What Midea sells here
For homes, Midea's New Zealand website lists the Athena Series, Midea Split Systems, the Midea Ducted System (Vesta) and portable air conditioners. Under business solutions it lists VRF systems and air to water (ATW) heat pumps. If that's your kind of job, start with commercial heat pumps.
If you're weighing a whole-house system, our ducted heat pumps page explains what a ducted install involves before you get to the brand.
The warranty: what we could and couldn't confirm
We looked for Midea's New Zealand warranty terms and couldn't find a document that sets them out. We won't repeat a warranty period we couldn't confirm, and you shouldn't buy on one either. Ask for the terms in writing, and check they name the New Zealand company you'd claim through.
What Midea's NZ support page does show is a Raise a Warranty Claim link for lodging a claim online, and customer care on 0800 035 999, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm NZST, except public holidays.
Whatever the brand's own terms say, the Consumer Guarantees Act still applies. A heat pump has to be of acceptable quality and last a reasonable time, and Consumer Protection says a business can't limit what it owes you to the terms of a manufacturer's warranty.
Prime Guard and coastal homes
Midea NZ's Athena Series page describes Prime Guard as "delivering superior corrosion resistance and long-lasting, reliable performance in harsh environments". That's the brand describing its own product, and the page doesn't mention coastal installation specifically.
So if you're close to the sea or in a geothermal area such as Rotorua or TaupÅ, ask the installer whether Prime Guard is enough for your site or whether more protection is needed, and have the answer written on the quote. BRANZ says outdoor units in those areas need extra anti-corrosive coatings.
Get these in writing first
- The exact Midea model of each indoor and outdoor unit.
- Its heating capacity at 7 and 2 degrees, from the Zoned Energy Rating Label.
- The warranty terms for that model, and who you'd claim through.
- Any corrosion protection, if you're near the coast or in a geothermal area.
- Who's doing the electrical connection, and that you'll get a Certificate of Compliance and an Electrical Safety Certificate.
What you can handle
You can
- Ask the installer to leave the user manual with you. We didn't see manual downloads on Midea's NZ support page.
- Clean the filters the way that manual describes.
- Keep plants and rubbish clear of the outdoor unit.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Sizing and placing the units, and all refrigerant work.
- The electrical connection, which is prescribed electrical work.
- Any repair inside either unit.
What we'd do
If it were our home
We'd only sign for a Midea heat pump once the installer had handed over its warranty terms and we'd read them. Near the sea, we'd also want their view on Prime Guard in writing. Then we'd keep the invoice, the terms and the certificates together for the claim we hope we'll never make.