Floor mounted heat pumps in Christchurch
We install floor mounted heat pumps across Christchurch, often under a window or in a room with a high stud. The console sits at skirting level, about knee height, and warms the cold air coming off the glass before it spreads across the floor. Quotes are free.
Prefer to talk? Call 03 242 1023
What a floor mounted heat pump is and who it suits
A floor mounted heat pump, often called a floor console, is a low indoor unit. It sits against the wall at skirting level, about knee height, and joins to an outdoor unit by pipes through the wall or floor. It draws air in, heats or cools it, and blows it out low into the room.
It suits rooms that a wall unit struggles with: villas and cottages with a high stud, rooms where windows, doors or a fireplace take up the walls, and rooms with sloped ceilings. And it suits you if you want warmth close to where you sit, and filters you can reach from the floor.
Where a floor console heat pump goes in the room
The usual spot is under a window. That’s often the only clear stretch of wall low down, and the console warms the cold air coming off the glass before it spreads across the floor.
- Open floor in front. A couch or chair pushed up close blows the warm air straight back into the unit.
- Curtains clear of the outlets. Long drapes over the console trap the heat behind them.
- A short pipe route. An outside wall behind the console is simplest. Otherwise, the pipes go down through the floor and under the house.
- Not behind a door. A door that swings open over the unit blocks it.
In a lounge, we aim to put it on the coldest wall, facing into where you sit.
Get a free quote. Installs, servicing and repairs on all major brands.
Floor mounted heat pumps for Christchurch homes
Christchurch’s older housing is where a console earns its place.
- Character villas. In St Albans and Edgeware, villas have high studs, sash windows and rooms that close off from each other. Heat rises to the ceiling. A floor console sits low under a sash window and pushes warm air out where you sit.
- Bay windows and wide sills. In the bungalows and villas of Somerfield, a console often fits well under a bay or a wide window sill, where windows and doors take up the wall space.
- Big two storey character homes. In Fendalton, the volume of a high-stud room sets the unit size, not the floor area. A console puts warm air out low, and can pair with ducting for the bedrooms.
- Hill cottages. In Lyttelton, timber cottages and villas have tall ceilings and walls with little or no insulation. A console under a window suits rooms where a fireplace or bookshelves take up the walls.
- Older beach houses. In Sumner, older homes with high ceilings or not much wall space often suit a console under a window.
Floor mounted heat pump or high wall unit
Both heat and cool. The difference is where the air comes from.
- Heating evenness. Warm air rises. Starting it at floor level keeps your feet warm and the room even, which matters most under a tall stud. A wall unit has to push warm air down from above.
- Cooling spread. A console cools, but cool air sinks and stays low. A wall unit spreads cooling through the room better.
- Wall space. A console needs a clear stretch of wall low down. A wall unit needs a clear stretch up high.
- Windows. Under a window is a good spot for a console. Above a window is a poor spot for a wall unit.
- Furniture. A console takes some floor space and needs open air in front. A wall unit leaves the floor free.
- Filter access. A console’s filters slide out at knee height, no step stool needed.
- Noise at head height. A console runs beside you, not above you. On a low fan, both are quiet. Next to a reading chair, you may notice a console more.
For a room with a standard ceiling and good wall space up high, read about high wall heat pumps.
What changes the price of a floor console install
The console is only part of the price. The rest comes down to the room and what’s under it.
- The size of unit. A high stud room holds more air, so it needs more heat output, and a bigger unit costs more.
- Through the wall or the floor. A console on an outside wall can pipe straight through. Otherwise the pipes go down through the floor and out under the house.
- Room under the house. A good crawl space makes that pipe run easy. A low or tight one takes longer.
- Where the outdoor unit goes. The further away it is, the more pipe and cover. A bracket or a sloping site adds time.
- The switchboard. If there’s no room for a new circuit, the board needs work first.
We look at each of these, and the other installation cost factors, when we visit, and they’re all in the quote.
Replacing an old floor standing heat pump
An older console that’s failing can usually be swapped in the same spot. That spot is often right, since there’s only so much clear wall under a window. We still check the size against the room. An old villa that’s since had insulation or double glazing added may need a smaller unit than before.
We look at whether the new console can use the old pipe route through the floor or wall. A newer model may need a different pipe size or its own circuit, and we’ll tell you before you agree to anything. If the old unit is worth fixing, we’ll say so and point you to heat pump repair.
To get started, request a free quote. We’ll look at the room and the old unit, and give you a free quote.
How we choose and fit a floor console
1
Look at the room
We measure the floor area and the stud height, check the insulation and glass, and work out the size from the volume of air, not the floor alone.
2
Find the spot
Usually under a window or on a low stretch of wall, with open floor in front of it so the air can move.
3
Plan the pipes
Through the wall behind the console, or down through the floor and along under the house to the outdoor unit.
4
Place the outdoor unit
On raised feet, a pad or a bracket, clear of frost and away from your bedrooms and the neighbour's.
5
Fit and test
We mount the console on the wall, connect the pipes and drain, pressure test, then run it in heating and cooling.
6
Show you the settings
Which outlets to use for heating and cooling, which fan speed suits the room, and how to take the filters out.
Floor console heat pump brands we fit
We install five brands and compare their models for your rooms, then suggest the one that fits, not whatever's in stock.
Service and repair
Other brands
Most other split and ducted heat pumps sold in New Zealand.
Floor standing heat pumps across Christchurch and Selwyn
We fit floor standing heat pumps in every Christchurch suburb, in Lyttelton, and in Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton and Tai Tapu.
Floor mounted heat pump questions
Is a floor mounted heat pump better than a wall unit for heating?
In a room with a high stud, usually yes. It puts warm air out low, where you are, and lets it rise. In a room with a standard ceiling, either type heats well, and a wall unit spreads cooling better.
Can a floor console go under a window?
Yes, it's one of the most common spots. It fits under most sills and warms the cold air that comes off the glass. Keep long curtains clear of the outlets.
Does a floor console cool as well as heat?
Yes, it heats and cools. Cool air sinks, so it spreads less evenly from floor level than from high on a wall. In a room you mainly want to keep warm, that's rarely a problem.
Can you put a floor console where my old fireplace was?
Often. It can sit on the hearth or beside the chimney breast, with the pipes through the outside wall or under the floor. The chimney needs sealing so warm air doesn't go up it.
Can you replace my old floor console?
Yes. We check the size against the room first, then whether the new console can use the old pipe route through the floor or wall. We take the old units away and quote the whole job together.
More on the heat pump floor unit and other types
Types of heat pumps
Wall, floor, ceiling and ducted units compared.
Read the types of heat pumps guide →
High wall heat pumps
The usual choice for bedrooms and open plan rooms.
See high wall heat pumps →
Multi room heat pumps
A console in the lounge and wall units in the bedrooms.
See multi room heat pumps →Get a free heat pump quote
Free quotes, no obligation. We call or email you back the same working day. Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Call 03 242 1023Request a call back