Discover the Age of a Water Heater With These Simple Steps
If a water heater is making strange noises, leaking, or not heating water properly, it means that the plumbing element has some significant problems. There can be any number of culprits, but one of the most common reasons for the malfunction is simply that the appliance's life has run its course.
If you want to verify the water heater's age, it's essential to locate the model number to confirm when it was manufactured. Fortunately, any homeowner can track down this valuable piece of information since there's no particular skill involved.
HOW DO I DETERMINE A WATER HEATER'S AGE?
Every water heater comes with a manufacturer's label containing the unit's serial number. You can generally find the sticker around the energy instructions and warning labels on either side. Check if the sticker has the exact installation date.
If it doesn't, write down the serial number anyway because it generally indicates the appliance's manufacturing date. Each producer uses distinct formatting, and you will need to decode the serial number.
Coming up is a guide on how to determine how old the appliance is, depending on the manufacturer:
RUUD OR RHEEM
Decoding a Ruud or Rheem water heater serial number isn't too difficult. Take the following serial number as an example: 1108D1111 (MMYYPnnnn). Let's explore what each part of the code means:
MM – manufacturing month
YY – manufacturing year
P – plant's identifying code
nnnn – the individual unit's serial number
As a result, this water heater was manufactured in November 2008.
AMERICAN AND AO SMITH
American and AO Smith units use a slightly different format: 9806111111 (YYWWxxxxxx).
YY – manufacturing year
WW – manufacturing week
This water heater was made during the sixth week of 1998 (February).
BRADFORD WHITE
Decoding a Bradford White plate is a bit more complicated. The manufacturing year is indicated by the initial letter in the serial code, while the following letter represents the month. Here's the format that governs the decoding:
Year decoder: G - 1990; H - 1991; J - 1992; K - 1993; L- 1994; M - 1995; N - 1996; P - 1997; S - 1998; T - 1999; W - 2000; X - 2001; Y - 2002; Z - 2003; A - 2004; B - 2005; C - 2006; D – 2007
Month decoder: A - JAN; B - FEB; C - MAR; D - APR; E - MAY; F – JUNE; G - JULY; H - AUG; J - SEPT; K - OCT; L - NOV; M -DEC.
Bear in mind that Bradford White units use a 20-year designation rotation for their serial numbers. Therefore, water heaters produced 20 years apart have identical letter-year designation.
PINPOINT THE ISSUE
Figuring out the age of a water heater is just the first step in resolving any problems it may have. To ensure successful diagnosis and repairs, reach out to local electrical and plumbing services.
Evenflow Home and Commercial Services offer residential and commercial electrical, plumbing, and HVAC services in San Antonio, Schertz, Converse, Floresville, Elmendorf, and surrounding cities. Call us at 210-941-3503 today!
