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The $67 Heating Check
Defrost, the reversing valve and the backup heat, plus the age off the data plate.
Through December 31
Heat pump age decoder
How Old Is My Heat Pump? Find the Year It Was Made
Pick the brand and type the serial number off the label: the decoder shows the year your heat pump was made, how old it is and how much of a heat pump’s typical 10 to 15 years is left. Can’t read the label? Take a photo of it and we read it for you.
Rather have a person look at it? Tell us the brand and about how old you think your heat pump 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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Decode the serial number
How old is my heat pump?
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
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.
Where the label is
Where to find the label on a heat pump
The data plate is on the outdoor unit, usually on the side by the service panel where the power line comes in. You can read it from outside the unit: nothing to open. A heat pump runs all year, heating and cooling, which is why its typical life is shorter than an AC’s.
- The whole unit. Step back until the whole outdoor unit fits, with the pad and the lines into the house.
- The side with the panel. The side with the service panel and the power line, close enough to see the fins and the brand.
- The data plate. Fill the frame with the plate. Hold steady, no glare: the serial number is the line we read.
A heat pump 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 heat pump upkeep that adds years
What keeps a heat pump running toward the top of its range, and what we do at the visit.
- Two visits a year, not one. It heats and cools, so it gets a cooling check in spring and a heating check in fall: defrost, the reversing valve and the backup heat strips.
- Change the filter every 1 to 3 months. A heat pump moves more air than a furnace, so a clogged filter costs it more.
- Keep snow and ice off it. It needs air through the coil. Clear the snow around it; never chip ice off the fins.
- Watch for aux heat that never shuts off. Backup heat running all the time is the expensive way to heat a house, and a sign something’s wrong.
Past its years
$1,500 off
New Heating and AC
A new heat pump, AC or furnace, priced in writing at a free in-home estimate.
Limited time
Date codes
How to read the date in a heat pump 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 | ||
| Mitsubishi | We read it from the label photo |
Signs
Signs a heat pump is near the end of its life
Age is one sign. These are the others we see on calls.
- It’s past 10 years old
- Aux or emergency heat comes on most winter days
- Ice that doesn’t clear after a defrost cycle
- A refrigerant leak, or a recharge every year
- It heats or cools, but not both
- Loud grinding or squealing outside
Seeing one of these?
Get the heat pump 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 furnace?Typical life 15 to 20 years.How old is my air conditioner?Typical life 12 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.Heat pump 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 heat pump 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 heat pump last in Northern Virginia?
A heat pump typically lasts 10 to 15 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 heat pump?
The data plate is on the outdoor unit, usually on the side by the service panel where the power line comes in. You can read it from outside the unit: nothing to open.
Should I repair or replace an old heat pump?
Inside its first 10 years, repair it and keep up the yearly upkeep. Between 10 and 15, a big repair is usually money better put toward the replacement. Past 15, 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.
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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