Keep it going
$67
The $67 Heating Check
The flame, the heat exchanger, a carbon monoxide test, the igniter and the blower, and our tech reads the label and tells you the age while he’s there.
Through December 31
Furnace age decoder
How Old Is My Furnace? Find the Year It Was Made
Pick the brand and type the serial number off the label: the decoder shows the year your furnace was made, how old it is and how much of a furnace’s typical 15 to 20 years is left. On most furnaces the label is inside the cabinet, so if you can’t see it, don’t open it: send us photos or book a visit and our tech reads it.
Rather have a person look at it? Tell us the brand and about how old you think your furnace is.
- The year it was made, from the serial
- Typical life left, and the upkeep that gets it there
- Can’t find the label? We read it at the visit
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One of our techs at a furnace. The label is often in there, behind the door.
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Decode the serial number
How old is my furnace?
Book the $67 heating checkSee your price with $1,500 off
Rather talk it through? Call (703) 997-9757.
Your answer shows up here
The year it was made, how old it is, and how much of its typical life is left.
- Type the year it went in
- Or snap the label
- Or let us come out and read it
Don’t want to open it yourself? We’ll come out.
On most furnaces the label is behind the front panel, next to the burners and the wiring. Leave the panel on. Our tech reads the label, tells you the age and checks it over while we’re there.
The system we put in first
Built to take a beating. Put in by our crew.
Heat lamps, snow and rain on one outdoor unit: that’s Trane’s own film. We’re a Trane Comfort Specialist, on Trane’s own dealer locator, and when you pick a Trane, our crew puts it in.
Films: Trane’s own.
Or send three photos
Take the three photos: wide, up close, the label
Like a car trade-in app: tap a photo, and the camera shows a frame for that shot. The guide shows the three we want. Snap the label and we try to read it right here; send all three and a person double-checks.
Photos are in the form below. Add your name, phone and ZIP, then send.
Send the photos to a person
Someone on our team reads the label, then calls or texts you with the age and what we’d do about it. The label on this one is usually inside, so skip photo 3 if you can’t see it.
Where the label is
Where to find the label on a furnace
On most furnaces the rating plate with the serial number is inside the front door, on the cabinet wall. Some print a copy on the outside of the door. Don’t take a panel off to find it: the door switch cuts the power and some doors hide live wiring and the burners. If no label shows on the outside, send the wide and close photos and we read the label at the visit.
- The whole furnace. Step back until the whole cabinet fits, top to floor, with the pipes and ducts coming off it.
- The front. The front door and anything printed on it: the brand, a sticker, the vent pipe where it leaves the top.
- The label, only if it shows. A sticker on the outside of the door or the side. If it’s inside, skip this one: we read it at the visit.
A furnace in a Northern Virginia home.
Typical life
How long heating, cooling and water heaters last
The typical range for each, in Northern Virginia homes. Upkeep moves a unit toward the top of its range; skipping it moves it toward the bottom.
| Equipment | Typical life | Start planning |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace | 15 to 20 years | Around year 15 |
| Air conditioner | 12 to 15 years | Around year 12 |
| Heat pump | 10 to 15 years | Around year 10 |
| Tank water heater | 8 to 12 years | Around year 8 |
| Tankless water heater | 15 to 20 years | Around year 15 |
| Boiler | 20 to 30 years | Around year 20 |
Upkeep
Typical furnace upkeep that adds years
What keeps a furnace running toward the top of its range, and what we do at the visit.
- Change the filter every 1 to 3 months. A clogged filter is the most common reason a furnace overheats and shuts itself off.
- A heating check every fall. The flame, the heat exchanger, a carbon monoxide test, the igniter and flame sensor, the vent pipe and the blower.
- A carbon monoxide alarm on every floor. Gas heat makes carbon monoxide when something is wrong. The alarm is the part that tells you.
- Keep 3 feet clear around it. Boxes and paint cans against a furnace are a fire risk and starve it of air.
Past its years
$1,500 off
New Heating and AC
A new furnace, AC or heat pump, priced in writing at a free in-home estimate.
Limited time
Date codes
How to read the date in a furnace serial number
Where each brand hides the year. The examples are made up; type yours in the decoder above and it does the reading.
| Brand | Where the date is | Example serial | Reads as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier | Digits 1 and 2 are the week, 3 and 4 the year | 4519A12345 | week 45 of 2019 |
| Bryant | Digits 1 and 2 are the week, 3 and 4 the year | 4519A12345 | week 45 of 2019 |
| Payne | Digits 1 and 2 are the week, 3 and 4 the year | 4519A12345 | week 45 of 2019 |
| Trane | Since 2010: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 161234567L | week 12 of 2016 |
| American Standard | Since 2010: digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the week | 161234567L | week 12 of 2016 |
| Goodman | Digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the month | 1806123456 | June 2018 |
| Amana | Digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the month | 1806123456 | June 2018 |
| Daikin | Digits 1 and 2 are the year, 3 and 4 the month | 1806123456 | June 2018 |
| Lennox | Digits 3 and 4 are the year, the letter after them the month | 5817D12345 | April 2017 |
| Rheem | A letter, then the week (digits 1 and 2) and the year (3 and 4) | W181409393 | week 18 of 2014 |
| Ruud | A letter, then the week (digits 1 and 2) and the year (3 and 4) | W181409393 | week 18 of 2014 |
| Heil | A letter, then the year (digits 1 and 2) and the week (3 and 4) | E152012345 | week 20 of 2015 |
| Tempstar | A letter, then the year (digits 1 and 2) and the week (3 and 4) | E152012345 | week 20 of 2015 |
| Comfortmaker | A letter, then the year (digits 1 and 2) and the week (3 and 4) | E152012345 | week 20 of 2015 |
| Arcoaire | A letter, then the year (digits 1 and 2) and the week (3 and 4) | E152012345 | week 20 of 2015 |
| York | We read it from the label photo | ||
| Coleman | We read it from the label photo | ||
| Luxaire | We read it from the label photo |
Signs
Signs a furnace is near the end of its life
Age is one sign. These are the others we see on calls.
- It’s past 15 years old
- Repairs every winter, or the same part twice
- Some rooms never warm up
- A yellow or flickering flame where it used to be blue
- Rust or water at the base
- The carbon monoxide alarm went off: leave the house and call
Seeing one of these?
Get the furnace looked at before it picks the day.
Keep reading
More equipment age decoders and next steps
Equipment age decoderEvery type on one page.How old is my air conditioner?Typical life 12 to 15 years.How old is my heat pump?Typical life 10 to 15 years.How old is my water heater?Typical life 8 to 12 years.How old is my boiler?Typical life 20 to 30 years.Furnace replacementWhat a new one costs and how it goes.
Asked on the phone
Questions about equipment age, answered
How do I tell how old my furnace is?
Find the label and read the serial number: most brands put the year in it. Carrier, for one: digits 1 and 2 are the week, 3 and 4 the year. Pick the brand in the decoder above, type the serial and it reads it for you.
How long does a furnace last in Northern Virginia?
A furnace typically lasts 15 to 20 years in Northern Virginia. Yearly upkeep is what gets one to the top of that range; skipped upkeep is how one fails early.
Where is the label on a furnace?
On most furnaces the rating plate with the serial number is inside the front door, on the cabinet wall. Some print a copy on the outside of the door. Don’t open it: book a visit and our tech reads it.
Should I repair or replace an old furnace?
Inside its first 15 years, repair it and keep up the yearly upkeep. Between 15 and 20, a big repair is usually money better put toward the replacement. Past 20, get the replacement priced now so it doesn’t pick the day for you. A free in-home estimate puts both side by side.
Can you read the label for me?
Yes. Take the three photos above (the whole unit, up close, the label) and send them with the form. A person on our team reads the label and calls or texts you with the age and what we’d do. If the label is inside the cabinet, book a visit and the tech reads it there.
Not sure how old it is?
Have a person read the label for you
Send the form at the top, or the three photos above, and our office calls or texts you back. If the label is inside the cabinet, the tech reads it at the visit and tells you what it means for your house.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
4230 Lafayette Center Dr N, Chantilly, VA 20151
44679 Endicott Dr, Suite 211, Ashburn, VA 20147
SwiftPro Plumber & Water Heaters
4200 Lafayette Center Dr, Suite N, Chantilly, VA 20151
Virginia Class A contractor license #2705192276
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