Stride i: Visual Identification of System Type

Packet Units

A package unit is an "all-in-ane" arrangement that does everything in 1 large box. You can best identify the package unit of measurement by looking at the unit (outdoors). If you have a package unit yous will detect a large hood made of metal that looks like a box between the unit and your house. This is called the pelting shield and it protects the ductwork from rain, droppings, and critters. Because a packet unit is all-in-one box the supply and render ducts connect right to the unit and the heated or conditioned air is delivered right into the house.

The actual wait will vary based on equipment but when you can encounter the metal box between the unit and the business firm like the picture below you've got a package unit of measurement.

Separate Organization

The carve up A/C and Furnace is the type of system nigh 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. Within, commonly in the attic, crawlspace, or closet is the component that contains the blower, furnace (if equipped) and evaporator coil.  The condensing unit of measurement volition be located outside the house and has a more traditional wait, similar to the picture below.

Step 2: Identifying the Brand, Model, Age, and Size

To identify the make, model, age, and size you volition need to discover the manufacturers label. Do this on the outdoor unit, whether it's a dissever organisation or package organization. On a package organization it is usually on the right side of the equipment, near where the gas and power connect to the system. On a split system the characterization is often found 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 characterization you'll find lots of numbers and letters. The ones nosotros are nearly interested in are the model and serial numbers. From these we can determine the age, size, and blazon of equipment.

Brand and Model:

The make should be pretty easy to effigy out. Unremarkably they have a logo prominently placed. If not, it can be found on the label pretty easily. The model is designated every bit a field on the characterization and is easy to identify. Each manufacturer categorizes their equipment differently. Some similar Trane encode the efficiency of the equipment in the model, others exercise non. You can expect 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 measure of BTU'due south in 12,000 BTU increments. For example a 1 ton system would have 12,000 BTU's. A ii.five ton system would take 30,000 BTU's. These are reflected in the model numbers near the heart and often followed by a letter.

Beneath are a couple examples to wait at:

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

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

If you are unable to read the characterization you can await down into the condensing unit of measurement from the pinnacle to come across the compressor and oft use the compressor part number to determine the tonnage using Google.

Age:

The age is generally encoded into the serial number. Many manufacturers do it differently and most accept changed the style they do it over the years. Below are the most popular brands and how they encode the year inside the concluding twenty years or so. For older equipment Google tin exist pretty helpful.

Carrier/Payne/Bryant Carrier systems fabricated in the terminal 20 years or so encode the week and yr of manufacture within the first 4 digits. The first 2 are the week of the year (1-52) and the 2nd are the twelvemonth. For example 0199 would mean the arrangement was made the beginning calendar week of January in 1999.
Trane/American Standard Many Trane products have the date they were manufactured right on the label in the summit right corner. Start in that location, if there isn't a manufacturing appointment nowadays then look at the serial number. At that place are two styles that were used within the last 20 years.
  • Style 1 starts with a letter which represents the manufacturing location and then 2 numbers which is the last 2 digits of the yr manufactured (in 2000). For case C12A00152 means Clarksville Plant.
  • Style 2 starts with numbers and the first 2 numbers are the year. For case 1125KREAA was manufactured in 2011. This mode also has the year of industry commonly listed on the label and so you lot won't need to decode the serial number.
Lennox Modern Lennox arrangement serial numbers contain 4 numbers followed past a alphabetic character. The starting time 2 numbers represent the mill where they were manufactured, the second 2 numbers are the twelvemonth and the letter is the month where A is January, B is February, etc. An example would exist 5800A12345. 58 is the manufacturing plant, 00 represents the year 2000 and A means it was manufactured in January.
Goodman Goodman serial numbers are x digit numerical where the calendar month and year are encoded in the showtime iv digits. The year is the first 2 and the calendar month the 2d 2. For example 1404123456 is manufactured is Apr 2014.
Rheem/Ruud Modern Rheem systems use two styles of date encoded in the serial number.
  • Fashion ane starts with a letter followed by the week and twelvemonth of manufacture. W011012345 would be manufactured in January of 2010.
  • Style 2 follows the alphabetic character in the center of the serial number with the calendar week and yr of manufacture. For example CB5D302F0998 would be manufactured in March of 1998.