Addison Product Company (APCO)® HVAC age

How to determine the date of production/manufacture or age of Addison Product Company (APCO)® brand HVAC Systems.

The industry average service design life for most forced air furnaces is 15-20 years, and the industry average service design life for most air conditioning condensing units is 10-15 years. The average service design life of boilers can vary from as little as 10 years to as many as 50 years depending on the type and quality of materials used in their manufacture. Routine upkeep/maintenance, regional weather/climate, and location/placement of the mechanical systems will all play critical roles in the longevity of these systems.

See also: Estimated Useful Service Life Expectancies

History (important information to assist in determining age of manufacture):

Addison Products Company (APCO) was started in 1949. In 1988, Addison Products sold the residential "WeatherKing" brand line to Rheem Mfg.

In December 1995, Addison Products was acquired by Heat Controller. The new company was called "Addison Products Co., a division of Heat Controller Inc." This company was later acquired in 2004 by Fedders and the name changed to Fedders Addison Co., becoming a new business unit under Fedders Commercial HVAC.  Based on this information, any product with a data tag bearing solely the name "Addison Products Company" or "APCO"  will have been manufactured prior to December of 1995. Between this date and 2004, Addison data plates will  indicate the unit to be a division of Heat Controller or manufactured by/for Heat Controller, and typically utilize Heat Controller serial number styles. 

Upon Fedders' bankruptcy circa 2008, the assets under the Fedders umbrella were sold and acquired by various entities. Airwell Group, a subsidiary of Elco Holdings Ltd. purchased the residential HVAC business which included Fedders, Air Temp, and Emerson Quiet Kool brands.

Roberts-Gordon LLC (maker of commercial infrared heating systems) purchased the Fedders Addison Co. subsidiary. Addison is currently manufactured as specialty commercial and industrial HVAC equipment under the Addison brand name which (along with Roberts-Gordon) is now a subsidiary of Specified Air Solutions. After 2008, Addison data plates on these commercial units should reference "Specified Air Solutions" and/or "Roberts-Gordan" as the parent company.

Parent Company:

Subsidiaries or other related brands:

The date of production/manufacture or age of APCO brand HVAC equipment can be determined from the serial number located on the rating data plate.

Example serial number styles/formats found:

  • (NOTE:  Serial Number styles found for Fedders-Airwell are being used here.  Although unconfirmed it is believed that all Fedders-Airwell units use these styles.)

    • Style 1: EW020144126H

    • Style 2:  02J-60002

    • Style 3:  AS298488006X

    • Style 4:  ARM75812

    • Style 5:  12345AN

Legend:  Year is RED;  Month is GREEN; Week is BLUE

Style 1:   EW020144126H

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the  3rd & 4th positions of the serial number

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 5th & 6th positions of the serial number

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Style 2:   02J-60002

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 1st & 2nd positions of the serial number

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 3rd position of the serial number (See Chart)

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Style 3:  AS298488006X

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 1st position of the serial number (See Chart)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 2nd position of the serial number (See Chart)

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Style 4:  ARM75812

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 1st position of the serial number (See Chart)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 2nd position of the serial number (See Chart)

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Style 5:  12345AN

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 2nd to last position of the serial number (See Chart)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the last position of the serial number (See Chart)

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APCO® History¹

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    Every effort is undertaken to offer you correct and concise information to assist you in determining the age or manufacture date of HVAC/R equipment. Users relying on this information do so at their own risk.
    Page last updated: 08/31/2023