Century® HVAC age

How to determine the date of production/manufacture or age of Century® 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

Parent Company: MARS (Motors and Armatures, Inc) - merged with Heat Controller, Inc. in 2013.

Subsidiaries or other related brands: Heat Controller (H.C.I.) | Century | Comfort-Aire | Comfort-Aire by Aitons |

Important Brand Notes: Comfort-Aire and Century are private label brands of Heat Controller, Inc. (now MARS). Heat Controller is/was a wholesale distributor of HVAC equipment under their own private brand lines of primarily Comfort-Aire and Century. The units under the Heat Controller brand names were actually manufactured by a variety of entities including but not limited to: Climate Master, Goodman, Rheem, ICP, and Nordyne. To our knowledge and research, Heat Controller is no longer an original equipment manufacturer, but rather distributes private-label equipment under Heat Controller brand names made by other manufacturers. As such, the serial numbers encountered will be similar to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) styles. For example, several recent Comfort-Aire systems utilize a Nordyne style serial number, indicating the unit to have been manufactured by Nordyne for Heat Controller private label. Similarly, other Heat Controller brands utilize Rheem, ICP, Goodman, and Climate Master style serial numbers. Unfortunately we have not encountered any data plates which indicate specifically the OEM or "made by..." name. This proves difficult to determine the specific style used and subsequently interpret the date of manufacture. Below are examples of some of the various styles that have been encountered.

The date of production/manufacture or age of Century brand HVAC equipment can sometimes be determined from the serial number located on the rating data plate. The styles encountered are from a variety of other OEM manufacturer styles.

We are actively seeking photos and information and photos of any older 1925-1975 era Century brand heating and cooling equipment in order to complete our research on this brand. Should you know of or encounter such older equipment, please send us any information along with good photos of the equipment and data rating plates via the update form HERE

The serial numbers currently listed below are modern Heat Controller styles which were believed to have been used after the 1975 acquisition of Century Engineering Corp by Heat Controller, Inc.

Example serial number styles/formats found:

  • Style 1:    RSF150300183 (Nordyne style)
  • Style 2:    EB5D302F320107830 (Rheem style)
  • Style 3:    0804237539 (Goodman style)
  • Style 4:    R0424070098 (ICP style)
  • Style 5:    92A-C70097 (??? style - possibly ClimateMaster or original H.C.I.)
  • Style 6a:   JR10006245X (unknown manufacturer style)
  • Style 6b:   BT 255768 046X (unknown manufacturer style)

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

Style 1:   RSF150300183 (Nordyne style)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 4th & 5th positions of the serial number

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 6th & 7th positions of the serial number

Note: The preceding letters of the serial number represent the product series and are often very similar the model number prefix.

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Style 2:   EB5D302F320107830 (Rheem style)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 11th & 12th positions of the serial number

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the 9th & 10th positions of the serial number

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Style 3:   0804237539 (Goodman style)

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 & 4th positions of the serial number

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Style 4:   R0424070098 (ICP style)

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 2nd & 3rd positions of the serial number

Week of manufacture can be determined by using the 4th & 5th positions of the serial number

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Style 5:   92A-C70097 (??? style - possibly ClimateMaster or original H.C.I.)

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 (letter) of the serial number

Note: This style has not been confirmed - use with caution and common sense

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Style 6:   JR10006245X -or- BT 255768 046X (unknown manufacturer style)

We are currently unable to decode the manufacture date from this style. The serial number is from an unknown manufacturer. If you have information which may assist us, please send us a note!

Note: We believe the date of manufacture is likely coded within the first two positions (letters) of the serial number. The system data plates indicate to have been "Made in PRC" (The Peoples Republic of China). The few condenser units we have encountered are typically aged beyond industry average service design life, and utilized R22 refrigerant which is now obsolete. We suspect units bearing this serial number style to have been manufactured between late 1990's to early 2000's.

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Comfort-Aire® History¹
  • 1917 - Century Engineering Corp. founded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Produced and manufactured warm air furnaces, and later oil and gas conversion kits for coal-fired furnaces. Later delved into PTAC systems, humidifiers, as well as portable space heaters.
  • 1975 - Heat Controller, Inc. of Jackson, Michigan acquired the Century® brand name and assets, and incorporated those product offerings and market distribution into the Heat Controller family.
  • 2000 - Heat Controller acquired Aiton's Equipment of Canada, providing increased market penetration in North America. Comfort-Aire and Century brand names were distributed under the new Aiton's of Canada umbrella ("by Aitons") throughout Canada.
  • 2013 - MARS (Motors and Armatures, Inc.), a leading commercial and residential HVACR motors and components supplier, acquires Heat Controller, Inc. and forms a merger between the two companies.
  • Current (2024) - The Heat Controller name was eventually dropped (circa 2016) resulting in two divisions of MARS - the motors and components (parts) division for which MARS was known for, and the MARS equipment division selling under the previous Heat Controller private label brand names of Comfort-Aire, Century, and Allied Commercial. The product lines include an impressively broad selection of HVACR equipment including heat pumps, split system air conditioners, air handlers, furnaces, geothermal, PTACs, portable room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, window air conditioners, ductless systems, commercial Rooftop units, packaged units, and more.
  • About MARS - Founded in 1945, MARS is a family-owned and operated supplier of motors, components, service/installation parts, and equipment for the HVACR industry. Originally launched as a motor repair company, MARS continually evolved its business throughout the years to meet the needs of customers. Now the MARS Motors and Components Division distributes an extensive line of MARS and JARD branded aftermarket replacement products, as well as original equipment components of leading manufacturers. MARS Equipment Division offers residential and commercial heating, cooling, and dehumidification equipment under the Comfort-Aire and Century brand names in the United States and under the Comfort-Aire by Aitons brand name in Canada. MARS Motors and Components Division operates from Hauppauge, New York, with distribution facilities in Earth City (St. Louis), MO and Halton Hills, Ontario. The MARS Equipment Division operates out of Jackson, Michigan, the former headquarters of Heat Controller, Inc.

¹Excerpts from various industry 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: 02/06/2024