Although the Magic Chef nameplate was only in production during the 1980s and 90s, many furnaces were installed around the Gainesville area, especially in apartment/condos and mobile homes. The 8th digit of the serial number, which will be a letter (and typically the next to last digit) denotes the year of manufacture: 

A = 1980                    K = 1989
B = 1981                    L = 1990
C = 1982                    M = 1991
D = 1983                    N = 1992
E = 1984                    
F = 1985                    
G = 1986                  
H = 1987
J = 1988                    

An example, shown below, is: A 10322EDB

The underlined letter indicates it was manufactured in 1983.

    Some units will have the “Armstrong - Columbus, Ohio” nameplate on them, but follow the same serial number pattern.

    To find out the age of another brand of air conditioner or heat pump, go to How do I determine the age of my air conditioner?,  which has a listing of all major manufacturers and links to instructions for decoding their serial numbers.

    To find the age of other home components, go to How can I find out the age of a roof? and How do I determine the age of an electrical panel? and How do I determine the age of my water heater? For life expectancies, visit What is the average life expectancy of the components of a house? 

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Field Guide for Home Inspectors, a quick reference for finding the age of 154 brands of HVAC systems, water heaters, and electrical panels, plus 210 code standards for site-built and manufactured homes, and the life expectancy rating of 195 home components. Available at amazon.com for $19.95.
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  To learn more about heating and air conditioning systems, see these other blog posts:

• How can I find out the SEER of my air conditioner? 

• My air conditioner won't turn on. What's wrong? 

• How can I find out the size of my air conditioner? 

• How can I tell whether the condenser (outdoor unit) is an air conditioner or heat pump? 

• Where is the air filter for my central air conditioner and furnace? I can’t find it? 

• Does an old air conditioner use more electricity as it ages? 

• How did homes stay cool in Florida before air conditioning? 

• What is wrong with an air conditioner when the air flow out of the vents is low?

• Why has the thermostat screen gone blank? 

• Why does it take so long to cool a house when an air conditioner has been off for a while? 

• Why is my air conditioner not cooling enough? 

• What are the most common problems with wall/window air conditioners?  

• Will closing doors reduce my heating and cooling costs? 

   Visit our HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.