Step 1: Visual Identification of System Type

Package Units

A package unit is an "all-in-ane" system that does everything in 1 large box. You can best identify the parcel unit of measurement past looking at the unit (outdoors). If you lot take a package unit of measurement you will observe a large hood made of metal that looks similar a box between the unit and your house. This is chosen the rain shield and it protects the ductwork from rain, debris, and critters. Because a package unit is all-in-one box the supply and return ducts connect right to the unit and the heated or conditioned air is delivered right into the business firm.

The bodily look will vary based on equipment only when yous can see the metal box between the unit of measurement and the house like the picture beneath you've got a package unit.

Split System

The split A/C and Furnace is the type of organization most people are familiar with. In this setup the outdoor unit has the shape that most people associate the air-conditioners. This is the condensing unit of measurement. Inside, usually in the cranium, crawlspace, or closet is the component that contains the blower, furnace (if equipped) and evaporator coil.  The condensing unit of measurement will exist located outside the house and has a more traditional wait, similar to the movie below.

Step ii: Identifying the Make, Model, Age, and Size

To identify the make, model, age, and size y'all will need to notice the manufacturers characterization. Exercise this on the outdoor unit, whether it's a split system or parcel organization. On a packet system information technology is usually on the right side of the equipment, nigh where the gas and power connect to the system. On a divide organisation the label is often plant on the same side as the refrigerant lines enter the arrangement. On some older systems near the bottom right higher up the lines on newer systems closer to the pinnacle.

On this label you'll find lots of numbers and letters. The ones we are most interested in are the model and serial numbers. From these we can determine the age, size, and type of equipment.

Make and Model:

The make should be pretty easy to figure out. Normally they take a logo prominently placed. If not, it tin can be found on the label pretty easily. The model is designated as a field on the label and is easy to identify. Each manufacturer categorizes their equipment differently. Some similar Trane encode the efficiency of the equipment in the model, others practice not. Yous tin look up the model of your equipment, its features and efficiency using the model and make on the label and Google.

Size:

Basically all manufacturers encode the size or tonnage of their systems into the model number. Tonnage is a mensurate of BTU'due south in 12,000 BTU increments. For case a 1 ton system would have 12,000 BTU's. A two.five ton system would take xxx,000 BTU'due south. These are reflected in the model numbers near the center and oftentimes followed past a letter.

Below are a couple examples to await at:

38EZA048310 is a Carrier 48,000 BTU or 4 ton system

4TTZ0048A1000AA is a Trane 48,000 BTU or 4 ton organisation

If yous are unable to read the characterization you can await downward into the condensing unit from the superlative to see the compressor and often use the compressor part number to determine the tonnage using Google.

Age:

The age is generally encoded into the serial number. Many manufacturers practise it differently and most have changed the way they do it over the years. Beneath are the nearly popular brands and how they encode the year inside the terminal 20 years or so. For older equipment Google can exist pretty helpful.

Carrier/Payne/Bryant Carrier systems made in the last 20 years or and so encode the week and year of manufacture inside the first 4 digits. The first two are the week of the year (1-52) and the second are the year. For case 0199 would mean the system was fabricated the first week of January in 1999.
Trane/American Standard Many Trane products take the engagement they were manufactured right on the label in the top right corner. Start there, if there isn't a manufacturing date present then look at the series number. There are 2 styles that were used within the final 20 years.
  • Style 1 starts with a letter which represents the manufacturing location and so 2 numbers which is the final 2 digits of the year manufactured (in 2000). For example C12A00152 ways Clarksville Found.
  • Style two starts with numbers and the first ii numbers are the year. For case 1125KREAA was manufactured in 2011. This mode besides has the yr of manufacture ordinarily listed on the label so y'all won't need to decode the serial number.
Lennox Modern Lennox system serial numbers contain 4 numbers followed by a letter. The outset 2 numbers represent the factory where they were manufactured, the second 2 numbers are the year and the letter is the calendar month where A is January, B is February, etc. An instance would exist 5800A12345. 58 is the factory, 00 represents the twelvemonth 2000 and A means it was manufactured in January.
Goodman Goodman series numbers are 10 digit numerical where the month and year are encoded in the first 4 digits. The twelvemonth is the first 2 and the month the 2d 2. For instance 1404123456 is manufactured is April 2014.
Rheem/Ruud Modern Rheem systems utilize two styles of date encoded in the serial number.
  • Way 1 starts with a letter of the alphabet followed by the week and twelvemonth of manufacture. W011012345 would be manufactured in January of 2010.
  • Style 2 follows the letter in the middle of the series number with the week and year of industry. For example CB5D302F0998 would be manufactured in March of 1998.