Finding age of water heater serial numbers#
Finding age of water heater serial number#

Signs Your Water Heater Is Due For Replacement Your best bet is to refer to Bradford White’s helpful guide.

The letters rotate every 20 years, so ‘A’ could mean 1964, 1984, or 2004.

Finding age of water heater serial numbers#

Serial numbers on Bradford White models begin with two letters representing the year and month of manufacture. It does not apply to all brands because some like Bradford White are trickier to decode. (Example: A for January, B for February, C for March and so on.) The numbers following the letter likely indicate the year and sequence of production. The letter represents the month the water heater was manufactured in many cases.

Finding age of water heater serial number#

Some brands begin the serial number with a number. For example, a serial number reading 1015A33968 likely means that the appliance was made in October 2015. Because only six or so companies produce all the major water heater brands, they all more or less follow the same format: The first four digits suggest the date, followed by a string of other numbers. Interpret the serial number: There are dozens of water heater brands, and they all bake the manufacturing date into the serial number. Locate the serial number because it should contain a clue. It’s usually near the warning label and energy guide on the tank. But they don’t, so learning a water heater’s manufacturing date takes a little digging.įind the rating plate: The appliance’s rating plate contains the unit’s technical specifications - model number, BTU, capacity, etc. Smith Signature Series or something like that and you’d never have to wonder when it was made. If water heater manufacturers were more like the auto industry, we’d have models like the 2020 A.O. Knowing how much longer it has left can help you plan for a replacement.

And if you’ve moved into an older home, the appliance’s age is an even bigger mystery.Ī water heater’s average lifespan is around 10 to 15 years. Unless it was installed in recent years, the water heater’s installation date isn’t something most of us have committed to memory. If you know how old your water heater is, you’re a better record keeper than most homeowners.