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Comfort-aire
Comfort-aire 16 Ton 14.9 EER Belt Driven Front / Top Return Vertical Water Source Heat Pump Package Unit 460V 3ph | MBF192ALC30C01S
SKU: MBF192ALC30C01S
$47,531.00Ships in 3-5 Business Days5 in stock
When a building's load demands scale past what a standard split system handles, water source heat pump package units step in as the workhorse solution for large commercial applications. At 16 tons of capacity, these self-contained units are built for the kind of jobs where sizing has already been calculated, loop temperatures have been spec'd, and the priority is getting the right unit on site reliably. HVAC365 stocks this category with the capacity and configuration options that commercial installs actually call for, so contractors and facilities teams are not hunting around when a job is ready to move.
A 16 ton water source heat pump package unit is a fully self-contained system that uses a conditioned water loop rather than outdoor air as its heat exchange medium. In heating mode it pulls heat from the loop; in cooling mode it rejects heat back into it. Because the loop stays within a relatively stable temperature range year-round, these units typically deliver more consistent performance than air-source systems in climates where outdoor temperatures swing hard. The entire refrigerant circuit, blower, and controls are packaged into a single cabinet, which simplifies installation compared to a split system and makes this format standard in mid-rise office buildings, hotels, schools, and large mixed-use commercial spaces.
The buyers who shop this category are almost exclusively commercial. That includes mechanical contractors and HVAC professionals spec-matching a unit to an engineered system, facilities managers handling a direct replacement in an existing water-loop building, commercial building owners overseeing a retrofit or new construction, and distributors or supply houses stocking units for fleet accounts or ongoing commercial relationships. This is not a category where a homeowner is typically browsing, and the buying process reflects that: decisions here are driven by engineering documents, loop design data, and job specifications rather than rule-of-thumb sizing.
Sixteen tons is a fixed capacity class, but that does not mean all units in this category are interchangeable. The starting point for any purchase is confirming that your load calculation actually supports a 16 ton selection for the space or zone being served. A load calculation or full building energy model is the right tool here, not rule-of-thumb square footage estimates. Oversizing at this scale leads to short-cycling, poor humidity control, and unnecessary wear on components that are not cheap to replace.
Beyond confirmed capacity, the next question is application fit. Water source heat pump systems are almost always part of a broader hydronic loop design, and the unit has to be matched to the loop's expected entering water temperature (EWT) range. A unit rated for a specific EWT window will not perform as specified outside that range, and in some cases operating outside the design window can void the warranty or cause control lockouts. Before selecting a unit, verify the loop design parameters with the engineer of record or the loop system specifications on file.
Efficiency tier is another variable worth resolving before purchase, not after. Higher-efficiency units carry a larger upfront cost, but utility rebate programs at the commercial scale can offset a meaningful portion of that difference. Check what your local utility or state energy program requires for qualification, and pull those threshold figures before finalizing the selection rather than discovering post-purchase that a slightly higher-rated unit would have qualified. The installation-readiness factors covered further down the page also intersect with this decision: the electrical service available on site, the discharge configuration, and the planned controls integration can all rule in or out certain unit options before efficiency even comes into play.
For distributors and supply houses, lead time and stocking strategy are part of the selection equation in a way they are not for a single-job contractor. A 16 ton commercial unit is not a same-day pickup item from a box store, and a project stall while waiting on equipment is a real cost. Factoring availability and fulfillment reliability into the vendor decision is as legitimate as factoring unit specs.
At 16 tons, the practical configuration distinctions that matter most are cabinet orientation, discharge direction, and motor/blower type rather than capacity variations (since capacity is fixed by the category itself).
Because 16 ton water source heat pump package units are a specialized commercial category, the configuration that fits a given job is almost always defined in the engineering documents before the purchase is made. If you are working from a spec sheet or submittal, use those documents as the source of truth for orientation, controls, and coil options rather than making field assumptions.
A 16 ton self-contained package unit is a significant piece of commercial equipment, and site readiness needs to be verified before the unit arrives. Getting this wrong does not just delay a job; at this scale it can mean a crane call, a mechanical room modification, or a panel upgrade that the project budget did not account for.
Electrical supply: Units in this capacity class draw substantial amperage and are almost universally three-phase. Measure the available electrical service at the panel, check the existing disconnect size if one is already on site, and compare both against the unit's minimum circuit ampacity and maximum overcurrent protection ratings from the spec sheet. A single-phase service cannot run a unit of this class, and undersized wiring is a code violation and a fire hazard. Pull the electrical requirements from the unit's submittal data and verify them against what the site actually has before the order is placed.
Water loop connections: The unit connects to the building's closed condenser water loop via supply and return lines. Check the pipe size, the loop flow rate at the unit's location, and the loop pressure against what the unit's spec sheet calls for. Insufficient flow through the water coil will degrade performance and can trigger high-pressure or low-pressure lockout faults. A flow verification at commissioning is standard practice, but catching a flow problem before the unit is installed avoids a more costly correction.
Condensate drainage: Even though the water loop handles heat rejection, the evaporator coil still produces condensate during cooling operation. Look up the drain pan connection size and routing requirements for the specific unit, and make sure the mechanical room or ceiling plenum has a gravity drain or condensate pump that can handle the volume a 16 ton coil produces. Undersized drainage is a common source of water damage on large commercial installs.
Airflow and ductwork: Verify the unit's rated external static pressure against the duct system design. A 16 ton unit moves a significant volume of air, and undersized ductwork or an incorrectly specified external static will push the blower motor into a performance range it was not designed for, shortening motor life and reducing system efficiency. Compare the duct design's total external static pressure to the unit's fan performance curve before the system is started up.
Clearances and rigging: A unit at this capacity class is heavy. Check the manufacturer's dimensional submittals for weight and footprint, and make sure the mechanical room floor can handle the load. If the unit needs to go above a ceiling or into an upper-floor mechanical room, plan the rigging and access route before the equipment is on site. Last-minute rigging is expensive and sometimes damages the equipment.
Operating temperature range: As noted in the sizing discussion above, the unit's rated performance ties to the entering water temperature range of the loop. Look up the unit's minimum and maximum EWT specifications and compare them against the actual loop design conditions, including the coldest and warmest expected seasonal temperatures. Operating outside the rated EWT window can cause control faults, reduce efficiency significantly, or shorten the compressor's service life.
Controls and BAS integration: If the building has a centralized building automation system, verify the communications protocol the BAS uses and check whether the unit supports it natively or requires an interface module. Ask the manufacturer or distributor about the factory-installed controls options and what field-installed accessories are needed to complete the integration before the startup date.
A: A full load calculation (Manual J for residential, ASHRAE or equivalent for commercial) is the only reliable answer. Rule-of-thumb sizing by square footage is not sufficient at this scale. The sizing discussion above covers what to watch for with oversizing and undersizing — confirm your selection against the loop design and engineered system documents before ordering.
A: Every water source heat pump is rated for a specific EWT window on both the heating and cooling sides, and operating outside it degrades performance, can trigger safety lockouts, or void the warranty — as covered in the loop-matching discussion above. Pull the EWT range from the spec sheet or submittal for the specific model you are considering and compare it against your loop design temperatures before ordering.
A: No. At 16 tons of capacity, these units require three-phase electrical service. The electrical requirements section above covers what to verify at the panel before the unit arrives on site.
A: An air-source unit exchanges heat with outdoor air; a water source unit exchanges heat with a conditioned water loop. Because the loop temperature stays within a controlled range year-round (unlike outdoor air), water source units tend to deliver more consistent performance in both heating and cooling modes regardless of outdoor weather. They also require a building-side water loop infrastructure, which means they are a fit for buildings designed with that system in place, not a standalone drop-in replacement for an air-source system.
A: Yes. The evaporator coil produces condensate during cooling operation even though heat rejection uses the water loop. The condensate drainage requirements for a 16 ton unit are substantial — see the installation notes above for what to verify on site before the unit arrives.
A: This varies by manufacturer and model. Some units ship with factory-integrated DDC controls ready for BACnet or LonWorks communication; others require an add-on interface module. Identify the BAS protocol in use at the building, then check the unit's controls options before ordering. The controls and BAS integration section above covers what to confirm before the startup date.
A: It can be, but a direct replacement still requires verification of the loop connections (pipe size, flow rate, connection orientation), electrical service, discharge direction, and cabinet dimensions before the new unit is ordered. A unit with the same nominal tonnage from a different manufacturer may have different piping hand, different electrical requirements, or a different footprint. Use the dimensional and electrical submittals for the replacement unit and compare them against the existing conditions rather than assuming the swap is like-for-like.
HVAC365 ships 16 ton water source heat pump package units nationwide, with a broad stocked catalog so a commercial project or replacement job is not waiting on a special order when the schedule is already set. Whether the order is a single unit for a facilities replacement or a volume purchase for a supply house account, the same catalog and the same nationwide reach apply. Reach out with job specs or submittal requirements and the team can help match the right unit to what the application actually calls for.
Comfort-aire
SKU: MBF192ALC30C01S
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