Home / Furnaces and AC units / Coleman
How old is my Coleman furnace or AC?
Type the serial number from the Coleman label to see when it was built. Coleman units are built by York (Johnson Controls until 2025, now Bosch), so the serials follow that company's format.
Example
- APlant: A = Apodaca, Mexico
- 0Year, first digit: 0
- GMonth: G = July
- 6Year, second digit: 6
Built July 2006
20 years, 3 months old
In replacement window. Inside the usual 15 to 25 year lifespan, so replacement could come any time. Worth budgeting for it.
How this was read
- The first letter, A, is the plant (Apodaca, Mexico).
- The second and fourth characters, 0 and 6, make the year: 2006.
- The third character, G, is the month: July. York skips I and J in month letters.
Format: York plant, year digits and month letter. Sources: CPSC 2001 York, Luxaire and Coleman furnace recall (serials WFKM and WGKM), McGarry and Madsen: York serial numbers, Building Intelligence Center: York, Inspector Handbook: York.
Reading a Coleman serial number
York bought Coleman’s heating and cooling business in 1996, and newer Coleman units use York’s formats.
Older Coleman and Evcon serials are all digits: month then year before 1992, and year then month after.
About Coleman
- In 2000 York dropped the “Coleman Evcon” label and went back to the plain Coleman name.
- Units for manufactured homes made up about half of Coleman’s output in 2000.
- Coleman was sold through its own distributors, separate from York and Luxaire.
- Bosch has owned Coleman since 2025. The deal included a plant in Wichita, Kansas.
Sources: York Revives Coleman Name (ACHR News), Johnson Controls International plc Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1 (July 2024), Bosch Completes Acquisition of Residential & Light Commercial HVAC Businesses from Johnson Controls (PHCPPros)
York plant, year digits and month letter
Used 2004 to today. Example: W1G7123456
The serial starts with a plant letter, a digit, a month letter and another digit. The two digits together are the year. W1G7 means July 2017: 1 and 7 make 17, and G is July. Month letters skip I and J.
Worked example: A0G659923 was built July 2006, so it is 20 years, 3 months old as of October 2026.
| Letter | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| K | September |
| L | October |
| M | November |
| N | December |
Sources: CPSC 2001 York, Luxaire and Coleman furnace recall (serials WFKM and WGKM), McGarry and Madsen: York serial numbers, Building Intelligence Center: York, Inspector Handbook: York
York four letters and six digits
Used 1971 to 2004. Example: WGKM007655
The serial starts with four letters. The first is the plant, the second is the month and the third is the year. The year letters repeat every 21 years, so A to N can mean two dates. WGKM means July 2001.
Worked example: WGKM007655 fits July 1980 or July 2001. The page above explains how to tell which.
| Letter | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| K | September |
| L | October |
| M | November |
| N | December |
| Letter | Year |
|---|---|
| A | 1971 or 1992 |
| B | 1972 or 1993 |
| C | 1973 or 1994 |
| D | 1974 or 1995 |
| E | 1975 or 1996 |
| F | 1976 or 1997 |
| G | 1977 or 1998 |
| H | 1978 or 1999 |
| J | 1979 or 2000 |
| K | 1980 or 2001 |
| L | 1981 or 2002 |
| M | 1982 or 2003 |
| N | 1983 or 2004 |
| P | 1984 |
| R | 1985 |
| S | 1986 |
| T | 1987 |
| V | 1988 |
| W | 1989 |
| X | 1990 |
| Y | 1991 |
Sources: CPSC 2001 York, Luxaire and Coleman furnace recall (serials WFKM and WGKM), McGarry and Madsen: York serial numbers, Building Intelligence Center: York, Inspector Handbook: York
Coleman and Evcon all-digit serial
Used before 1992, and 1992 to the late 1990s. Example: 0188123456
Older Coleman and Evcon serials are all digits. Before 1992 they start with the month then the year, like 0188 for January 1988. From 1992 they start with the year then the month, like 9710 for October 1997.
Worked example: 0188123456 was built January 1988, so it is 38 years, 9 months old as of October 2026.
Sources: HVAC Part Store: reading a Coleman serial number, McGarry and Madsen: Coleman and Coleman Evcon serial numbers, Building Intelligence Center: Evcon
Coleman recalls
Recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that name Coleman. Whether a unit is included depends on its model and build date; the checker above flags matches.
| Year | Recall | Hazard |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Coleman and Evcon furnaces for manufactured homes | The furnace can overheat and crack the heat exchanger, exposing flames to the wall. |
| 2001 | York, Luxaire and Coleman gas furnaces | Heat exchanger tubes can come loose and leak carbon monoxide. |