Data plate
The label on the equipment listing model number, serial number, electrical ratings, and refrigerant charge. It is the starting point for any accurate diagnosis, because code tables and service data are published per model rather than per brand.
Also called nameplate, rating plate, spec plate
What is a data plate?
The data plate is the label on a unit carrying its model number, serial number, electrical ratings, and refrigerant charge. It is what every code table and service document is indexed by.
Data plate: how it works
Manufacturers publish service data by product family, and the model number is what identifies which family a unit belongs to. Two units from the same brand with similar-looking model numbers can carry different code tables, different charge figures, and different electrical ratings, so the plate rather than the badge is what the documentation is looked up against.
Where you meet the term
- Before any code lookup, because the table depends on the model.
- In a parts order, where the model and serial determine the revision of the part fitted.
- In a charge calculation, where the factory charge and pre-charged line length are printed.
How to check it
- Photograph both plates in full. Indoor and outdoor model numbers differ, and a service manual is indexed by the pairing. Capture the whole label rather than just the model line. Owner check
- Record the complete string including suffixes. Trailing letters and revision codes can distinguish product families, and dropping them can lead to the wrong code table. Owner check
- Note the serial number for date of manufacture. Manufacturers encode a date in the serial, which is what settles warranty questions and identifies which revision of a manual applies. Technician
Data plate: what it is not
- The brand name is not enough to look up a code. Tables are written per product family.
- The indoor and outdoor model numbers are different, and both are needed rather than either one.
- A plate weathered to illegibility is a real problem. Photographing it while it is readable is worth doing before it is needed.
Data plate questions
Where is the data plate on a mini-split?
On the outdoor unit it is on the side or rear casing. On the indoor head it sits behind the hinged front panel, near the filters, or on the underside of the casing.
What if the data plate is unreadable?
Installation paperwork, the commissioning record, and any warranty registration all carry the model number. Failing that, a technician can sometimes identify the family from board part numbers, which is slower and less certain.
Why do I need both indoor and outdoor model numbers?
Because service documentation is written for the combination. Code tables, charge figures, and matched capacity ratings all depend on which indoor unit is paired with which outdoor unit.
Where this definition comes from
Written from manufacturer support article material held in the HVAC Bench evidence record. Where a document limits a definition to certain models, that limit is repeated here rather than generalised across a brand.
- Mini Split Systems Error CodesMRCOOL generation-specific mini-split code tables.
- Senville LETO Series Error Code Reference GuideSenville LETO series error and protection codes.