Franklin is a brand of inverter-type HVAC system manufactured by Goodman and uses their serial number encoding system. The first two numbers of the serial number are the year of manufacture. So the data plate shown below indicates the unit was manufactured in 2018.

    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. Also, see Who makes Franklin air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces? and How do I find the size in tons of a Franklin heat pump or air conditioner? 

    To determine other key specs of your HVAC system, see one of these other blog posts: 

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

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

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

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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: 

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

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

• 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.