Bard® HVAC age

How to determine the date of production/manufacture or age of Bard® 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: UTC Climate Controls of ICP

Subsidiaries or other related brands:

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

Example serial number styles/formats found:

Style 1: 000F950926066-1
Style 2: 123DA45678
Style 3: 28193MT
Style 4: 36284 M83
Style 5: 940128116

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

Style 1: 000F950926066-1

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

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 4^th position (letter) of the serial number

Note: This remains the current serial number styling for Bard and has been used since June, 1980

Style 2: 123DA45678

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 5^th position (2^nd letter) of the serial number

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 4^th position (1^st letter) of the serial number

Note: This style was used exclusively for the months of April and May only in 1980

Style 3: 28193MT

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the 5^th position (2^nd letter) of the serial number

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the 4^th position (1^st letter) of the serial number

Note: This style was used from 1962 into early months of 1980.

This style can have 5 -or- 6 digits preceding the letters. Our sample has only 5 digits.

Style 4: 36284 M83

Year of manufacture can be determined by using the last 2 digits of the serial number

Month of manufacture can be determined by using the letter preceding the last 2 digits of the serial number

Style 5: 940128116

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

Bard® History¹

1914 - Dale Bard launches the Bryan Plumbing and Heating Company in Bryan, OH as a tin shop and contracting business from their hardware store.
1930's - Bard gas and Oil furnaces were introduced
1940's - Bryan Plumbing and Heating Company discontinues its original contracting business and began using the name Bard Manufacturing Company
1950's - Introduced central air conditioning to their product lines
1963 - Introduced Bard Wall-Mount systems, ideally suited for modular and manufactured housing. Still manufactured today and found in mobile control rooms, nuclear test sites, offshore oil rigs, modular offices, modular classrooms, emergency hospitals, and construction site offices.
1981 - Introduced the company's first geothermal heat pump.
1992 - Bard opened its second facility in Madison, GA
2001 - Bard opened its third facility in Saltillo, Mexico

¹Excerpts from https://www.bardhvac.com/about-bard/bard-history/

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: 10/04/2023

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