iStore review

iStore Hot Water Heat Pump Reviews

4.7

Based on 33 ratings
Tim Johnston

Tim's iStore Hot Water Heat Pumps Review & Verdict

Tim Johnston covers hot water heat pumps and air conditioning for SolarQuotes.

The iStore heat pump hot water unit is one of the most established and widely recognised systems on the market, backed by a company with a long track record. Most owners are pleased with its performance, although some users report that the unit can be a little noisy at times.

iStore Hot Water Heat Pumps: Pros & Cons

  • Good quality, performance and strong track record
  • Reasonably priced
  • Solar-friendly
  • Can be plugged into an available powerpoint (flexible installation)
  • The 180L model is a good option for people with limited space
  • The larger iStore unit is 270L. Families with 5 or 6+ people might want a bigger unit (300L+)
  • Ongoing maintenance requirements due to sacrificial anode

About iStore

iStore is an Australian company that has manufactured and sold heat pump hot water units for a long time.

iStore Australia Contact Details

Address: 10 Milly Court, Malaga, WA 6090
Phone: 1300 515 636
Email: [email protected]
Website

Company Info

iStore, owned by Solargain, is a Australian owned business that is well known in the heat pump hot water market. iStore offers heat pump hot water units, pool heaters, solar inverters, batteries and EV chargers. 

iStore's heat pump hot water units are manufactured in China by Huawei for Australian and New Zealand markets to iStore's specifications.

iStore Heat Pump Details

iStore offers two units: a 180L unit and 270L unit. The 180L is suitable for a 1-2 person household but after rebates it is often only $100-$200 less than the 270L unit.

The iStore is relatively quiet, rated at 46.6 dB(A) at 1 metre; similar to the sound of a quiet air conditioner or a couple of adults conversing. The fan will run for 3 - 4 hours a day and should be programmed to run during the middle of the day.

iStore heat pumps are well reviewed and well known in the industry. I like that the company has a long track record, making and selling heat pumps since 2018. This suggests the company will be around for a long time to come to honour any warranty and service claims. 

iStore heat pumps previously used R-134a as the refrigerant, but switched to propane in mid 2024, along with most of the market. This switch appears to have largely been uneventful, with continued strong performance from the new models.

Operating Modes

iStore units offer 3 operating modes:

  • Economic Heating Mode (Eco Mode) - uses only the compressor to heat water
  • Electric Element Heating Mode - uses only the electric element for quicker heating
  • Vacation mode for when you are away on holidays - minimises energy consumption

iStore units come with wifi connectivity and can be controlled remotely via an app.

Size, Weight And Compressor Details

The 180 litre model has a height of 1957mm, diameter of 540mm and weighs 93 kilograms (net). The 270 litre version is 1955mm high, has a diameter of 640mm and has a net weight of 133kg. 

The 180L has a 500W compressor and a 900W compressor is used in the 270L model.

iStore Heat Pumps And Solar 

While described as "solar without the panels", if you have a rooftop solar power system and wish to use those to help provide power to the heat pump, iStore recommends setting the integrated timer to start at 10am in the morning and off around 4pm - during the solar "window". Performance of course will be impacted by conditions and other energy usage in the household.

You can find more details regarding the 270 litre model, including estimated pricing, on our heat pump comparison table. You'll be able to see how it stacks up against other brands and learn everything you need to know about choosing a heat pump hot water system.

Maintenance

Hot water tanks need protection against corrosion (rust). iStore units use a sacrificial anode - a rod of reactive metal (like magnesium) which sits in the tank and is designed to "sacrifice" itself rather than the tank. Sacrificial anodes are effective, but need ongoing maintenance. They need to be periodically checked to make sure they are still there, protecting the tank. When they decrease in size, they need to be replaced. 

iStore requires owners to carry out a two-yearly service by a licensed plumber. The 2 year service should include replacement of the anode (more frequently if subject to hard water conditions). A 5 year service is also required.

While these maintenance requirements are consistent with other heat pump hot water units that use a sacrificial anode, they are more onerous than some other heat pumps which have lower maintenance requirements. 

Warranty Information

iStore's 180L and 270L heat pump units come with a 5-year parts and labour warranty on the tank and refrigeration system. The controller, sensor leads, sacrificial anodes, air filters and consumable items are covered by a 1-year parts and labour warranty. 

Installer Approved

In 2025, SolarQuotes held its inaugural Installer's Choice Award for heat pumps.  We asked installers one question, "If installing a system on your own house today, what brand's hot water heat pump would you use?"  The 1st place winner was iStore, followed by Solahart in 2nd place, with Reclaim coming in 3rd.

Do you have an iStore heat pump hot water system installed at your place? What are your thoughts on it? Leave a review using the button towards the top of this page.
iStore is a SolarQuotes approved brand

Images from customers

iStore has 1 hot water heat pump in our database

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Product Name
Approx Price
Tank Size
Dimensions
Country of Manufacture
All in One
Glass Lined Tank
Reheat Time
Additional Resistive Element
Coefficient Of Performance (COP)
Typical Power Draw
Max Power Draw
Operating Temperature Range
Max Decibels
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PASHW015-270LD-FL02-R290
$3000
270
1950 x 640
China
All-in-one
Yes
4.15 hours
Yes
4.8
0.94
1.5
-7 to 45
46
R290 (propane)
5 years
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iStore Reviews (33)

Show Most Relevant reviews from All time

  • 5 star 23
  • 4 star 10
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0

View Timeline

Slight reduction in water pressure and I had initial queries on timer set up but overall im really happy.

Installed By

Unified Solar Solutions

Installed By

Solar Pro Bendigo

Installed By

Solar Battery Group

Installed By

Adelaide West Plumbing and Gas Pty Ltd

Installed By

Ultimate Solar Energy Melbourne
This iStore 270 litre replaced a gas instantaneous system that was 15 years old. Good workmanship on installation and a good handover after instal. As this is our first HWS storage system, we were a little anxious about capacity, but knew the 270 litre would suit a 4+ person household. We have the timer set from 8AM to 5PM on economy to make use of our solar panels - we have had no problems with supply of hot water and the tank readings at 7AM prior to re-heating are still 60C (top) and 57C (bottom). Our gas usage has dropped dramatically.

Installed By

Adelaide West Plumbing and Gas Pty Ltd
iStore HWS works well. The app is a bit clunky!

Installed By

Only Heat Pumps

An incentive was offered by Koala Solar for this review. Learn more here.

Very happy with the performance of the iStore heat-pump compared to the previous electric HWS. Recommended.

Installed By

Koala Solar

Installed By

Tenet Tech Pty Ltd

Installed By

Jet Solar Melbourne GC

Installed By

Energy Wired

Installed By

Brightworks Solar

Manufacturer Reply

Hi Julie

Thank you for your 5 star review - we really appreciate it.

Thanks again,
iStore

Installed By

Solar Pro Bendigo

Manufacturer Reply

Hi Rich

Thank you for taking the time to leave a 5 star rating.

Thanks again!
The iStore Team

Installed By

Jet Solar PV and Battery
Initial energy efficiency and performance is excellent, but too early to comment on reliability.

Installed By

Velocity Solar Geelong

Installed By

Positive Energy Solutions Pty Ltd
Heat pump installed by Melbourne Heat Pumps

Installed By

Zap Tech Energy Inner

Installed By

SolarOak

An incentive was offered by DSW Energy for this review. Learn more here.

Very happy with this hot water unit so far.

Installed By

DSW Energy Group - SA
Seems to be working very well.

Installed By

Positive Energy Solutions Pty Ltd
It’s clunky the control is basic, occasional to medium air in the system after heating.
Supplier not very interested to have a look, pending.
It’s heating the water the install was overpriced.

Installed By

Geraldton Solar Force
It's been working really well.

Installed By

ECG Electrical ACT - Southern NSW
We had rooftop solar and instantaneous gas. Now we have genuinely hot water. Delighted
Groundwater Plumbing is a Brisbane iStore recommended installer. I used them and can recommend Daniel Groundwater for this kind of work. His pricing was reasonable and the install was done on time with a smile! He is very knowledgeable regarding the iStore products in Brisbane conditions and recommended a 270l iStore, commissioned to work in daylight hours when our solar panels can power the heat pump. It works perfectly.
Our previous Instantaneous LPG HWS cost approx $900 yearly, and the tanker refill service became unreliable in the last 12 months. Now we have reliable, low cost hot water!
Some issues setting up the WiFi, which were resolved by Istore
The unit no longer comes with an HMI, instead you have to instal the app

Manufacturer Reply

Hi Chris,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. The new heat pumps still come with a LED screen that is accessible under the magnetic cover. For further assistance please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Thanks,
iStore

Provides an adequate supply of hot water
intermittently emits a low level of sound similar to a fan
the pump works well but the manual is cumbersome
the installing plumber was helpful while the electrician was overworked and left any documentation to the plumber
he had difficulty using the touch pad to set the timer etc
the barcode on the pump was obscured by the orientation of installation; it includes the serial number of the pump that was later needed, but had not been recorded in the sparse documentation
the wifi monitoring system was only operational after repeated emails and phone calls
monitoring seems designed for a smart phone but can be adequately displayed on a computer monitor or tablet if you have the help of an I/T expert
So far so good. Much lower electricity usage compared to electric storage hot water.
Extremely happy with performance. A bit too early to tell about reliability.
Heat Pump Installation was fast and easy.
Pump was installed internal laundry and is relatively quite.
So far happy with the pump, would have liked the water mixer to be a little hotter as the water appears to cool down a little in my walls, but I don't think the standards allow it.
Will wait until I see the power bills until I can comment on the overall happiness on the pump
Seems to work as expected
Brilliant, thanks Finn! Hayden was great, quick and easy install, and the heat pump system is brilliant.
The iStore 270 is working well and has replaced our 25 year old 160L gas hot water system.
Heat pump works very well. App is fairly primitive.
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