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How old is my Tappan furnace or AC?

Type the serial number from the Tappan label to see when it was built. Tappan units are built by Nordyne (owned by Rheem since 2024), so the serials follow that company's format.

Scan insteadWhere is the label?

Example

G6R990505028
  • G6RProduct code, not part of the date
  • 99Year: 99 = 1999
  • 05Month: 05 = May

Built May 1999

27 years, 5 months 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. Skip the first three characters, G6R. They are a product code.
  2. The next two digits, 99, are the year: 1999.
  3. The two digits after that, 05, are the month: May.

Format: Nordyne three-character prefix, year and month. Sources: Energy Trust of Oregon: furnace age brand details (PDF), Building Intelligence Center: Nordyne, Building Intelligence Center: Maytag, Building Intelligence Center: Intertherm.

Reading a Tappan serial number

Tappan furnaces and central units were built by Nordyne, and those use its format: a three-character code, then the year and the month. G6R9905 means May 1999.

About Tappan

  • Tappan is an appliance name that Nordyne licensed for heating and cooling starting in 1997.
  • Tappan was not on the brand list when Rheem bought Nortek Global HVAC in 2024.

Sources: Nordyne Joins (Contracting Business), Rheem to acquire Nortek Global HVAC (ACHR News)

Nordyne three-character prefix, year and month

Used about 1989 to today. Example: FGA030310579

The serial starts with three characters, then the year (2 digits), then the month (2 digits). FGA 03 03 means March 2003. Frigidaire, Gibson, Maytag, Westinghouse, Intertherm and Miller furnaces share this format.

Worked example: G6R990505028 was built May 1999, so it is 27 years, 5 months old as of October 2026.

Sources: Energy Trust of Oregon: furnace age brand details (PDF), Building Intelligence Center: Nordyne, Building Intelligence Center: Maytag, Building Intelligence Center: Intertherm