it with a Mitsubishi heat pump that so far is a MASSIVE upgrade in terms of cooling, noise, and energy efficiency. The standard warranty was 6 years labour, 10 years parts, and I paid an extra $155 to extend the labour warranty out to 10 years.

My install was less intensive because I also had all the hookups, but I did have to swap a breaker since the new machines operate on a different amperage than the old ones.

Nice, what size did you get and would you be comfortable sharing how much you paid?  We're looking at probably either just another 12,000btu or maybe 15,000btu if available to just go up slightly.

I got another 12,000 BTU unit. I asked about upgrading to an 18,000 BTU machine but was told that it was impossible since the refrigerant conduits in the wall were sized for a 12,000 BTU unit and wouldn't be able to carry a sufficient amount of coolant for a larger unit. So there would be no additional cooling capacity with a bigger unit, only additional heating capacity. Since I already have baseboard heaters everywhere and had just an A/C before, the heating capacity of the new machine will be only for efficiency purposes rather than necessity. Even if I can use the heat pump for 70-80% of heating depending on exterior temperatures, I'll save a bunch on my Hydro bill.

I paid $4,050 + tax including install, less a $936 subsidy from Hydro Quebec which I should receive in the mail in the next few weeks. I would definitely shop around because the quotes I received varied wildly, anywhere from $2,200 to over $5,000.

You'll probably find that the heat you get from the heat pump is enough to heat your place almost fully.  It's our main source of heat for our main floor bungalow that is about 1,200 square feet.  Typically the only heater we have on outside of the heat pump is the small wall mounted convection heater in the bathroom and even then it's only on when we shower or if it's super cold out.

Our next door neighbor has been quoted $3K for his all taxes in, installed, with a 10 year warranty.  We're waiting to get a quote from the first guy we had come look at it last Friday, I think the units he typically install are LG and Gree, we currently have an LG and would be open to a change.