Step 1: Visual Identification of Organisation Type

Bundle Units

A package unit of measurement is an "all-in-one" system that does everything in i large box. Yous can best identify the package unit by looking at the unit (outdoors). If you have a package unit y'all volition detect a large hood made of metal that looks like a box betwixt the unit of measurement and your firm. This is chosen the pelting shield and it protects the ductwork from rain, droppings, and critters. Because a package unit is all-in-one box the supply and return ducts connect correct to the unit and the heated or conditioned air is delivered right into the house.

The actual look will vary based on equipment but when you can see the metal box between the unit of measurement and the house like the pic below you've got a package unit of measurement.

Split System

The split A/C and Furnace is the blazon of system almost people are familiar with. In this setup the outdoor unit of measurement has the shape that most people associate the air-conditioners. This is the condensing unit. Inside, normally in the cranium, crawlspace, or closet is the component that contains the blower, furnace (if equipped) and evaporator coil.  The condensing unit volition be located outside the house and has a more traditional expect, similar to the movie beneath.

Footstep 2: Identifying the Make, Model, Age, and Size

To place the brand, model, historic period, and size you will need to find the manufacturers label. Do this on the outdoor unit, whether it'southward a carve up system or package system. On a package system information technology is usually on the correct side of the equipment, nigh where the gas and ability connect to the organization. On a split arrangement the label is often plant on the same side as the refrigerant lines enter the system. On some older systems near the bottom right above the lines on newer systems closer to the top.

On this label y'all'll discover lots of numbers and letters. The ones we are most interested in are the model and serial numbers. From these we tin can decide the historic period, size, and blazon of equipment.

Make and Model:

The make should exist pretty easy to figure out. Normally they take a logo prominently placed. If not, it 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 like Trane encode the efficiency of the equipment in the model, others practise non. You tin can look up the model of your equipment, its features and efficiency using the model and brand on the characterization and Google.

Size:

Basically all manufacturers encode the size or tonnage of their systems into the model number. Tonnage is a mensurate of BTU's in 12,000 BTU increments. For example a one ton system would have 12,000 BTU's. A ii.5 ton system would take xxx,000 BTU's. These are reflected in the model numbers well-nigh the middle and oftentimes followed by a alphabetic character.

Below are a couple examples to look at:

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

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

If you are unable to read the characterization you lot can look down into the condensing unit from the pinnacle to see the compressor and often utilise the compressor function number to determine the tonnage using Google.

Age:

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

Carrier/Payne/Bryant Carrier systems made in the final xx years or and then encode the week and yr of manufacture within the start iv digits. The commencement ii are the week of the year (one-52) and the 2nd are the year. For example 0199 would hateful the system was fabricated the first calendar week of January in 1999.
Trane/American Standard Many Trane products have the date they were manufactured right on the label in the top right corner. Starting time there, if at that place isn't a manufacturing appointment present and so look at the serial number. There are 2 styles that were used within the last twenty years.
  • Style 1 starts with a alphabetic character which represents the manufacturing location and then 2 numbers which is the final 2 digits of the yr manufactured (in 2000). For example C12A00152 means Clarksville Plant.
  • Style 2 starts with numbers and the first 2 numbers are the year. For example 1125KREAA was manufactured in 2011. This style also has the year of manufacture ordinarily listed on the label so you won't demand to decode the serial number.
Lennox Modernistic Lennox system serial numbers contain 4 numbers followed by a letter. The beginning ii numbers represent the factory where they were manufactured, the second ii numbers are the year and the letter is the month where A is Jan, B is February, etc. An instance would be 5800A12345. 58 is the factory, 00 represents the year 2000 and A means it was manufactured in Jan.
Goodman Goodman serial numbers are ten digit numerical where the month and year are encoded in the outset four digits. The year is the get-go two and the month the second 2. For example 1404123456 is manufactured is Apr 2014.
Rheem/Ruud Modern Rheem systems use two styles of date encoded in the series number.
  • Style 1 starts with a letter followed past the week and year of manufacture. W011012345 would exist manufactured in January of 2010.
  • Fashion 2 follows the letter in the middle of the serial number with the calendar week and year of manufacture. For instance CB5D302F0998 would be manufactured in March of 1998.