45-109519-12 – A2L HARNESS – AIR HANDLER

Genuine Rheem/ProTech OEM plug housing (wiring harness) assembly for A2L-refrigerant air handlers. Rheem catalogs it under Wiring Assemblies for its Rheem, Ruud and SureComfort air conditioning and heating lines. Rheem does not publish a model-by-model where-used list for this part, so match it to the harness connector on the unit before ordering.

Specifications published by the manufacturer. Source: manufacturer documentation.

Specs

• DescriptionAssembly - Plug Housing - A2L Air Handler
• BrandProTech (Rheem/Ruud genuine OEM)
• Product FamilyWiring Assemblies
• ApplicationA2L (low-GWP refrigerant) air handlers
• Unit of MeasureEach
• Shipping Weight1 lb

What is the difference between an air handler and a furnace?

An air handler is a blower and an indoor coil in a cabinet, with a spot for electric heat strips. No burners, no heat exchanger, no flue, no gas. Every BTU of heat comes from resistance strips or a heat pump outside. If the house has Atmos gas at the meter, a furnace heats cheaper per BTU than strips almost every time. Air handlers earn their keep behind a heat pump, or where there is no gas.

How do I match one to the condenser, and does blower type matter?

Tonnage and refrigerant, same as a coil. The RH2TY is R-454B with a factory TXV and a constant-torque ECM blower, five taps, 300 to 1100 RPM. On real duct that beats a PSC, which turns one speed tap and hands back whatever airflow the static steals - at 0.8 inches water column of total external static you feel it. Constant torque holds up much better, and variable speed targets a CFM number and ramps to hit it.

Does the heat kit come with it?

No, it is a separate part number. RXBH kits run 2.25 kW up to 27.6 kW, and 1 kW makes 3,412 BTU. Single-circuit and multi-circuit kits are not interchangeable, and breakers come built into the kit.

So what size breaker and wire do I need?

Whatever the kit says, not what the bare air handler says. Minimum circuit ampacity runs from about 13 amps with no heat to roughly 151 on a big multi-circuit kit, max overcurrent protection 15 to 160 amps. Pick the kit, read the nameplate chart, then pull wire. For DFW a properly sized heat pump balances near 35 to 40F against a design temp around 22F, so 5 to 10 kW backs up most houses. The 20 kW kits we see going in are mostly somebody buying a January bill they did not need.