howoldisthat

Home / Furnaces and AC units / Arcoaire

How old is my Arcoaire furnace or AC?

Type the serial number from the Arcoaire label to see when it was built. Arcoaire units are built by ICP, a Carrier company, so the serials follow that company's format.

Scan insteadWhere is the label?

Example

L004112345
  • LPlant: L
  • 00Year: 00 = 2000
  • 41Week: 41 (around October)

Built Week 41 of 2000 (around October)

26 years old

Past typical life. Past the usual 15 to 25 year lifespan. Watch for rising gas bills, uneven heat, a yellow or flickering burner flame, rust or soot, and a carbon monoxide alarm.

Plan the replacement

  • Plan the replacement. Parts for older units get harder to find, and older AC units may use R-22 refrigerant, which is no longer made.
  • A common rule of thumb: if the repair cost times the age in years is over 5,000, replacing usually makes more sense.
  • Ask about rebates. Many utilities and states pay toward a high-efficiency replacement.
  • Some home insurers and home buyers’ inspectors ask the age of the HVAC system. Florida 4-point inspections record it.
  • Most HVAC parts warranties run 5 to 10 years and require registration within 60 to 90 days of install. Check with the installer.
How this was read
  1. The first letter, L, is the plant that built it.
  2. The next two digits, 00, are the year: 2000.
  3. The two digits after that, 41, are the week of the year.

Format: ICP plant letter, year and week. Sources: CPSC 2005 ICP packaged unit recall (serial format L004112345), ICP serial number nomenclature (Tempstar parts), InspectAPedia: Tempstar age, Building Intelligence Center: Heil, Inspector Handbook: Heil.

Reading a Arcoaire serial number

Arcoaire is an ICP brand. The serial starts with a plant letter, then the year and the week.

About Arcoaire

  • The name comes from ARCO Comfort Products, an Atlantic Richfield unit. SnyderGeneral bought it in the 1980s.
  • Inter-City Products, now ICP, bought SnyderGeneral’s residential business, Arcoaire included, in June 1991. Carrier bought ICP in 1999.
  • In Canada, Arcoaire was sold through HVAC distributors.

Sources: AAF-McQuay Incorporated History, HVAC Manufacturers Brands History Heating and Cooling, International Comfort Products Corp Form 10-K405 for 1997

ICP plant letter, year and week

Used about 1990 to today. Example: L004112345

Heil, Tempstar, Comfortmaker, Arcoaire, KeepRite and Day & Night serials start with a plant letter, then the year (2 digits), then the week (2 digits). L0041 means the 41st week of 2000. This is the reverse of Carrier’s week-then-year order.

Worked example: L004112345 was built Week 41 of 2000 (around October), so it is 26 years old as of October 2026.

Sources: CPSC 2005 ICP packaged unit recall (serial format L004112345), ICP serial number nomenclature (Tempstar parts), InspectAPedia: Tempstar age, Building Intelligence Center: Heil, Inspector Handbook: Heil

Heil-Quaker 1980s year digit and week

Used 1980 to 1989. Example: H55116328

Heil-Quaker units from the 1980s have a shorter serial that starts with H. The digit after the H is the year in the 1980s, and the next two digits are the week. H5511 means the 51st week of 1985.

Worked example: H55116328 was built Week 51 of 1985 (around December), so it is 40 years, 10 months old as of October 2026.

Sources: CPSC 2005 ICP packaged unit recall (serial format L004112345), ICP serial number nomenclature (Tempstar parts), InspectAPedia: Tempstar age, Building Intelligence Center: Heil, Inspector Handbook: Heil

Arcoaire recalls

Recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that name Arcoaire. Whether a unit is included depends on its model and build date; the checker above flags matches.

YearRecallHazard
2005ICP gas-electric packaged unitsThe control board can catch fire.
1996Ducane-built oil furnaces sold under many brandsThe heat exchanger can crack.