Reclaim has built a name as the best heat pump hot water unit on the market. They are almost faultless. They are reliable, come with a long warranty and are so quiet that customers often remark that they can’t even tell whether they are on. It’s hard, if not impossible, to find a poor review of a Reclaim unit.
But they’re not cheap. We sells them fully installed for between $5,000 and $7,500, depending on rebate eligibility and the model selected. So the key question with Reclaims – are they worth it?
Our review of Reclaim units will go through the four factors that we set out in our framework for analysing heat pump hot water units: Cost, Reliability, Refrigerant and Maintenance. We’ll also dive into other questions like whether customers should choose a stainless steel or glass-lined tank, V2 vs V1 and whether a Reclaim is preferred to a Sanden.
Let’s jump in.
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A quick note on Powrhouse to explain why we are well qualified to review heat pump hot water units. We have mapped just about every unit on the market, comparing them across a variety of the factors like capacity, power, tank recovery, place of manufacture, reviews, refrigerant, warranty and cost. Please see our “Compare Heat Pump Hot Water Units” spreadsheet to see our research. We are independent and this review is our opinion informed by our research.
1. Cost
Reclaim heat pump hot water units are expensive. We’ve installed Reclaims for as low as $5,000, and as high as $7,500. We install good quality mid-market units like Aquatech and iStore for around $1,500 – $2,500, so a Reclaim is typically at least double or even triple the price.
2. Reliability
I like to look at reviews of heat pumps to analyse their reliability. Reclaim units score 4.9 from 88 reviews on ProductReview.com.au. That’s an impressive score given people’s expectations are likely to be high. Good quality mid-market heat pumps like Aquatech and iStore score around 4.7 or 4.8. But, and this is where it pays to know the detail, many of these manufacturers offer incentives (eg: longer warranty, gift cards) to leave reviews after installation. It’s illegal to solicit only positive reviews, but by asking for a review in the first three months, this naturally skews towards more positive reviews. Some brands are also new to the market. Haier scores 4.8 from 180 reviews, but it’s only been in the market for two and a half years, so I don’t think the quality of reviews is the same as Reclaim’s (the longer the product has been around, the longer something can go wrong).
It also pays to look at the warranty as a sign of reliability. Reclaim V2 units come with a 10-year warranty on the heat pump and a 15-year warranty on the stainless steel tank (10-year glass-lined tank). This is clearly a market leading warranty. Mid-market units at best come with a 7-year warranty.
The 15-year warranty on stainless steel tanks comes with a catch: it’s a pro-rata scale. I’m not a big fan of this – it’s clearly convenient for Reclaim to say it’s a 15-year warranty but the fine print shows that it’s actually only a fraction of the total value in the later years.
Fun fact: I like to think I had a small part in improving Reclaim’s warranty. I met Chris Taylor, Reclaim’s Managing Director, at the All Energy Expo in Melbourne in October 2023. After he presented on a panel I told him that I love his heat pumps but the warranty should be longer, commensurate with the higher price tag. I think it was 6 to 12 months later that Reclaim did extend their warranty 🕺
3. Refrigerant
Reclaim heat pumps use carbon dioxide (R744) as the refrigerant. Carbon dioxide is a natural refrigerant and only works under high pressure. The components of an appliance using carbon dioxide need to be high quality to withstand these high pressures.
4. Maintenance
Maintenance requirements for Reclaim heat pumps vary depending on whether the customers choose a glass-lined tank or a stainless steel tank. Stainless steel tanks do not corrode and require very little maintenance. Glass-lined tanks come with a sacrificial anode which need to be checked and potentially replaced. Reclaim recommends checking the anode after the first 5 years and then 3 yearly.
Stainless Steel vs Glass-Lined
Customers looking to install a Reclaim will need to decide whether they opt for the default glass-lined tank, or pay extra for a stainless steel tank. I recommend opting for the stainless steel tanks. The warranty is 5 years longer (even though it’s a sliding scale) but the main reason is it’s one less thing to worry about. We’re all busy enough with our lives – are we really going to remember to check the sacrificial anode when we’re supposed to? Stainless steel tanks are an extra $800-$900, but they’ll also lead to lower ongoing costs as you won’t need us to check or indeed replace the anode. Most Powrhouse customers opt for the stainless steel tank.
V2 vs V1
One of the negatives about Reclaim is the choices are a little over-complicated. Not only do we need to decide whether a Reclaim heat pump is worth the price, but we then need to decide which model we want. In my view there are too many to choose from. Reclaim heat pumps come in V2 and V1. V1 uses a Panasonic compressor and V2 Chofu compressors. I don’t have a view on which one is better.
I used to quote both V2 and V1, with V1 being around $300 cheaper. Nowadays I only quote V2 as it’s clearly a better option. V2 units come with a longer warranty (10 years vs 7 years) and wifi (not that I put a huge value on wifi, but some people do). The extra warranty alone is worth the $300 in my opinion.
Split System
Reclaim heat pumps are a split unit, meaning the compressor is separate to the tank. This has a small benefit of allowing a larger and more powerful compressor, but the key benefit is replacement. If either the tank or the compressor breaks down, customers can replace just that part. If an all-in-one unit fails, the whole unit needs to be replaced. As well as appealing to my preference for less waste, a nuance around this is it probably means the “next Reclaim” will be cheaper than the “next all-in-one unit.” The “next Reclaim” will probably be the compressor, say in 15 years time, and that might only cost $3k or so to replace. The “next all-in-one” though will likely cost more, as the rebates which make them so affordable now are unlikely to be around in 15 years time.
Reclaim vs Sanden
The other high-end unit in the heat pump hot water market is Sanden. Sanden used to be the market leader and indeed pioneered carbon dioxide heat pumps in the Australian market place. The reviews are clear though – many people have had a poor experience with Sanden. I understand Sanden units are around the same price as Reclaims, but given the reviews and poor customer response to some customers, I think the preference for Reclaim is clear.
Other Factors
Other factors when considering Reclaim heat pumps:
- Noise – units operate at 37 dB, or “whisper quiet” as Reclaim puts it. And they really are whisper quiet. Some of the other mid-market units claim to be 43dB, but I don’t think this is the case, or perhaps it is under certain conditions. For anyone sensitive to noise, Reclaim is the clear choice.
- Place of Manufacture – the tanks are made in Australia and the compressors made in Japan.
- Solar Vic Rebate – Reclaim units are now eligible for a $1,400 Solar Victoria rebate (as opposed to $1,000 for most other units).
- Sizes – units come in 160, 250, 315 and 400L. The 315L is by far the most popular choice.
- Colour – customers can choose from a variety of Reclaim tanks: Earthworker, Duplex and the Standard stainless steel tank. Again I find this a little overcomplicated but some customers might like having options. Here are some examples of our installations.
So…are they worth it?
The first question regarding Reclaims is whether the $5k plus price tag is in your budget? If it is within your budget, the question is then whether a Reclaim is worth the premium over a good quality mid-market units like an Aquatech or iStore.
The answer comes down to personal choice.
Reclaim units make sense for people that are not budget conscious, prioritise whisper-quiet performance, have no plans to move and are hoping to get a good 20+ years out of the unit.
Mid-market units make more sense for people that are a little more budget conscious, perhaps might move in the next 5-10 years and/or are happy with 10-15 years out of their heat pump.
Personally, I think a Reclaim really comes down to longevity. A Reclaim will make sense if it lasts twice as long as a mid-market unit. The Reclaim warranty is 10-15 years and mid-market warranties are 5-10 years, so you’re hoping the Reclaim lasts twice as long. The problem is we don’t know for certain how long a Reclaim will last, or how long a mid-market unit will last, so it’s impossible to determine. But as mentioned above, I really like that when one of the components of a Reclaim fails, you don’t need to replace everything, you can just replace the compressor. Perhaps this is the best set up for someone who’s not planning on moving for the next 30-40 years?
If you are interested in a quote for a heat pump hot water unit and/or you would like to discuss your options, we’d love to hear from you.
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