HVAC Index

Water Heater Index

Bryant® HVAC age

How to determine the date of production/manufacture or age of Bryant^® 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.

Parent Company: Carrier Corporation

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

Example serial number styles/formats found:

Style 1: 0709G10932
Style 2: 850304091
Style 3: W4D14008 _(U.S.)~or~ 4WD14008 _(Canada)
Style 4: A167890
Style 5: 46U152456 or 2W13270 _{(one or two digits followed by a letter)}

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

Style 1: 0709G10932

Description: Ten (10) character Serial number begins with four (4) numerical digits followed by one (1) letter and ends with five (5) numerical digits.

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

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

Style 2: 850304091

Description: Nine (9) character all numerical serial number. This style was used primarily during the 1980's.

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

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

Style 3: W4D14008 _(U.S.) ~or~ 4WD14008 _(Canada)

Description: Eight (8) character serial number begins with one (1) letter followed by one (1) numerical digit and then six (6) more characters. This style was used from 1980 thru 1984.

CAUTION: Canada units reverse the Year and Month positions from U.S. made serial number styles.

U.S. Systems:

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 2^nd position (number) of the serial number: 0 - 4 representing 1980 - 1984

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 1^st position (letter) of the serial number: M - Z _{(skipping O & U)} representing January - December

Canadian Systems:

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 1^st position (number) of the serial number: 0 - 4 representing 1980 - 1984

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 2^nd position (letter) of the serial number: M - Z _{(skipping O & U)} representing January - December

This style of serial number was primarily used during the 1980's by BDP (Carrier subsidiary).

Style 4: A167890

Description: Seven (7) character serial number that begins with a letter and ends with six (6) numerical digits. This style was used from 1970 thru 1979.

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 2^nd position (number) of the serial number: 0-9 representing 1970 - 1979

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 1^st position (letter) of the serial number: A-L _{(skipping no letters)} representing January - December

Style 5: 46U152456 or 2W13270 _{(one or two digits followed by a letter)}

Description: Seven (7) to nine (9) character serial number - always beginning with a 1 or 2 digit number followed by a letter. This style was used from 1960 to 1979.

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 1^st letter _{(2^nd or 3^rd position)} of the serial number: beginning with L and cycling through to end with H _{(skipping letters O, Q, and Z)} representing 1960 - 1979 - See Chart

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the 1^st -or- 1^st & 2^nd positions (number/s) of the serial number: 1-52 representing weeks of the year

Letter - YEAR

L - 1960
M - 1961
N - 1962
P - 1963
R - 1964

Letter - YEAR

S - 1965
T - 1966
U - 1967
V - 1968
W - 1969

Letter - YEAR

X - 1970
Y - 1971
A - 1972
B - 1973
C - 1974

Letter - YEAR

D - 1975
E - 1976
F - 1977
G - 1978
H - 1979

Example serial number above indicates manufacture date: 46^th week of 1967 (U)

Example serial number above indicates manufacture date: 2^nd week of 1969 (W)

Bryant® History¹

1904 - Charles Bryant founds the Natural Gas Regulator Company in Cleveland, OH. The company soon begins manufacturing gas-fired water heaters.
1908 - Company name changed to Bryant Heater & Manufacturing, LLC
1927 - New mascot 'the pup' is introduced in ad campaign indicating Bryant furnaces are so simple, you could "let your pup be your furnace man."
1949 - Bryant, Day & Night and Payne merger to form Affiliated Gas Equipment (AGE)
1955 - Carrier merged with Affiliated Gas Equipment, Inc., which owned Bryant Heater Co., Day & Night Water Heater Co., and Payne Furnace & Supply Co., and moves Bryant’s corporate headquarters from Cleveland to Indianapolis.
1974 - Carrier creates "BDP" company comprised of Bryant - Day & Night - Payne brands.
1979 - United Technologies Corp. (UTC) acquires Carrier Refrigeration in forced takeover. Carrier becomes a subsidiary of UTC.
1981 - Bryant pioneers one of the first 90%-efficient gas furnaces, with variable-speed operation. Bryant introduces the Dual Pack, the world’s first outdoor gas heating and electric cooling unit a few years later.
1990's - Carrier stops using the Day & Night Brand. BDP company still in use.
1996 - Bryant patents and introduces Puron^®as an environmentally sound refrigerant.
1999 - Carrier/United Technologies acquires Inter-City Products, and changed the name to International Comfort Products (ICP). Carrier becomes the parent company of ICP, thus incorporating all ICP brands under the Carrier umbrella.
2006 - Day & Night brand revived by ICP between 2006-2009 (sources for date vary). Unsure, but presumed to be the end of "BDP Company", and brands under the umbrella are separated once again. Bryant and Payne remain listed under Carrier brands. Day & Night listed under ICP brands.
2020 - Carrier completes separation from United Technologies as an independent, publicly traded company - Carrier Global Corporation. The separation process was started in 2018. Carrier retains all current brands, as well as ICP and their brands.
2022 - Carrier celebrates 120 year anniversary.

_{^1- History excerpts from various sources}

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: 09/04/2023

Any of the trademarks, service marks, collective marks, design rights or similar rights that are mentioned, used or cited in the articles of the Building Intelligence Center (www.building-center.org) are the property of their respective owners. Their use here does not imply that you may use them for any purpose other than for the same or a similar informational use as contemplated by the original authors of these articles under the CC-BY-SA and GFDL licensing schemes. Unless otherwise stated Building Intelligence Center (www.building-center.org) sites are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with any of the holders of any such rights and as such Building Intelligence Center (www.building-center.org) cannot grant any rights to use any otherwise protected materials. Your use of any such or similar incorporeal property is at your own risk. This guide is intended to assist Commercial/Residential Building Inspectors, HVAC professionals, Facilities Managers, HOA’s, etc.., in determining the date of manufacture and/or age of HVAC equipment to determine the expected useful life (EUL). This web site should not be relied upon for commercial use or interpretations. Accuracy and reliability of the information provided is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. The burden for fitness of information provided relies solely and completely with the user. In no event will Building Intelligence Center or its representatives be liable for any loss or damages whatsoever for consequential, incidental, indirect, special, or tort damages of any kind, including but not limited to loss of data, lost profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or other pecuniary loss that might arise from the use of or reliance on the information provided within.

HVAC Index

Water Heater Index

Bryant® HVAC age

Example serial number styles/formats found:

Style 1: 0709G10932

Style 2: 850304091

Style 3: W4D14008 (U.S.) ~or~ 4WD14008 (Canada)

Style 4: A167890

Style 5: 46U152456 or 2W13270 (one or two digits followed by a letter)

Bryant® History¹

Style 3: W4D14008 _(U.S.) ~or~ 4WD14008 _(Canada)

Style 5: 46U152456 or 2W13270 _{(one or two digits followed by a letter)}