Mitsubishi MSZ-FH Series

Don't Freeze To Death – This review is not really intended for folk that reside in warmer climates. I live in New Zealand where it often drops to well below 0 c in winter. The experts tell us that Heat Pumps or reverse cycle air conditioners are the second most efficient form of heating for our home. Log Burners being number one. The Mitsubishi Hypercore is a heating… Read more

source that, unlike many others, does not give up when the outside temperature drops to 2 degrees or less. Tired of our Toshiba branded model giving up on us and going into 'Defrost Mode' when ever the outside temperature dropped to 1 degrees or less, I decided to try the new Hypercore branded heat pump by Mitsubishi Electric. We needed to heat the rear of the house, the hallway and the three bedrooms with the one unit.The model were were advised to purchase is a split high wall unit MSZ-FH35VE.

Turns out that this split unit actually does what they claim, it does not give up putting out constant heat, even when the outside temperature drops to -4, pleased to say I have yet to try it when the outside temperature is much less than that, but according to the manufacturer it will continue to operate at temperatures of -15 degrees. Other modes of function offered on this unit are cooling mode, and dehumidifying mode.

It has a timer that is not user friendly, in fact the operating instructions are confusing and difficult to comprehend.

Putting that aside, the owner can fumble his /her way through this simply by experimenting with all the buttons on the remote. The most confusing is the remote setting of the airflow distribution vanes. One almost needs an engineering degree to sort this one out, but eventually it was sorted and is now satisfactory.

I turn the unit on about half an hour before the family goes to bed, this is sufficient time to heat the hall and the bedrooms to 18-20 degrees. Through experimentation for our particular application, I discovered that it was best to set the vanes non swing fixed, at about 20 degrees downward pointing. This blows the warm air across the ceiling of the narrow hallway and into all three bedrooms, about 10 meters distance from the heat source.

The indoor and the outdoor unit is very quiet in operation, which is ideal when you want to sleep, leaving bedroom doors open. The only negatives I can think of for this product is the poorly explained instruction booklet

and the fact that the outdoor unit unceremoniously drops quite a lot of water straight onto the concrete path under the unit. There is no drip tray or water exhaust provided. This is a function of the 'Hypercore' feature.

However, this poses a safety issue. The water the unit drops onto the pathway freezes and creates a slip zone for unwary folk trying to sneak out the back door, to avoid walking on the frozen over wooden deck out front.

It can be fixed by making a galvanized metal tray and positioning said tray under the unit and piping away the water away to a nearby drain. However, this comes at an extra cost to the home owner. Quotes received $167.00 NZD.

Depending on where your outdoor unit is placed, this water drop issue may or may not be a problem for you. If the outdoor unit is paced over soiled garden area, there should be no problem with the water the unit drops.

Would I buy this unit again? Yes, without hesitation.

Would I use this unit in the Summer for cooling? may be, only if the temp hits 38+ degrees c, which is possible but highly unlikely where I live.

To sum up, if you are looking for a heat source for your home which is economical, quiet and relatively efficient, do not buy anything other than a Hypercore Unit, or you may well freeze to death waiting for your heat pump to defrost its self.