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Your water heater supplies your home with hot water that you need to cook, clean, and bathe. Water heaters may use different power sources or technical methods to generate hot water, but they all deteriorate over time. Understanding your water heater’s age can help you know when you need a replacement.
The experts at Complete Comfort Heating, A/C & Plumbing Repair will explain how to tell how old a water heater is. After reading this guide, you will understand how long water heaters last, how to determine a water heater’s age depending on the manufacturer, and the benefits of working with Greenwood’s reliable water heater services.
How Long Do Water Heaters Last?
Before we discuss how to tell how old a water heater is, it’s best to consider how long a water heater will last. Water heater lifespan varies depending on how often you repair and service your unit. However, typically, most units last anywhere between 15 to 20 years, meaning that you need periodic replacement services to ensure good drinking water quality and other important things.
Understanding Water Heater Labels
While it’s important to understand the average lifespan of a water heater, you should know your unit’s specific age. Although the process varies depending on what type of heater you own, generally, it involves checking the water heater rating plate, located somewhere on the unit itself.
The rating plate displays important information, such as the manufacturer, water heater tank capacity, wattage, and more. Yet the most important information displayed on the panel is the year and month of manufacture.
Water Heater Age by Manufacturer
After you’ve located your heater’s rating plate, you might feel confused as to how to understand the water heater serial number. If so, don’t worry; each manufacturer designs their serial number in a specific way, and you can learn how to understand it. Here are some of the most common water heater unit manufacturers and how their serial numbers work.
American
American water heaters use a ten-digit serial number. The first two digits contain the year of manufacture, while the third and fourth digits are the week of manufacture. So, a serial number with the first four digits 1426 means that the manufacturer made the heater in the 26th week of 2014 or in June 2014.
AO Smith
If you’re wondering how to tell how old a water heater is and you own an AO Smith heater, you may find yourself dealing with one of several different label formats. For the following examples, the letter X denotes letters, and 9 denotes digits. Here are several possible serial number formats:
- Format 1a: In this format, the serial number’s third and fourth digits suggest the year of manufacture. A serial number that reads 9912X999999 denotes a manufacture date in 2012.
- Format 1b: The third and fourth digits indicate the year of manufacture. A number reading X9917X999999 means that the company made the heater in 2017.
- Format 1c: The first two digits suggest the year. A number reading 1599999999999 indicates a unit dating to 2015.
- Formats 2-4: These three formats vary in styling. However, if your serial number does not fall into formats 1a-c, it is one of these three types. In all three formats, digits one and two denote the year; the digits 04 mean 2004, for example.
Bradford White
Bradford White heaters begin with two letters. The first letter indicates the year of manufacture, while the second details the month. A denotes the year 2004, B means 2005, and so on, all the way until the letter Z, which means 2023.
However, letters G through Z hold two potential meanings. The letter G, for instance, denotes a furnace made in either 2010 or 1990 — twenty years earlier. H, on the other hand, means 1991 and 2011, and this process continues to the letter Z, which can mean either 2023 or 2003.
General Electric
General Electric, or GE, heaters have their own unique serial number formats. Here’s how to tell how old a water heater is:
- Format 1: The third and fourth numbers of the serial number suggest the year of manufacture. For instance: 9913000000 means that the unit dates to 2013.
- Format 2: Similar to format 1, the third and fourth numbers denote the year of manufacture. But the code’s beginning sequence differs slightly, with a typical code reading XX991499999; this would represent a unit that dates to 2014.
- Format 3 (gas units): Gas-powered GE heaters, like their electric counterparts, feature codes with third and fourth digits that correspond to the year of manufacture. GENG 9904X99999, a sample code, denotes a unit with a manufacture date sometime in the year 2004.
Rheem
As with previous examples, the letter X indicates letters, and nine means digits. The formats vary between tanked and tankless units:
- Tanked unit: The 3rd and 4th digits in the serial number denote the year of manufacture, regardless of the serial number format, as prefixes can begin with one, two, or as many as five letters. A sample serial number for this format would be 9913X9999999999X, a unit dating to the year 2013.
- Tankless unit: The first and second digits suggest the month of manufacture, and the third and fourth represent the year. A serial number reading 10.17-000045 suggests that the manufacturer made the unit in October 2017.
Call Complete Comfort Heating, A/C & Plumbing Repair Today!
Although you might understand how to tell how old a water heater is, there are countless other issues that could cause your water heater trouble. It’s best to work with professionals who understand what to do if you’re dealing with too much pressure in hot water heaters or other common issues.
To work with the best water heater experts in Greenwood, call Complete Comfort Heating, A/C & Plumbing Repai at (317) 648-5133.