Rheem Heat Pumps

RASL-JEZ Rheem Heat Pump is Rheems top heat pump and is in the Prestige Series of Rheems heat pump line up. The RASL-JEZ Rheem heat pump uses R-410A refrigerant and uses two stages to deliver up to 18.5 SEER of efficiency. For the homeowner or business person making a decision on a Rheem heat pump this heat is energy efficient and is suitable for light commercial applications. The RASL-JEZ Rheem heat pump comes with a 10 year conditional warranty on all parts and the compressor. This Rheem heat pump also comes in a variety of sizes that run between 2 tons a little over 3 tons.

Rheeem lists the features for their RASL-JEZ heat pump as (comments included):

A comfort control system that provides onboard diagnostics – there are many systems that provide onboard diagnostics. Basically it is a display board the will flash lights. The count of the flashes will tell a technician the problem. Sometimes some HVAC manufacturers will have a legend printed inside the panel that will list the flash codes. Chances are the average homeowner does not want to figure out or repair the problem. It is not recommended that the homeowner service their own equipment especially when the equipment is under warranty. Besides, since this heat pump unit is top of the line then it means the homeowner can afford to pay for a qualified technician to come out and find the problem. For thermostats that have an “L” terminal this diagnostic board can send a signal to the thermostat that will notify the user of problems. Usually this is done with a digital display or a light on thermostat. The real bonus to this Rheem heat pump diagnostic board is that it will lock out the compressor to prevent it from running if a problem is detected. Rheem calls this Active Protection.
Rheem lists (as an additional feature) a 7-segment LED display. This is a part of the diagnostics board and is designed to help the technican when troubleshooting problems. Ideally, we hope this is not necessary but if it is necessary then it is there to make the process of troubleshooting the heat pump easier.
Rheem lists as a feature a ten year conditional warranty. Always read the fine print with all warranties. You don’t want to buy a brand new heat pump thinking it comes with a ten year warranty only if you buy an additional feature or product. The warranty says CONDITIONAL so there are conditions with this warranty. What are the conditions?
Reliable 2-stage Scroll compressor. This is a good feature as it has staging. Anytime you can stage and.or modulate mechanical or electrical equipment including heat pumps it is a good thing. This is a way to use only the amount of energy you need to use to satisfy demand. One note about this feature – it is important that the controls for this are set up properly to take advantage of this energy saving feature.
Comfort Alert diagnostics – I can only assume this is a part of the Rheem diagnostic board mentioned above.
All controls are accessible by removing on panel – this is good and makes the heat pump easier to repair if repairs are necessary. This means if your heat pump needs repairs then the technician will not have to spend an extra hour disassembling the unit to change a part in the heat pump. Many HVAC Contractors charge by the hour so this feature has the potential to save you money if the heat pump does need repairs.
Louvered Wrap-around coil guard – this is good and protects the coils from damage. This feature also mentions that the heat pump cabinet is power coat painted and this makes the heat pump durable against rust and corrosion.
The air is discharged upward and away from bushes and shrubs – Rheem states that this reduces airflow restrictions but this is only true for the discharge air. If there are bushes and shrubs around the unit then the side intake will have airflow restrictions making it moot point for a discharge airflow restriction for this heat pump or any heat pump for that matter.
Exclusive Combination Grille/Motor Mount secures the motor to the underside of the discharge grille – This feature smacks of proprietary for this Rheem heat pump. This means you can’t buy just any motor to replace the condenser fan motor on this heat pump but you have to buy a condenser fan motor from Rheem if the motor goes bad.
RASL-JEZ Rheem 3 ton model heat pump uses a GE ECM two-speed motor. This is good in the regard that it matches the compressor. When the compressor is running at low capacity then the condenser fan motor runs at a low speed which means it will consume less energy. In another regard if this component fails then it expensive to replace. Make sure you abide by the conditional warranty at least for the first ten years you own this heat pump.
Complies with the salt spray test which means if you live near the ocean then the salty air will not easily corrode this unit.
Dehumidification control when matched with a Prestige series air handler or premium ECM Gas Furnace. This is a good feature to have in the summer time to remove humidity. The less the humidity the cooler you feel.

Other features listed by Rheem for this heat pump are short cycle protection, indenpendent controls for the fan and the compressor to reduce dimming lights, and other useful features that add to the safety and protection of this heat pump. High Performance HVAC gives this heat pump unit 8 stars out of 10.