Single stage
16,000 – 83,000 BTU/h
Nominal compressor capacity, water-to-air or water-to-water. The straightforward choice where the load is steady and the ductwork is adequate.
Model range
Configuration, not a catalogue.
Polar Bear builds to the load rather than to a model list, so the useful question is not "which unit" but "what does this building need, and which configuration gets there". Here is the range, the components in every machine, and what we send an engineer who is specifying.
The range
Three configurations, one design philosophy
Every configuration uses Copeland scroll compressors, ECM fans, Wilo circulators, a stainless condensate pan, and standard over-rated relays rather than proprietary control boards. The difference between them is staging.
Dual stage
20,000 – 60,000 BTU/h
Two-stage compressor. Part-load efficiency and evenness matter more than peak capacity in most houses — this is where that shows up.
Dual compressor
2 × 35,000 – 2 × 51,000 BTU/h
Up to five stages of heating and four of cooling. Staging the fan alongside the BTU means original, undersized ductwork is usually workable — which is what makes large retrofits viable.
Water-to-water for central plant
The 501 Alliance Avenue plant is eighteen 15-ton water-to-water machines totalling 275 tons, with Copeland compressors and packless water coils. Above roughly 11 tons the equipment sits outside the residential certification scope described below, and is specified on submitted performance data instead.
Standard on every unit
What is in the box regardless of size
| Compressor Copeland scroll — more efficient and more durable than piston | Copeland |
| Control Over-rated standard relays; one off-the-shelf board for anti-short-cycle and lock-out, bypassable in an emergency | No proprietary boards |
| Air coil Rifle tubing, lanced fins, oversized for surface area | 1 – 10 ton |
| Water coil Clover-leaf tube, up to 8 convolutions; expands rather than splits if frozen | Copper, or copper-nickel for open loop |
| Closed-loop output drop As entering water temperature falls — manufacturer's stated figure | 10 – 20% |
| Fan ECM, minimum five speeds incl. Super Low; ~20 s soft ramp; slows in humidity for dehumidification | ECM, 5+ speeds |
| Circulators Wet rotor, stainless shafts, brass flanges, Type L copper internally | Wilo |
| Domestic hot water Double-wall exchanger; bronze pump body on the potable circuit | 6,000 BTU desuperheater |
| Condensate pan Electrical controls mounted above the pan and drains | Stainless steel |
| Cabinet Satin-coat galvanized, powder coated and oven baked; grommeted pipe penetrations | 1″ acoustic lining |
| Soft start Copeland Secure Start — caps inrush so lights do not dim and a smaller generator can carry the unit | 45 A max, ≤83,000 BTU |
| Metering Built-in hour meter; flow meter and two digital thermometers quoted with the job | Included |
For specifiers
What we send when you are writing a spec
Ask and you get the package, not a brochure. If something on this list does not exist for a given configuration yet, we say so rather than send you a number we cannot stand behind.
- Performance data at your entering water temperature, not just at standard rating conditions — a loop at 32 °F behaves differently from a catalogue at 68 °F.
- Colour electrical diagrams matching actual wire colours and layout, plus the separate technical manual written for the servicing contractor.
- Cabinet dimensions, weights, clearances and connection sizes for the mechanical room layout.
- Electrical data — MCA, MOCP, voltage and phase — and the loop flow rate and pressure drop the selection assumes.
- The heat-loss and heat-gain calculation the selection came from. If a supplier will not show you theirs, the selection is a guess.
Certification
Where the ratings stand, stated plainly
Residential water-to-water and water-to-air equipment below 135,000 BTU/h cooling falls inside AHRI's Water-Source Heat Pump certification programme, tested to AHRI 600 / ISO 13256. Larger central-plant machines — the 15-ton class used at 501 Alliance — sit above that scope and are specified on submitted performance data.
Some Ontario incentive programmes additionally require the specific model to appear on the ENERGY STAR certified geothermal list with an AHRI certificate number. Ask us for the current certification status of the exact model you are considering before you rely on any rebate. We would rather tell you it is not listed than have you discover it at the application stage.
Send us the load, not the model number
Give us the heat loss, the entering water temperature you expect and the distribution you have, and we will come back with a configuration and the data behind it.