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Amana S-Series Air Conditioner / Heat Pump

After years of development and testing, the Amana side discharge Air Conditioner and Heat Pumps are here. Some may look at the unit above and think, "This looks like a Mini Split Air Conditioner." You are partially right. Amana started with a mini split design, and built the programming, software, and capacity to handle your house quietly and efficiently. While the application is new, Amana's factory has been making mini split units for years, along with over 40 years of the compressor being used in all sorts of different applications.

Next Generation A/C Technology

The S-Series system is an incredibly smart system that communicates to all components, so they can work in harmony, running at exactly the capacity required. Communicating equipment, while having the downsides of locking you into the Amana thermostat, has incredible benefits, the top being improved efficiency, and variable speed operation. Where a traditional Air Conditioner is off or on, (some even having low and high speed), this has a variable speed output. The built in algorithms tells it how to adjust, with the goal is running longer and removing more humidity than you have ever seen from an Air Conditioner.

Slim Design

Traditional air conditioning units started of surprisingly small back in the 1960s, as efficiency was not the goal of their design... it was cooling your house. As the years went on, efficiency started to go up, and that is accomplished by adding more surface area, and making the coils larger. Now, air conditioners are the largest they have ever been due to efficiency requirements and new refrigerant types. The side discharge design has remained small and efficient, even through the transition from R-22 to R-410 and now to R-32.

This design allows you to install in spaces where a traditional unit couldn't fit, whether it is the size issue, or noise issue. Here are some applications. Typically we like to install them on a pad outside, versus hanging on a house (due to the potential of vibration noise). Regardless, we only have to be so far away from the side of your home, which is a great benefit in many homes.

 

Smart Communication

One thing that has plagued our industry is how companies stick to standards from decades ago. The truth is, without communication you are not going to get to ultra efficient ratings. Amana took the time to develop a communicating system that has great promise and will be a great asset on all upcoming models, starting with the S-Series.

With a communicating system, your air conditioner now talks to your indoor coil and to your furnace, all coordinated by your Amana smart thermostat. They all can communicate two ways to do new things you couldn't do with traditional wiring, like running your furnace while the heat pump defrosts. The required thermostat allows you to remotely control your equipment, get alerts, and see more than you ever could with your old battery thermostat.

Note: Being locked down to their thermostat is one of the down-sides of communicating systems. You are required to use the manufacturer's thermostat. The Amana thermostat comes with a 10 year Parts & Labor warranty, so you should have nothing to worry about.

Sound? What Sound?

This is what makes us so excited to be offering the S-Series here at The Good Guys Heating & Cooling... The quiet operation is really amazing! We all know that traditional air conditioner starting up sound (loud buzzing sound that fades out in 5 seconds), as well as the old air conditioner dimming all the lights as the fan and compressor starts spinning. The S-Series is inverter driven which means your system will start off slow and wind up to the speed required. The idea with the S-Series is to run as long as possible while maintaining temperature. This means you get even more dehumidification and more comfortable air.

With this unit being quieter that means putting it on a deck or right outside a window is less of a worry. Not only will it take less space, it's also much quieter as low as 53db(A). That's the volume of a household refrigerator! Typical air conditioners average around 75db(A). While that doesn't sound like much, the decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear, meaning a change of only a few numbers can feel like twice as loud to us.

Dehumidification!

The S-Series is designed to run all the time, most of the time in a low speed unless it needs to ramp up. This means you have extended time to dehumidify your home. Dan Christensen, one of our owners, put an S-Series unit it in, and his home was down to 37% on the first floor for humidity in the middle of a 80F and a high dew point, and the basement is at 48% without any additional dehumidifier. Prior to this he had to have an Aprilaire Whole Home Humidifier running a good portion of the time. He is incredibly happy with his Air Conditioner and how amazing it is at pulling humidity from this house.

We have them in our homes!

Six different employees (including owners, and sales team) have S-Series in their house. We absolutely love the system and how it operates. All who have it installed have made comments about how quiet it is, and how great it is at removing humidity from the house.

Not for all applications!

While we love the product, it is not for everyone. If you are a homeowner that loves to keep your house open and only turn on the Air Conditioner when it gets hot, this is not the ideal solution for you. The S-Series algorithm is designed to run for long times and that means if you want to flip a switch and make an 85 degree house go down to 72... that is going to take a longer time than a traditional unit. Now, if you keep your home closed, and want it to maintain within a range of temperatures, this is the equipment for you.

If you live in an area with cottonwood, it will be strongly recommended that you check every few weeks that your outdoor unit is rinsed off. Due to your Air Conditioner running most of the time it tends to catch more stuff floating by. Rinsing takes only a minute with a hose, and will help keep your unit running at peak efficiency.

Heat Pump Option!

If you're looking to heat your home in milder weather, the S-Series is available as a heat pump for an additional cost. A heat pump is an Air Conditioner that can reverse, and put the heat energy into your home when you want to heat. This modern design allows you to get reliable heat down to a reasonably low temperature. We strongly recommend a backup source of heat like Natural Gas (if available) or Liquid Propane as repairing heat pumps in the winter is not always possible. We typically set units to shut off between 40-50 depending on application. If you want to go lower we can add a drain pan heater for an additional cost.