Why We Only Install Mitsubishi & American Standard

The short answer

We install two brands: Mitsubishi Electric for ductless and cold-climate heat pumps, and American Standard for ducted heat pumps, air conditioners and gas furnaces (plus Ameristar, American Standard's value line). Three reasons: our crew installs the same equipment every week, the warranties run 10 to 12 years when we register them, and both brands come from Gensco's distribution center in east Vancouver. It costs more than a budget brand. A ducted heat pump from us runs $8,800–$27,200 installed in Vancouver, WA, and ductless starts at $4,800.

In this guide

Why we install two brands and not ten
Why Mitsubishi Electric for ductless and cold weather
Why American Standard for ducted systems and furnaces
The warranty: 10 to 12 years, if it's registered on time
The parts come from across town
The two brands are already partners
What it means for your price
Questions homeowners ask

Some online estimators in the Portland area quote heat pumps from Hisense and Midea, and furnaces from Coleman. Those systems cost less up front, and they heat and cool a house. We still don't install them. Here is why, and what it means for your price.

Why we install two brands and not ten.

A crew that installs the same two brands every week gets very good at them.

Every manufacturer does things its own way: line set length limits, how much refrigerant to add for a long run, the dip switch and thermostat settings, the startup checks, the warranty registration form. A shop that installs whatever is cheapest that month is reading a new manual on your job. Our crew uses the Mitsubishi and American Standard manuals on almost every install.

It helps after the install too. When you call about a heat pump we put in, we already know the unit, the parts and the error codes. Your quote is easier to compare as well, because every tier is a real model number you can look up.

The downside: if you have your heart set on a brand we don't carry, we're not your shop for the install. We'd rather tell you that on the first call.

Why Mitsubishi Electric for ductless and cold weather.

Mitsubishi's Hyper-Heat heat pumps keep heating in weather that stops older heat pumps. The flagship FX wall unit (MUZ-FX12NLHZ) gives 100% of its rated heat at -10°F and keeps running down to -22°F. The Smart Multi Hyper-Heat (MXZ-SM48NLHZ) gives full capacity at 5°F across up to eight indoor heads. The ducted SVZ air handler on a Hyper-Heat SUZ outdoor unit keeps heating to -13°F. Vancouver rarely gets close to those numbers, so a January cold snap is well inside what they're built for.

Not every Mitsubishi is Hyper-Heat. The mid-tier HX keeps heating to -5°F and gives about 70% of its rated heat at 5°F. The entry WX heats to 5°F. We quote all three, and we'll tell you which one your house needs.

We're a Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor, which means our installers are trained directly by Mitsubishi. That changes the warranty, below.

Why American Standard for ducted systems and furnaces.

American Standard is owned by Trane Technologies, and its heat pumps, air conditioners and furnaces come in three clear tiers. That makes a Good, Better, Best quote easy to read:

Silver 16 side-discharge heat pump (5HPL5). Multi-speed, on R-454B refrigerant, in a shallow cabinet that fits the narrow side yards in a lot of newer Clark County subdivisions.
Gold 17 heat pump (5A6H7). Multi-speed, so it slows down on mild days instead of cycling on and off.
Platinum 20 heat pump (5A6V0). Variable-speed. American Standard says it holds the temperature within ½°F of the setpoint.
Gold S9V2 gas furnace. Two-stage, 96% AFUE, with a variable-speed blower. It's the furnace we install most.

For tight side yards that also need more winter heat, we install the Silver 16 Cold Climate (5HCL5). American Standard says it provides 100% of a home's heat down to 5°F. If the budget is tight, Ameristar is American Standard's value line, from the same parent company at a lower price.

The warranty: 10 to 12 years, if it's registered on time.

Both brands give long parts warranties, but only after the system is registered, and each has its own deadline. Miss it and the parts coverage drops to 5 years.

Equipment	Not registered	Registered on time
Mitsubishi FX, Smart Multi, SVZ and other qualifying models, Diamond Contractor install	5 yr parts, 7 yr compressor	12 yr parts and compressor (within 90 days)
Mitsubishi WX and HX	5 yr parts, 7 yr compressor	10 yr parts and compressor (within 90 days)
American Standard heat pumps, AC and furnaces	5 yr parts	10 yr parts (within 60 days)
American Standard Platinum 20	5 yr parts	10 yr parts, 12 yr compressor
American Standard Gold S9V2 and Platinum 95 furnaces	5 yr parts	10 yr parts, lifetime heat exchanger

Owner-occupied homes. Mitsubishi warranty statements effective June 1, 2026; American Standard limited warranty terms as of October 2026

We register the system for you, and our job software tracks each deadline so it doesn't slip. Our final invoice lists your equipment's model and serial numbers and the start-up date. American Standard needs that date on the installer's invoice. Without it, the warranty is counted from the factory date instead of the day your system started.

One exception catches buyers of new houses. On a newly built home, American Standard's warranty starts at the buyer's closing, not when we installed it, and the buyer has 60 days from closing to register.

Neither manufacturer's warranty pays for labor. Ours covers our installation labor for 1 year from start-up.

The parts come from across town.

Both of our brands come from the same distributor: Gensco's Vancouver branch at 12620 NE 56th St, in east Vancouver. Our Gensco invoices include both American Standard furnaces and Mitsubishi SVZ air handlers, Smart Multi outdoor units and wall heads. Most of our orders are will-call: the crew picks them up at the counter on the way to the job.

Gensco has sold heating equipment in the Northwest since 1948 and runs 26 branches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. In 2024 it doubled the size of the Vancouver building with a 50,000 sq ft addition. Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US named Gensco a 2024 Commercial Distributor of the Year for its West region.

When a part fails in January, the replacement usually sits in a warehouse a short drive away, not in another state waiting on freight. Warranty serial numbers, equipment orders and parts all run through one counter we use every week. We can't promise every part is in stock every day, but we know who to call.

The two brands are already partners.

Mitsubishi Electric and Trane Technologies, American Standard's parent company, have run a joint venture in the US since 2018: Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US, a 50/50 company based in Suwanee, Georgia. It sells Mitsubishi's ductless and VRF systems in the US and also markets them under the American Standard / Mitsubishi Electric name. So we didn't invent this pairing. The manufacturers paired the two brands first.

What it means for your price.

You'll pay more with us than for a budget brand of the same size. A ducted heat pump from us costs $8,800–$27,200 installed in Vancouver, WA, before rebates, and the American Standard tier you pick moves it most. A Mitsubishi ductless system starts at $4,800 installed for one zone.

Clark Public Utilities pays its ducted heat pump rebates only through its Contractor Network, and we're not in it, so a ducted rebate through us is $0. If that rebate decides it for you, compare our price with a network contractor's price after their rebate.

The quote we write on site names the exact model numbers, the warranty you'll get once we register it, and the price. It holds for 30 days. Run the numbers for your house in the estimator, or see every model we install on the equipment page.

Questions homeowners ask.

What brands does Pacific Peak Mechanical install?

Two: Mitsubishi Electric for ductless, ducted SVZ and multi-zone heat pumps, and American Standard for ducted heat pumps, air conditioners and gas furnaces, including Ameristar, American Standard's value line.

Why don't you install cheaper brands?

Our crew installs the same two brands every week, so they know every manual, setting and warranty form, and both brands come from one local distributor. A budget brand costs less up front. If that's the priority, compare quotes; we'll tell you on the first call that we only install these two.

Do I get a 12-year warranty on a Mitsubishi?

On qualifying models, yes. Mitsubishi gives 12 years on parts and compressor when a Diamond Contractor installs a qualifying system, such as the FX, Smart Multi or SVZ, in an owner-occupied home and registers it within 90 days. The WX and HX top out at 10 years. Unregistered, it's 5 years on parts and 7 on the compressor.

Does the American Standard warranty cover labor?

No. American Standard's standard warranty is 10 years on parts when the system is registered within 60 days, or 5 years if it isn't, and it does not cover labor. Our workmanship warranty covers our installation labor for 1 year from start-up.

When does the warranty start on a new house?

For American Standard equipment in a newly built home, the warranty starts at the buyer's closing, not at installation, and the buyer has 60 days from closing to register it. On a replacement, it counts from the start-up date on the installer's invoice.

Where do you get your equipment and parts?

From Gensco's Vancouver branch at 12620 NE 56th St. Both our American Standard and our Mitsubishi equipment come through it, and most of our orders are picked up at the counter. Gensco has sold heating equipment in the Northwest since 1948 and runs 26 branches.

Are Mitsubishi Electric and American Standard related?

Yes. Mitsubishi Electric and Trane Technologies, American Standard's parent company, have owned a 50/50 joint venture, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US, since 2018. It sells Mitsubishi's ductless and VRF systems in the US.

Sources and resources

Reviewed for accuracy by Sam Tsarenko, founder of Pacific Peak Mechanical. Specs and warranty terms come from Mitsubishi Electric's and American Standard's own pages; prices come from our estimator; the Gensco details come from our own invoices and Gensco's pages.